Complementary conservation strategies

The challenge facing the world’s biological and conservation scientists is threefold: to classify the existing biological diversity; to halt the rate of ecosystem, habitat, species and genetic loss; and to feed the ever increasing human population. It is generally agreed that a catastrophic loss of plant genetic diversity is occurring at this moment: species, gene combinations and alleles are being lost for ever and this process of genetic erosion is likely to become even more grave in the future. The conservation of plant diversity is of critical importance, because of the direct benefits to humans that can arise from its exploitation in new agricultural and horticultural crops, the development of medicinal drugs and the pivotal role played by plants in the functioning of all natural ecosystems. The economic, political and social consequences that would result from a steady loss of plant diversity combined with rapid population growth is likely to be devastating if unchecked. The importance of these issues to humankind is underlined in Article 1 of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCED, 1992): The objectives of this convention ... are the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources ...