Bio-theft, or Share the Wealth?
I read a short review about a new book by Joe Johnson entitled The Thief at the End of the World. It brought up a new idea, that of robbing a country, or an economy, of its livelihood by smuggling out seeds (yes, seeds!) for a plant that brings that country and its people its main source of income (in this case, rubber). Evidently, this is an actual event, and because of one man’s (Henry Wickham) actions – he saw it as a way to bring riches to his own country, England, – the people of the Amazon region saw their export product dwindle to almost nothing once the new rubber trees starting producing, just about the time of World War I. So two things:
Does this sound like a book you’d like to read? Why/why not? AND
What do you think of the accusation of “robbery” ? By taking plants (or maybe fur-bearing animals) to take them to another place and enjoy the riches they provide, is a crime committed? Your thoughts, please.
Filed under: books
