A law to combat biopiracy has erected unintended barriers to scientific research in Brazil, stalling fieldwork, discouraging international cooperation and pressuring federal regulators to restore normalcy. The law, meant to protect Brazil’s genetic resources and traditional knowledge of their uses, took effect two years ago in the form of an executive order issued by President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. But not until this March was an Environment Ministry-led commission formed to oversee the law’s implementation. The commission, comprising 19 representatives of government agencies, is charged not only with drawing up regulations, but also with approving research proposals. Until the panel becomes fully operational, Brazilian and foreign biologists are putting much of their fieldwork on hold out of concern they might find themselves at the mercy... [Log in to read more]