3. Bioprospecting of Biotechnological Resources in Island countries: Lessons from the Costa Rican Experience

Bioprospecting, defined as the systematic search for valuable, molecules, genes and organisms in nature, has the potential to offer island countries a means to use biodiversity without disrupting nature; to add value to their natural resources; to ensure that such resources are protected and used in a sustainable manner; and to build the necessary skills to apply biotechnology in improving quality of life (Sittenfeld and Villers 1993; Sittenfeld and Lovejoy, 1999). Today, important developments in biotechnology are rapidly generating new financial opportunities derived from the use of biological resources. However, such biotech opportunities that impact on managing the economy and the environment will in this century depend on how issues between biotechnology and biodiversity are treated and implemented within the principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).