template #4
broken up
i'm tying up loose ends preparing to be in costa rica for the spring. but, if i can fit in one more painting before Feb. 9th then this is it, one more of these temperate vignettes. my mind surely will be different after months in the rainforest.
looking forward to living next door to the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad which contains:
The library of chemical substances being developed at INBio contains samples of materials of potential interest to biotechnology developers and industry. INBio basically brokers the nation’s wild biotic wealth, liaising with organizations interested in using that wealth for profit. Under strict contractual arrangements, INBio collaborates with biotechnology concerns and industry to collect and evaluate materials from the wild. All income beyond costs will be placed in a special fund, managed in agreement with the Government and used to protect and manage the country’s biological resources. In October 1991, Merck Pharmaceutical agreed to pay INBio $1 million for the opportunity to screen the samples that INBio is collecting. INBio will receive royalties on sales of any products developed from these samples. Even if INBio receives only 2 percent of royalties on pharmaceuticals developed from Costa Rica’s biodiversity, it would take only 20 drugs for INBio to be able to earn more funds than Costa Rica currently gets from coffee and bananas – two major exports.
huh, wouldn't that be a field trip! unfortunately, i lack a million dollars like merck.
but, i will have access to the public exhibits and perhaps an opportunity to volunteer.
also next door is the Museo Joyas del Trópico Húmedo (Museum of Jewels of the Humid Tropics), which houses 50,000 specimens of insects, crustaceans, millipedes, and centipedes.
