The 1996 Beltsville Symposium brought scientists, economists, legal experts, and policymakers together for the first time to explicitly define the role of science (including taxonomy and biodiversity research as well as agricultural sciences) in discussions on the political and economic control of genetic resources. This book explores the ownership of access to genetic resources and biological specimens, and the effects these issues have on the ability of scientists to do their job of providing knowledge to benefit the people of the world.