Biodiversity conference
The Biodiversity conference which was successfully organized by PACN at the University of Nairobi, College of Biological and Physical Sciences, Chiromo Campus from 10th - 12th September, 2008 was attended by nationals from 13 countries (Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania, Brazil, Botswana, Burundi and UK).
The topics covered included global and African plant biodiversity; natural products as inspiration for crop protection and medicines; biofuels; the management of biodiverse ecosystems; exploiting genetic variation in crops and animals; environmental monitoring; analytical chemistry and waste management.
It was apparent from some of the presentations, that African farmers may not have access to the latest products and that there are still issues with the safe use of cheap generic crop protection chemicals and disposal of old stocks. The presentations were interesting and diverse, highlighting some of the global challenges facing the world - energy, food, water and health - all of them with an African dimension and requiring local solutions.
These should provide a challenge to the Chemistry academic community - how can we improve our basic understanding of the underlying science and develop innovative scientific solutions?
We must recognise that chemists in general have a responsibility to engage with the public and demonstrate that Chemistry can be a key component of technological solutions to some of the major issues facing the African continent and not just one of the problems.
The conference started with a puppet show from the Chanuka Express based on the poor use of pesticides on a farm. This show reflected some public concerns on the use of chemicals in the environment, especially in the use of agriculture.
The speakers discussed a number of important issues facing Africa that will be critical to address if we are to use resources sustainably and thereby maintain the biodiversity of the continent. At the same time, there are also many positive opportunities for chemists to take a lead in helping to better understand and solve these issues, which range from improving agricultural productivity to more efficient biofuel production; accurate environmental analysis and waste management.
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