Press Release - UN Meeting on Biodiversity: 8-19 October, Hyderabad, India

Use and conservation of agricultural and tree biodiversity key to achieving biodiversity targets

8 October 2012, Rome

Media contact: Kirsten Khire, Bioversity International; k.khire(at)cgiar.org, Phone: (+39) 06 6118246; Mobile: (+39) 3346234852

Agricultural and tree biodiversity must be sustainably managed and conserved to help achieve world biodiversity targets under discussion at the XI Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity  [2].

Bioversity International, a global research for development institute, is studying the use and conservation of agricultural and forest biodiversity for nutrition, livelihoods, sustainability and productive and resilient ecosystems.

Agricultural biodiversity is the variability of crops and their wild relatives, trees, animals, microbes and other species that contribute directly or indirectly to food production. Tree diversity is also essential outside of the agricultural context for many products and ecosystem services. Species are under threat of loss every day, with diversity shrinking and people now consuming more than half of their calories from only 3 species out of 250,000 in existence. Loss of biodiversity has impacts on nutrition, climate change, crop pests and disease control and food security.

The three objectives of the Convention  [3] are: conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. CBD is the first comprehensive global agreement addressing all aspects relating to biodiversity.

Pablo Eyzaguirre is one of seven Bioversity International scientists participating in a variety of events at the conference, which ends on 19 October.

“The Aichi targets can be implemented by using a landscape approach that includes agriculture and protected areas for ecosystem services. Agriculture is important within and around protected areas and can be a harmonious way to increase production while conserving and protecting,” he said.

Scientists from Bioversity International are also participating in Tree Diversity Day as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry  [4]. Scientist Judy Loo from Bioversity International will be speaking at the event.

“About 1.4 billion people depend directly on forests and trees for some portion of their livelihoods and household consumables. We need to safeguard and promote tree diversity, at both the species and genetic levels from forest to farm,” Loo said.

Bioversity will be participating in side events including:

• Tuesday 9 October 18:15-19:45
  BIODIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH: OPERATIONALIZING LINKAGES BETWEEN CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT ON THE GROUND with UNU-IAS

• Wednesday 10 October, 18:15 – 19:45
  UNESCO/SECRETARIAT OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY JOINT PROGRAMME WITH UNESCO 'Biological and Cultural Diversity and next steps forward"

• Thursday 11 October, 10:30 – 18:30
  Tree Diversity Day organized by World Agroforestry Center/CIFOR/Bioversity International/CIAT

• Monday 15 October, 13:15 – 14:45
  STRATEGIC PLAN 2011-2020 - SUSTAINABLE USE OF AGRICULTURAL BIODIVERSITY: The contribution of GEF Projects implemented by UNEP and FAO

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Bioversity International is a research-for-development organization working with partners worldwide to use and conserve agricultural and tree biodiversity to improve lives, sustain the planet and provide resilient, productive agricultural systems. Bioversity International is working towards a world in which smallholder farming communities in developing countries of Africa, Asia and the Americas are thriving and sustainable. Bioversity International focuses on rain-fed farming systems, primarily managed by smallholder farmers, in areas where large-scale agriculture is not a viable option. Its research influences policy decisions and investment in agricultural research, from the local level to the global level.

Bioversity International is a member of the CGIAR Consortium, a global research partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future. CGIAR research is dedicated to reducing rural poverty, increasing food security, improving human health and nutrition, and ensuring more sustainable management of natural resources. It is carried out by the 15 centers who are members of the CGIAR Consortium in close collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, and the private sector. www.cgiar.org   [5]

Bioversity International’s headquarters are near Rome, Italy. Bioversity International has regional offices in Colombia, Kenya and Malaysia. The organization, founded in 1974, has more than 300 staff and scientists worldwide working with almost 700 partners.

www.bioversityinternational.org   [6]