NEWS
Australia's CSIRO takes the Biodiversity treaty nations to study flak from Senate committee biosafety protocol
Sydney. The management and board of the be abolished or modified. Nassau, Bahamas. The signatory states to Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial CSIRO' s main operating units are known the United Nations (UN) Convention on Research Organisation (CSIRO), Aust as divisions which, in 1986, were grouped Biological Diversity formally agreed last ralia's leading research organization and its into six institutes of broadly similar re week to study the need for a global biosafety largest employer of scientists, have come in search areas, such as the Institute of Ani protocol in the coming year. for some harsh criticism from a parliamen mal Production and Processing, based in At the conclusion of the first meeting of tary committee. Sydney. the 'conference ofparties', held in Nassau in A report released last week by the Eco The committee had received a large the Bahamas over the previous two weeks, nomics Reference Committee of the Aus number of submissions from individual sci they also agreed to examine the relationship tralian Senate describes the board ofCSIRO entists, which all strongly criticized the in between questions of access to genetic re as "ineffectual". On the basis of hearings stitutes as having no particular function. sources, technology transfer to developing held in Canberra, the federal capital, over Rather than adding value to the research or nations and intellectual property rights. the past few months, the committee claims commercialization process, the report said, A study commissioned during the pre that the board allowed the organization to institutes had become involved in matters of ceding year of preparatory meetings had become over-managed, with an "archaic, accountability and review, generating "a pointed out the need for a biosafety protocol hierarchical, top-heavy management sys vast amount of paperwork without clear and to regulate the production and release of tem", to the point where research became worthwhile objectives". genetically modified organisms. Many del badly affected. The CSIRO has so far said little in re egates and representatives of non-govern The committee's report also says that the sponse to this report. But an internal commit- ment organizations (NGOs) were therefore board had neglected the employment condi disappointed by the insistence of several tions and morale of its staff and taken an developed countries on reopening this ques "intrusive" role in matters of administration tion in the coming year. They would have that should have been left to the organiza preferred future meetings to consider the tion's chief executive officer (CEO), John actual wording of such a protocol. Stocker, and his executive committee. The United Kingdom and the Nether At the same time, Stocker, who is a lands had proposed a set of interim guide member of the board, is personally criti lines on biosafety that have been formally cized for making a "tokenist response" to adopted as a basis for future guidelines by management problems raised by the Senate the United Nations Environment Programme. committee by simply pointing to the organi But the proposal was criticized on the grounds zation's adoption of the management disci that, since many developing countries have pline of Total Quality Management (TQM). inadequate or non-existent biosafety laws, Earlier this year, Stocker announced that he such guidelines would be voluntary - and would not be seeking reappointment for hence easily ignored. another five year term as CEO, when his During the pre-conference negotiations, present term expires in March 1995. developing countries pushed for action on The committee's inquiry was initiated the issue of equitable access to, and develop by complaints from Australia's strong - ment of, genetic resources of potential value but drought-affected- rural sector about a tee is now examining the organization's struc to major industries such as pharmaceutical decision by the research agency to cut back ture, and will report in February. or agrochemicals - an issue raised explic funds for rural research. Announced earlier But the Senate committee's report also itly in the Biodiversity Convention. this year, the cuts are partly the result of criticizes the management review commit They argued that access to these resources changes in the organization's priorities as tee, chaired by the chairman of the CSIRO, should imply a quid pro quo that might in well as efforts to reduce the CSIRO' s A$126- Adrienne Clarke. It found the terms of refer clude exchange oftechnology or other imme million budget by 13 per cent (see Nature ence of the review to be "very general" and diate benefits, as well as the sharing of royal 369, 347; 1994). "so unfocused as to be almost incomprehen ties or inventorship. This could bring new The CSIRO is not obliged to act on any sible". It points out that there had already economic incentives for the conservation and of the committee's recommendations. But been a series of management reviews that sustainable use of biological diversity. the report is likely to have a strong influence had led, not to any change in structure, but One item that has therefore been adopted on the government's deliberations over the to a proliferation of corporate managers and as part of the 1995 work programme for the state-owned organization's future. administrators. parties to the convention is a study of intel As well as declaring that the cuts in Among other points made by the report, lectual property rights. funding for rural research should be re the Senate committee notes that scientists The 1995 programme also includes the versed, the committee recommends that had become frustrated by endless reviews of need to consider national strategies to pro CSIRO should improve its efforts to com CSIRO (one scientist complained his area of mote biodiversity conservation, which may mercialize research, reassess the effect of research was reviewed four times in 12 eventually require all parties to formulate external funding policies on fundamental months); that administrative staff appear to programmes of action. Parties to the con research and improve communications with cost the same per person as research staff vention will also consider the conservation the public. despite not having research programme costs; of coastal and marine biodiversity. But the report's main criticisms con and that both science and management ap But although forests are home to an esti cerned the management of CSIRO in gen peared to have suffered through the practice mated 60 per cent of the world's species, eral and its institute structure in particular, of promoting scientists to management po sustainable forestry is not included. which the committee recommended should sitions. Mark Lawson Daniel Putterman
NATURE · VOL 372 · 15 DECEMBER 1994 585