scholarly journals Linking biodiversity, diet and health in policy and practice

2006 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Johns ◽  
Pablo B. Eyzaguirre
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Wild Plants ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Adequate Food

Simplification of human diets associated with increased accessibility of inexpensive agricultural commodities and erosion of agrobiodiversity leads to nutrient deficiencies and excess energy consumption. Non-communicable diseases are growing causes of death and disability worldwide. Successful food systems in transition effectively draw on locally-available foods, food variety and traditional food cultures. In practice this process involves empirical research, public policy, promotion and applied action in support of multi-sectoral, community-based strategies linking rural producers and urban consumers, subsistence and market economies, and traditional and modern food systems. Implementation of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute's Global Nutrition Strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa offers a useful case study. Relevant policy platforms, in which biodiversity conservation and nutrition are and should be linked, include the Millennium Development Goals, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Convention on Biological Diversity, Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, Food-Based Dietary Guidelines, Right to Adequate Food and UN Human Rights Commission's Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The largely unexplored health benefits of cultivated and wild plants include micronutrient intake and functions related to energy density, glycaemic control, oxidative stress and immuno-stimulation. Research on the properties of neglected and underutilized species and local varieties deserves higher priority. In tests of the hypothesis that biodiversity is essential for dietary diversity and health, quantitative indicators of dietary and biological diversity can be combined with nutrition and health outcomes at the population level. That traditional systems once lost are hard to recreate underlines the imperative for timely documentation, compilation and dissemination of eroding knowledge of biodiversity and the use of food culture for promoting positive behaviours.

scholarly journals A global database of diversified farming effects on biodiversity and yield

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah K. Jones ◽  
Andrea C. Sánchez ◽  
Stella D. Juventia ◽  
Natalia Estrada-Carmona
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Global Database ◽  
Diversified Farming Systems

AbstractWith the Convention on Biological Diversity conference (COP15), United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), and United Nations Food Systems Summit, 2021 is a pivotal year for transitioning towards sustainable food systems. Diversified farming systems are key to more sustainable food production. Here we present a global dataset documenting outcomes of diversified farming practices for biodiversity and yields compiled following best standards for systematic review of primary studies and specifically designed for use in meta-analysis. The dataset includes 4076 comparisons of biodiversity outcomes and 1214 of yield in diversified farming systems compared to one of two reference systems. It contains evidence from 48 countries of effects on species from 33 taxonomic orders (spanning insects, plants, birds, mammals, eukaryotes, annelids, fungi, and bacteria) of diversified farming systems producing annual or perennial crops across 12 commodity groups. The dataset presented provides a resource for researchers and practitioners to easily access information on where diversified farming systems effectively contribute to biodiversity and food production outcomes.

Recent Developments

2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon C. Lovett
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Plant Conservation ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
International Botanical ◽  
International Botanical Congress ◽  
The Status ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Essential Resource

At the 1999 International Botanical Congress held in St Louis, Missouri, the President of the Congress, Dr Peter Raven, presented a keynote address emphasizing the importance of plants to human existence and underlined concerns that the Earth is undergoing a human-induced extinction crisis. One of the resolutions of the congress was to establish a new co-ordinating body associated with the United Nations to monitor the status of plants throughout the world and take steps to conserve them. The resolutions were followed up with a meeting in Gran Canaria on 3–4 April, 2000 when leading botanists met to formulate a declaration which could be taken forward to the fifth Conference of the Parties (CoP5) to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nairobi in May 2000. CoP5 recognized that plant diversity is a common concern of humankind and an essential resource for the planet, with as many as two-thirds of the world's plant species in danger of extinction, and proposed that at the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP6) the establishment of a global strategy for plant conservation should be considered. A strategy with 16 targets was presented and adopted at the CoP6 meeting held in The Hague in April 2002. These targets differ from the normal approach adopted in the Convention on Biological Diversity of using general principles that can be interpreted by national policy, in that they are quantified.

scholarly journals Implementing Target 10 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland

2013 ◽  
pp. 125-142
Author(s):  
Noeleen Smyth
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Plant Conservation ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Early Introduction ◽  
Carpobrotus Edulis ◽  
Chemical Treatments

The importance of managing invasive non-native species (INNS), be it through eradication or limitation, is set out in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which states that parties to the Convention should ‘prevent, control or eradicate alien species’ (IUCN, 2000). Unfortunately there is some evidence that botanic gardens have been implicated in being responsible for the early introduction of many environmental weeds listed by IUCN as among the worst invasive species (Hulme, 2011). Stronger global networking between botanic gardens to tackle the problem of INNS has been suggested by Hulme. Botanic gardens have a remit to meet Target 10 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) and the European Strategy for Plant Conservation (ESPC) Targets 10.1 and 10.2. The National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, in conjunction with University College Dublin and Mayo and Fingal County Councils, with grant funding from the Heritage Council, has monitored populations then researched and implemented effective control methods of two escaped garden plants: Hottentot fig (Carpobrotus edulis (L.) N.E. Br.) and giant rhubarb (Gunnera tinctoria (Molina) Mirb.) in EU protected habitats and in Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Ireland. Chemical treatments were trialled and tested in the field for both species, and successful regeneration of native vegetation in formerly invaded areas has been observed since treatments began in 2009.

