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Let's cultivate biodiversity - Growing resilience

Bazile D., Caquet T., Leclerc C.. 2021. Budapest : FAO, 3 p.. FAO Regional Dialogue on Biodiversity Mainstreaming across Agricultural Sectors in Europe and Central Asia, 2021-11-16/2021-11-17, Budapest (Hongrie).

First, I will share with you some background elements on biodiversity in agriculture, Second, I will develop some examples considering different levels and dimensions for biodiversity. Biodiversity considers the diversity of organisms but also the interactions between them and with their environment. Even if the CBD is centered on the four main dimensions, genetic, specific, ecosystemic and cultural diversity, the concept of sustainable development based on social, economic and ecological issues is very important for understanding relationships across sectors. Passing from biodiversity to agrobiodiversity, we can see that all different levels depends on a strong cultural component: -Pools of genes from the wild for crop adaptability, -Diversification in cropping systems considering multiple uses, -Ecosystem services like soil and water conservation, or pollination -Local practices and knowledge Agrobiodiversity is broader that only plant and animal genetic resources for food and agriculture. Agrobiodiversity considers all biodiversity that interacts with agriculture and food production. Human activities have increasingly destroyed and degraded forests as mentioned in the last IPBES global assessment in 2019 : Three quarters of the Earth's environment has been significantly modified by human action. More than one-third of the world's land surface, and nearly 75% of freshwater resources, are now used for agriculture or livestock production. Considering livestock in animal biomass, we can see that the planet is dominated by cattle in biomass (graphic on the left), and by poultry in number of individuals (graphic on the right). Today, the total number of farmed is close to the total number of wild birds, all species combined. I will present you some examples of agricultural biodiversity at the three levels. The history of our agriculture, for more than 10,000 years, is associated with a decline of genetic diversity. If 5,000 plants participate in our diet, only 20 plant

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