Study finds modern agriculture could foster, not degrade, biodiversity.

• Author: Halweil, Brian
• Position: Brief Article

Farmers can play a key role in preserving the world's biodiversity, and in many cases farmland can serve to protect rather than destroy wildlife habitat, according to a new report by the Swiss-based World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Washington DC-based agriculture group Future Harvest. "As currently practiced in much of the world," finds the study, "agriculture represents a profound threat to wild biodiversity."

Because farmland covers a huge share of the Earth's terrestrial surface and is most often located in the fertile areas that also maintain the most biological diversity, incorporating conservation strategies into agricultural practices will be essential to preserving wildlife habitat. Around the world, farming is already encroaching on protected wildlife habitat: half of the world's 17,229 major protected parks, reserves, and wildlife refuges have some form of agriculture going on within their borders. About one-fifth of the total area of protected areas is "heavily" used for agriculture, estimates the study.

Because hunger is often acute in the same areas, farm practices will have to meet the double burden of stewarding biodiversity and providing enough income and food, according to the report. At least 16 of the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots--the most species-rich regions--also have very high rates of malnutrition. These 16 hotspots alone are home to one-quarter of all undernourished people in the developing world. And in such countries as Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, malnutrition rates are much higher in biodiversity hotspots than in the country as a whole.

"Many people believe that biodiversity can be preserved simply by fencing it off," said IUCN scientist Jeffrey McNeely, a co-author of the study. "Our report shows that agriculture and biodiversity are inextricably linked, and to avert widespread extinctions and feed the world, we must integrate biodiversity preservation into all landscapes--from grazing lands to coffee plantations to rice paddies."

The authors detail several dozen case studies of ongoing "ecoagriculture" practices around the world. For example, in the Philippines and Indonesia, fishing communities have created "no-take" reserves where fishing is banned to provide a breeding sanctuary where overharvested fish populations can recover. A survey of these reserves found that after three years fish number, size, and diversity in the surrounding area all increased...