Managing biodiversity in primary production
Diverse genetic resources allow to use in primary production plants and animals adapted to different environments and meeting diverse needs. Furthermore, the interplay between species below and above ground delivers important ecosystem services, such as pollination, soil fertility and pest control.
Despite these recognised benefits, current production systems tend to be specialised and rely on a limited number of crops, breeds and forest tree species with a narrow genetic basis.
Reversing this trend and increasing their resilience is critical and of global concern in particular in the current context of accelerated climate change and a growing population with an increasing footprint of production and consumption.