Denmark objected to the inclusion of animal patenting while Spain wanted procedures that allow for the modification of humans to be banned. The current form of the virus, believed to have originated in Mexico, is reportedly more virulent than the one that affected Ireland one and a half centuries ago. Outbreaks have occurred in recent years in the potato-producing states of Washington, Maine and New York in the United States. Developing countries are believed to be particularly vulnerable to the blight as farmers do not have the resources to purchase fungicides that might fight the disease. Many seed varieties currently in storage have inherent value that is not always readily recognizable, the report said.
Funding is needed to maintain seed and germplasm banks set up to protect genetic diversity.
Major collections also exist for varieties of sorghum, wheat, corn, potatoes and tomatoes and the U.S. alone holds 550,000 seeds types. A recent study by two University of Minnesota researchers supports the hypothesis that preserving biological diversity is necessary for avoiding e worst droughts in the past fifty years, and recovered more quickly than areas with fewer species. Tilman said the more species an area contains, the more likely some of those species are to have the ability to survive drought, insects, disease or other stresses. Their conclusion counters the argument that ecosystems need only one or two species to carry out the vital functions of photosynthesis, pollination and decomposition. Professor John Lawton, a British ecologist, was one who held such a view.