Battling 'biopiracy', scientists catalog the Amazon's genetic wealth

TORONTO - In a bid to stop "biopiracy," researchers are building a giant database to catalog genetic material from the world's largest rainforest. From the rubber in car tires to cosmetics and medicines, genetic material contained in the Amazon region has contributed to discoveries worth billions of dollars. Communities living there, however, have rarely benefited from the genetic wealth extracted from their land -- a form of theft that legal experts call "biopiracy." Instead, forest dwellers often remain impoverished, which can drive them to find other ways to make money, such as illegal logging, according to Dominic Waughray, who heads the Amazon Bank of Codes project for the World Economic Forum. "At the heart of the conservation debate is: How do you find a way for a person in the forest to get more cash in their hand right now from preserving that habitat rather than cutting it down?" said Waughray.