Bonn,
22 May 2008 - As the world's growing population
faces rising food prices and pressures from
climate change affect the fields and orchards
that feed the world, celebrations of the
International Day of Biological Diversity
today will stress the need to properly protect
and manage the world's biodiversity in order
to ensure a secure supply of food for a
growing world population.
"Agriculture can
promote biological diversity if it shows
due respect for nature. But agriculture
can also become a danger for biological
diversity, e.g. through the excessive use
of pesticides or by creating monocultures.
However, one thing is beyond doubt: agricultural
production is directly dependent on the
resources and services provided by the diversity
of nature", said German Environment
Minister Sigmar Gabriel, President of the
ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties
(COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity
which is taking place in Bonn, Germany,
until 31 May.
"The protection
of the world's biodiversity is essential
to the world's food supply," said Ahmed
Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention
on Biological Diversity. "If current
extinction rates continue, it will be hard
to to provide sufficient food for a global
population that is expected to reach nine
billion by mid-century."
"Biodiversity will
become even more crucial in the future as
climate change is creating uncertainty over
which plant and livestock species will remain
viable under changing conditions" he
said. "For example, farmers in the
Andes guard against crop failure from heat
or frost by planting a number of different
varieties of potatoes. Access to these varieties
protects their livelihoods."
"Of the 7,000 species
of plants that have been domesticated over
the 10,000-year history of agriculture,
only 30 account for the vast majority of
the food we eat every day." Said United
Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon,
in his message for IBD. "Relying on
so few species for sustenance is a losing
strategy."
At the meeting in Bonn,
delegates are reviewing the Convention's
work on agricultural biodiversity and identifying
ways that countries can work towards more
sustainable methods in agriculture. Government
representatives, along with nongovernmental
organizations, are deciding on a series
of measures that would move the world closer
to the globally-agreed goal of reversing
the loss of biodiversity by 2010. It is
estimated that human activity is causing
species to become extinct at a rate of 100-1000
times the natural rate of extinction.
"Agriculture and
nature conservation must find ways to work
together hand in hand to significantly reduce
the global loss of biodiversity", Mr.
Gabriel said. "This is a very ambitious
task delegates of 191 states have to solve
within the next few days in Bonn",
he added.
Later today, delegates
will listen to remarks from the Environment
Minister of Germany, the United Nations
Secretary-General, a video message from
Jacques Diouf, the Director-General of the
Food and Agricultural Organization of the
United Nations (FAO), and a keynote address
by Robert Watson, on the International Assessment
on Agricultural Science and Technology for
Development (IAASTD), among others.
Mr. Djoghlaf said that
a major long-term goal in confronting the
current global food crisis is to organize
agriculture in a manner that both protects
and supports surrounding ecosystems.
"We can ensure
a secure food supply if we take the necessary
measures to use our resources properly,"
Mr. Djoghlaf said. "We need to ensure
that we use our water resources efficiently.
We need to use the right mix of fertilizer.
We need to keep our soils fertile and we
need to keep our forests and wetlands in
tact."
The conservation of
biodiversity, Mr. Djoghlaf added, is of
paramount importance to smaller sized farming
operations, where mixed farming—planting
a number of different varieties and species—can
serve as a hedge against climate change,
disease or economic shocks.
"This year is the
International Year of the Potato" he
said. "Peruvian farmers guard against
crop failure to heat or frost by planting
a number of different varieties of potatoes.
Access to these varieties protects their
livelihoods."
Biodiversity, Mr. Djoghlaf
said, will also play a major role in providing
a balanced diet for more people. Greater
diversity provides for a more varied diet,
which permits people to strike a proper
balance between growing and raising the
right kinds of foods. "We need to promote
the idea that our nutrition should be based
to a large extent on the land's ability
to support a certain diet."
Through the Convention
on Biological Diversity, countries are working
on guidelines for agricultural practices.
In particular, there are a series of initiatives
under the Convention to protect soil, pollinators,
and ensure proper food and nutrition.
The Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD)
Opened for signature at the Earth Summit
in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the Convention
on Biological Diversity is an international
treaty for the conservation and sustainable
use of biodiversity and the equitable sharing
of the benefits from utilization of genetic
resources. With 191 Parties, the CBD has
near-universal participation among countries
committed to preserving life on Earth. The
CBD seeks to address all threats to biodiversity
and ecosystem services, including threats
from climate change, through scientific
assessments, the development of tools, incentives
and processes, the transfer of technologies
and good practices and the full and active
involvement of relevant stakeholders including
indigenous and local communities, youth,
NGOs, women and the business community.
The headquarters of the Secretariat of the
Convention are located in Montreal. For
additional information, please contact Marie
Aminata Khan at +1 514 287 8701; email:
marie.khan@cbd.int
The International Day for Biological Diversity
The United Nations proclaimed 22 May the
International Day for Biological Diversity
(IBD) to increase understanding and awareness
of biodiversity issues. For more information
on the International Day for Biological
Diversity and information materials, go
to www.cbd.int/ibd/2008/
Information for journalists
To access the live webcast, please visit
the home page of the CBD website, www.cbd.int,
and follow the links indicated.
