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This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my)

URL:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/1/25/nation/9987865 & sec=nation

 

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Tuesday January 25, 2005

Don & #8217;t wait for disaster to strike, says PM

BY WONG CHUN WAI

 

PARIS: Malaysia has asked the world & #8217;s nations to take a hard look at what

they were doing to protect the environment in the aftermath of the tsunami

disaster, which had impacted biodiversity in terms of lives lost and natural

habitats swept away.

 

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi urged the international

community to conserve biodiversity, saying they should not wait for a crisis or

disaster to strike before action was taken.

 

“While we can never prevent the forces of nature, we can certainly take

preventive measures to minimise the impact and extent of destruction.

 

“We will do that by installing early warning systems in the region to detect

tsunamis and other natural dangers,” he said, adding that the recent tsunami

tragedy underscored the overwhelming power of nature and “the fragility of our

existence.”

 

Speaking at the International Conference on Biodiversity: Science and

Governance here yesterday, he appealed to countries to conserve and harness

natural resources for the benefit of the present and future generations.

 

“As human beings, we are all part of this complex inter-dependent biological

system on the planet.

 

“We have, however, been given the intelligence and wisdom to discern and

distinguish the complexity and the inter-relationships within the system.”

 

The international conference was organised by the French government and

sponsored by Unesco.

 

The speakers included French President Jacques Chirac, Nobel Prize winner and

Kenya & #8217;s Environment Vice-Minister Wangari Maathai, Harvard lecturer Edward

O & #8217; Wilson, Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana and Nigerian President

Olesgun Obasanjo.

 

 

 

Malaysia was invited to the conference, as it is one of the 12 mega diverse

countries in the world & #8211; being home to 15,000 different plant species,

4,000 kinds of marine fish and 150,000 different insects and invertebrates.

 

The term biodiversity means the variety of all living things & #8211; the

different plants, animals and micro organisms, the genetic information they

contain and the ecosystems they form.

 

Abdullah said in the quest for economic development, and for scientific and

technological knowledge, equal consideration must be given to all living things.

 

”It is quite clear that nations are better able to protect their biological

resources when they are more prosperous.”

 

Drawing on the Malaysian experience, he said the Government had called for

further research on the preservation and regeneration of mangrove forests,

which have shown great resilience in breaking the full force of the tsunami.

 

He said Malaysia had also embarked on forest plantations, which would relieve

the increasing demands on existing forests and their biodiversity.

 

Abdullah also stressed the need for access and benefit-sharing in relation to

biodiversity governance.

 

“It should be accepted as a matter of principle that commercial benefits should

be fairly and equitably shared with the providers and users of the biological

resources,” he said.

 

Later he told newsmen that he wanted Malaysians to increase their awareness of

biodiversity and its value.

 

Describing it as “nature's capital,” he said countries must acquire the

expertise to benefit from its biodiversity.

 

Abdullah, who is also Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) chairman, said

the OIC had been asked by the Saudi Arabian government to convene a summit to

discuss Muslim unity.

 

In response, he told Saudi Arabia that it was necessary to hold a preliminary

meeting to discuss the agenda before holding the summit.

 

<p>

 

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