Drug Discovery, Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development

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9816821 Rosenthal Through this interagency transfer of funds, NSF supports the joint NSF and NIH program of International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups in its second cycle of activities. Six projects are anticipated for support, in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, each with three interwoven components: drug discovery, biodiversity conservation, and economic development. The loss of biological resources and critical habitat is widely acknowledged to be of global significance, undermining economic growth, degrading quality of life, and threatening human health. The problems are especially acute in developing countries, often those least capable of addressing the causes or mitigating the impacts of biotic degradation. Among the complex causes of environmental decline, the inadequate valuation of diverse biological resources is a significant contributing factor. Inadequate valuation stems from our poor understanding of the role of biodiversity in promoting human health and in sustaining viable ecosystems. Furthermore, biological resources must benefit indigenous populations if the resources are to be conserved. Consequently, the sustainable economic potential of biological resources, such as pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals from natural products, offers hope for biodiversity conservation by providing general benefits to local economies. Each of the funded projects in the ICBG program will implement surveys of biotic resources (species and habitats), along with screening programs for natural pharmaceutical products (and in many cases, for natural agrochemicals), and accompanied by local-community efforts in conservation and economic development. NIH-Fogarty Center for International Studies will administer this cooperative research program for the two agencies, under terms of the interagency agreement.