| dc.description.abstract | Building technical competence and providing institutional incentives for conservation of diversity have to
go hand-in-hand. Communities and individuals can conserve diversity without being aware of the value of
the diversity or its potential contribution to their life support system. In other words, non- utilitarian logic
by itself can evolve and survive in many societies. With passage of time such institutions have however,
become weak. At the same time, improvement in technical competence can cause both positive as well as
negative consequences for the diversity. Efficient ways of resource extraction can also lead to excessive
extraction. Just as higher value addition may generate more income and returns through lesser extraction.
The nature and extent of extraction, therefore, is not just a function of technological competence but
bio-ethics as well. How are the benefits distributed among those who conserve as well as those who add
value in the biodiversity may still depend upon institutional conditions.
The ideal arrangement for developing agenda for technical competence would be to align incentives,
institutions, and innovations (technological changes) with the basic bio-ethical values. In this paper, I
discuss general framework of linking incentives, institutions and technologies in the first part followed by
specific areas where competence in non-OECD countries needs to be built up. Finally, I summarize the
indicators by which this strategy can be monitored. | |
