Biodiversity

Our food systems and biodiversity are intimately connected. Without diverse ecosystems food production could not occur, including pollination by insects, nutrient cycling, regulation of the water cycle and pest control. Protecting the genetic diversity of species used in food and agriculture is vital since, according to FAO, they are “the biological basis of world food security and, directly or indirectly, support the livelihoods of every person on Earth”.

Biodiversity is being lost at an alarming rate, partly due to the scale and methods of modern agriculture. There are many policies, schemes and approaches to land use and farming that recognise the need to protect biodiversity, and there is an urgent need to expand such approaches.

Growing global demand for meat and dairy poses significant threats to biodiversity too, through the destruction of tropical habitats for cattle grazing and the significant contributions made by livestock to climate change.

According to the United Nation’s 2007 ‘Earth audit’, biodiversity loss poses an enormous challenge to the Millennium Development Goals of halving hunger and extreme poverty by 2015.

Priorities

• Education and awareness can change our relationship with the natural world to one that is built on respect and sustainability
• Land should be used to produce food for people more efficiently
• Where animals are farmed, farmers should be encouraged to rear them sustainably,on biodiverse land such as natural grass or moorland and extensively, adding value to the product
• Agriculture that is small-scale, uses minimal pesticides and artificial fertilisers, and promotes wildlife habitats should be encouraged
• All the above should be supported by government policy, which recognises that conserving biodiversity is a win-win situation, better for people, biodiversity and animal welfare.