scholarly journals Biotechnology for Conservation and Utilization of Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources in Nepal

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 49-59
Author(s):  
Bal Krishna Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Random Amplified Polymorphic Dna ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Tissue Bank ◽  
Genetic Erosion ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Agricultural Biodiversity ◽  
Agricultural Plant

Agricultural biodiversity is the basis of human life and food security. Nepal with 577 cultivated species possesses huge diversity at varietal as well as landrace levels. In most agricultural crops the rapid genetic erosion due to several reasons is a common phenomenon. Thus, considering the importance of agricultural biodiversity declared by Convention on Biological Diversity for sustainable food production, National Agriculture Genetic Resources Center (NAGRC) has been established for conservation and sustainable utilization of agricultural biodiversity. This paper thus delineates the application of biotechnological tools adopted by NAGRC for effective and efficient conservation and use of agricultural plant genetic resources (APGRs). Among the adopted technologies, tissue bank using shoot tip culture of vegetatively propagating and recalcitrant crops eg potato, sugarcane, banana, sweet potato, etc are in function. Under the molecular marker technology, currently random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers have been used for developing DNA profiles, identifying duplicates in the collections, assessing genetic diversity and screening accessions against economic traits. DNA bank has also been created for storing DNA of indigenous crops and these DNA can be accessed for research and study. Genotypic database has been developed for chayote, finger millet, wheat and maize for identification and selection of the accessions.Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council Vol.3 2017: 49-59

scholarly journals Past, Present, and Future of Fruit Germplasm Exploration

HortScience ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-204
Author(s):  
Kim E. Hummer
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Remote Communication ◽  
Fruit Species ◽  
Wild Fruit ◽  
Food And Agriculture

The fruits of the earth have healed, nurtured, and intrigued humanity throughout history. Cultivated fruit species have complex genome that will continue to require the input of novel genetic resources. Prospecting for wild fruit species will continue. The global nature of science and commerce will drive the demand to expand available genetic resources for fruit improvement. New technologies will enable future explorers to reach remote sites and species. Recent advances, such as geopositioning and remote-communication devices, will be used to a greater degree for targeting specific collection sites and documenting records of origin. The sovereignty of countries over their plant genetic resources, as specified by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, will continue to be a cornerstone for negotiating bilateral agreements and plant exchange. Although this could be considered a limitation to plant exploration in some situations, global strategies now in conceptual infancy will be developed to encourage and support ex situ preservation and continued plant exchange for long-term conservation and humanitarian benefit.

scholarly journals Conservation and Sustainable Use of PGRFA in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Muhamad Sabran ◽  
Puji Lestari ◽  
Mastur Mastur
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
National Level ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Agriculture Development

<p>The high diverse of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) in Indonesia needs to be conserved for sustainable use to achieve food security despite a still growing population. Therefore, database and information system which could add value to the PGRFA have been developed by many international initiatives and conventions which impact to national level. Two international agreements that Indonesia intensively involved to govern access and share the benefit arising from the use of the valuable PGRFA are the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the Nagoya Protocol of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Agriculture development in Indonesia, however, is still faced many challenges. This review described and discussed the high biodiversity in Indonesia, utilization and conservation of PGRFA, supporting regulation and policy on PGRFA along with the progress of database and information system. Overall, promoting conservation and the sustainable use of PGRFA is a key goal of various national, regional, and global efforts, initiatives, and agreements governing them for human well-being.</p>

scholarly journals Farmers’ Rights and Digital Sequence Information: Crisis or Opportunity to Reclaim Stewardship Over Agrobiodiversity?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Wynberg ◽  
Regine Andersen ◽  
Sarah Laird ◽  
Kudzai Kusena ◽  
Christian Prip ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Sequence Information ◽  
Access And Benefit Sharing ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Way

