October 4, 2007
By Michael Field

   The title is bland, but the contents crucial.

   Biopiracy slipped into the South Pacific early in the 1990s. It was aided by some local people including the current King of Tonga, who as Crown Prince Tupoutoa was keen to sell off Tongan genes to an Australian crowd.
Fortunately brighter souls realised what was going on - as drastic as winning US patents over human DNA - and this book is part of their work.

   Various authors have contributed lively papers on aspects of this radical form of science. These include insightful work on the way Tonga's Royal Government linked up with Autogene and decided on selling Tongan DNA. There is also discussion on the Cook Island experience with what the author calls "xenotourism", the use of human cells in pig cell research. What comes out of the papers is the clear warning that the Pacific Island people are not going to allow themselves to be robbed of their own whakapapa.

   The second part of the book includes treaties and declarations on aspects of using traditional knowledge - and traditional property - in a legal fashion.

   An important book that is a milestone in this curiously shadowy world.

Copyright: Michael Field