Marine bioprospecting in Australia: International regimes and national governance

摘要

Australia has a vast marine environment and has ratified a number of international conventions that relate to the exploitation of marine resources both within and external to Australia's jurisdiction. The marine environment is the focus of a growing industry, born from the collection and commercialisation of marine biological resources for a range of applications. Australia has attempted to integrate its responsibilities internationally with the burgeoning marine bioprospecting industry. It has had some success in achieving this objective via the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (Cth) and corresponding regulations. The multi-jurisdictional reality of Australia's marine environment makes such a task difficult and there is a large potential to increase the scope of not only Commonwealth legislation and policy, but also those of the Australian States and Northern Territory.