UGM biologist and Chair of the Indonesian Biology Consortium (KOBI), Prof. Budi Setiadi Daryono, M.Agr.Sc., Ph.D., said that the corruption case of lobster seeds, which is an Indonesian biodiversity commodity, illustrates the poor management of national biodiversity
According to him, stakeholders and enterprisers in the country always see the potential of biodiversity as a mere economic resource that is ready to be exploited. In fact, the existing biodiversity is an ecological resource that needs to be managed and conserved together. If our political leaders and national stakeholders perceive natural resources, especially biodiversity, as an economic resource alone, it will destroy and obliterate our biodiversity.
“As we are impatient for the baby lobsters, locally known as benur, to grow, we lose the ultimate focus of prioritizing the lobster seed aquaculture in research. Cultivating baby lobsters will result in greater benefits for the price of adult lobsters is way beyond the seeds’,” said the Dean of the Faculty of Biology UGM.
Budi said that the lobster seed importing countries are building lobster research centers with a long-term goal of developing lobster aquaculture. That way, in the future, they will become the center of lobster production. These countries have also succeeded in cultivating salmon as a fishing industry without disturbing their natural habitat.
“KOBI is concerned with the perspectives and predatory behavior of the power holders and enterprisers in depleting our biodiversity. In the future, the perspective on biodiversity should turn into the act of respecting, managing wisely and conserving biodiversity, including lobsters so that it can be utilized and continued by the next generation,” he said
Author: Ika
Photo: Bisnis.com
Translator: Salma