Contestations about the way in which digital sequence information is used and regulated have created stumbling blocks across multiple international policy processes. Such schisms have profound implications for the way in which we manage and conceptualize agrobiodiversity and its benefits. This paper explores the relationship between farmers’ rights, as recognized in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and the dematerialization of genetic resources. Using concepts of “stewardship” and “ownership” we emphasize the need to move away from viewing agrobiodiversity as a commodity that can be owned, toward a strengthened, proactive and expansive stewardship approach that recognizes plant genetic resources for food and agriculture as a public good which should be governed as such. Through this lens we analyze the relationship between digital sequence information and different elements of farmers’ rights to compare and contrast implications for the governance of digital sequence information. Two possible parallel pathways are presented, the first envisaging an enhanced multilateral system that includes digital sequence information and which promotes and enhances the realization of farmers’ rights; and the second a more radical approach that folds together concepts of stewardship, farmers’ rights, and open source science. Farmers’ rights, we suggest, may well be the linchpin for finding fair and equitable solutions for digital sequence information beyond the bilateral and transactional approach that has come to characterize access and benefit sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Existing policy uncertainties could be seized as an unexpected but serendipitous opportunity to chart an alternative and visionary pathway for the rights of farmers and other custodians of plant genetic resources.

REFLORA: A Virtual Way to Share Information about Brazilian Plants

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Zappi ◽  
Rafaela Campostrini Forzza ◽  
E. Nic Lughadha
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Plant Conservation ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Brazilian Flora

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History. Please check back later for the full article. Brazilian flora, the richest in the world, has long been the subject of scholarly study. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, plant samples collected in Brazil were sent to European herbaria, where botanists documented the little-known flora and its potential uses. From the twentieth century onward, Brazil created research centers to house its biological collections, facilitating study by Brazilian professionals of their native biodiversity. However, many early specimens deposited in European collections have yet to be examined by taxonomists. In the early twenty-first century, cost-effective digitization techniques enabled large-scale repatriation of herbarium data. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supported herbaria worldwide to digitize their collections, especially type-specimens, through the African, Latin American, and Global Plants Initiatives. A party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Brazil responds to global challenges, such as the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which set sixteen targets for understanding and conserving plant diversity. In 2008, Brazil’s Environment Ministry tasked the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden (JBRJ) to coordinate a compilation of the Brazilian List of Plants, Algae, and Fungi (Brazilian List) by 2010, to meet GSPC Target 1. JBRJ tapped the expertise of more than 500 Brazilian and foreign taxonomists to develop and maintain a dynamic list that rapidly became the reference for Brazil's flora. In 2011, Brazil’s Science and Technology Ministry, recognizing the need to link knowledge from digitized plant specimens and the Brazilian List, funded the amalgamation of the Brazilian List with a new Virtual Herbarium dubbed “REFLORA.” Founded as a partnership among JBRJ, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris), and the Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew, UK), REFLORA includes two components: (1) digitization of herbarium specimens and maintenance and update of the Brazilian List, and (2) capacity-building, including visits by Brazilian researchers to European collections to improve specimen identification and foster baseline research that directly impacts plant conservation. Both the Brazilian List and the Virtual Herbarium are interactive platforms incorporating feedback from scientists involved in the project. Changes to these databases appear immediately, making current taxonomic views regarding a specimen or a plant name available online worldwide. Their success has stimulated Brazilian zoologists to prepare a similar list, while the botanical community is already responding to GSPC’s 2020 target to build a digital World Flora. The Brazilian Flora project will be founded on the platforms and scientific community created by the Brazilian List.

scholarly journals Mainstreaming Agricultural Biodiversity in Traditional Production Landscapes for Sustainable Development: The Indian Scenario

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10690
Author(s):  
Ishwari Singh Bisht ◽  
Jai Chand Rana ◽  
Rashmi Yadav ◽  
Sudhir Pal Ahlawat
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Food System ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Agricultural Biodiversity ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Global Environment Facility

Mainstreaming biodiversity in production landscapes ensures conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity, the key objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the projects supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global Environment Facility (GEF). Mainstreaming integrates biodiversity in existing or new programs and policies, both cross-sectoral and sector-specific. The conventional model of agricultural production with limited diversity in production systems and use of high chemical input has taught us a valuable lesson as it is adversely impacting the environment, the essential ecosystem services, the soil health and the long term sustainability of our food systems. Using a qualitative participant observation approach, our study investigated four distinct traditional Indian production landscapes to gage (i) the farming communities’ response to institutional policies, programs and agricultural biodiversity-related activities in traditional Indian production landscapes and (ii) opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in smallholder traditional Indian farming systems. Results indicate that the top-down decision-making regime is the least effective towards achieving sustainable development in traditional Indian farming landscapes and that farmers’ experiential knowledge on participatory biodiversity management, maintenance and use for sustainable development are of critical importance to India’s agriculture and economy. Reclaiming agriculture’s spiritual roots through organic farming and locally grown food emerged as key, including the need for designing and implementing a more sovereign food system. Revisiting traditional smallholder farming under the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons learned for repurposing India’s agricultural policy are also highlighted.

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