BIODIVERSITY KEY TO TACKING GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS - UN AGENCY

BIODIVERSITY KEY TO TACKING GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS – UN AGENCY New York, May 19 2008 12:00PM Just 12 crops and 14 animal species provide most of the world's food, and this lack of diversity means that the food supply has become more vulnerable and less sustainable – according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (<"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000841/index.html">FAO).

"The erosion of biodiversity for food and agriculture severely compromises global food security," FAO Assistant Director-General Alexander Müller said today. "We need to strengthen our efforts to protect and wisely manage biodiversity for food security," he added.

Speaking at the beginning of a global conference on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Bonn, Germany, Mr. Müller called on the international community to intensify its commitment to integrating food security and biodiversity concerns.

FAO also raised the alarm about a worldwide decline in biodiversity. It estimates that the genetic diversity of agricultural crops has declined by 75 per cent over the last century and that hundreds of the 7,000 animal breeds registered in FAO databases are threatened with extinction.

FAO says that less genetic diversity means that there are fewer opportunities for the growth and innovation needed to boost agriculture at a time of soaring food prices.

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2008-05-19 00:00:00.000

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