Remember our recent discussion here about the disconnect between the biodiversity conservation and agrobiodiversity communities? ((There’s more.)) Here’s further evidence, not that it is needed. An article from IUCN entitled When nature and people are one, on the link between human and biological diversity. Which entirely fails to mention agriculture. Even as a bad thing.
Nibbles: Musa wild relative, Soil biodiversity, Wild sorghum hybrids, Millet diversity, Bees, Garlic core collection, Heirloom seed saving, Nutrition, Fungal conservation, Sacred places
- New(ish) banana wild relative found in Mekong. Photo by Markku Hakkinen.
- Conserving soil biodiversity.
- Ecological fitness of wild-cultivated sorghum hybrids equal to wild parent.
- Pattern of genetic diversity in pearl millet determined by artificial, not natural, selection.
- The latest on the troubles of bees.
- Garlic gets cored. Totally SFW.
- Seed saving in the Hudson Valley.
- West African leaders say agriculture should be about nutrition. As opposed to?
- International Society for Fungal Conservation established. And that’s about it for now, but there are some ideas about what it will do.
Nibbles: CBD, Agroforestry, Rice, Soil interactions, Bumblebees, Chaco, Geoparks
- Executive Director of CBD perpetuates myth that we have lost 75% of crop diversity, at high-level meeting, no less.
- 670 agroforestry trees in a database, courtesy of ICRAF.
- Last Rice Today of this year, the 50th anniversary of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), summarized.
- Soil community helps maintain species and genetic diversity.
- Good news for some UK bumblebees.
- On the agricultural frontier in South America. Any crop wild relatives there?
- Global Network of National Geoparks expands. Any crop wild relatives there?
Protected areas and crop wild relatives: opportunity or dead loss?
Just wanted to point out to everyone that the biodiversity vs agriculture conflict is being played out in the comments to a recent post of ours.
Danny says:
I can’t help but feel we, the agricultural biodiversity community, have failed to tap into the ‘spirit of Nagoya’, and that this has happened in the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) may well represent a real missed opportunity.
Dave sees that and raises him:
…the only reason the conservationists want agricultural biodiversity is to document key wild relatives in reserves to prop up justifications for the failing system of protected areas.
Jump in, the water’s fine!
Mediterranean hotspots get Nagoya love
It must be the spirit of Nagoya, because following the announcement of publication of a list of threatened plant species from IUCN and Kew, there’s news of a major conservation effort, this one focusing on the Mediterranean.
The areas targeted look to me like they might well have quite a few crop wild relatives. ((Yes, that’s understatement for effect.))
• Southwest Balkans
• Mountains, Plateaus and Wetlands of Algerian Tell and Tunisia
• Atlas Mountains
• Taurus Mountains
• Cyrenaican Peninsula and
• Orontes Valley and Lebanon Mountains ((The historical photo of the cedars of Lebanon is from Oregon State University’s archives.))
There’s more information on the project, including an ” ecosystem profile” and a call for proposals, on the website of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.
