1) Biodiversity is an important contributor to food security and improved nutrition. Could you share examples/activities in your work where
biodiversity is contributing in achieving food security and improved nutrition?
Some of my colleagues in Chile which with whom I collaborate, are working in several topics regarding this issue. The overall goal of some of these projects is to use crop and wild biodiversity to achieve food security.
- For example, the program 'Wine, Climate Change & Biodiversity', over the last years has focused on the biodiversity and ecosystem services proveded by vineyards and their surrounding natural habitats: http://www.vccb.cl/english/index.html
Several scientific publications by Prof. Olga Barbosa have appeared in this regard: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=es&user=McN2nPIAAAAJ&view_op=li…;
- Also, in our laboratory we are starting to use arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inocula from pristine Patagonian forest to inoculate cereals, resulting in their higher production and higher tolerance to stressful conditions as high Aluminium and low phosphorus:
http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-95162016005000065
http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-95162017000400010
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.05.031
2) All agricultural sectors (crop and livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture) rely on biodiversity and on the ecosystem functions and services, they underpin. At the same time, these sectors may affect biodiversity through various direct and indirect drivers. Could you share examples/activities in your work
where a (sustainable) production system played a key role for the conservation of the biodiversity surrounding it? Please provide detailed information you may have or know of and identify the agricultural sector.
The same program 'Wine, Climate Change & Biodiversity', has proved to change agricultural practices, and has had a positive effect on mediterranean Chilean biodiversity (birds; microbiological diversity). http://www.vccb.cl/english/index.html
3) Good governance, enabling frameworks, and stewardship initiatives are needed to facilitate mainstreaming of biodiversity within and across agricultural sectors.
Which partners need to be involved in institutional frameworks, policies and processes for biodiversity mainstreaming to strengthen them?
All partners imaginable: producers, academia, consumers, goverment, ONGs.
4) The importance of biodiversity for improved food security and better nutrition is not always evident to those engaged in agricultural sectors.
What needs to be done to increase awareness of farmers, livestock keepers, fisher folks and foresters, their organizations and the industry of the relevance of biodiversity and ecosystem services for the food and agriculture production in their sector?
A well-thought education in ecology and basic concepts of biodiversity and its economic and intrisic values. The overall message that sustainable production often ends in bigger economic inputs (economic ecology). A basic understanding on how and ecosystem works, and a basic phylosophy that their productive systems also constitute ecosystems.
César Marín