Amidst the vast expanse of Mongolia's high altitude Great Plateau, a remarkable story unfolds - one of endurance, adaptation, and unwavering resilience. The nation's unique livestock breeds are a symbol of pride and a vital backbone of the country's economy. Today, on this International Day for Biological Diversity, we celebrate not only Mongolia’s livestock diversity, but also the herders that have developed and maintained them for thousands of years.

Biodiversity includes organisms that can help farmers grow crops successfully, such as bees and birds that pollinate crops,  earthworms that keep soils healthy and microorganisms that are capable of acting as biological control agents. The indiscriminate and inappropriate use of pe...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with support from the European Union (EU), moved a collection of unique genetic samples from Kharkiv in the east of Ukraine to a safe location in the west of the country. At a time when the world is facing an unprecedented loss of agricultural biodiversity in farmers’ fields, it is more important than ever to ensure that crop diversity is safeguarded, including the diversity that is held in genebanks.

Brussels, Geneva and New York – The rethinking of food and agriculture and the necessary sector transformations we need moving forward must take into consideration the implementation of the closely interlinked climate change and biodiversity outcomes from COP27 and COP15, respe...

The high seas comprise nearly two-thirds of the world's ocean and are filled with a variety of fish species, which are essential for the ocean's biodiversity. They are part of flourishing ecosystems that regulate our climate, provide vital habitats for hundreds of thousands of species and support crucial fisheries.

But high seas ecosystems are facing new challenges: climate change, pollution, and unsustainable practices are threatening their fragile balance. Rising water temperatures are forcing many species to find new habitats, while unsustainable practices, such as overfishing, are impacting fish stocks and biodiversity.

"I have a duty to protect the forest, as it feeds me and my family," says Thomas.

The Ituri Forest, which Thomas Aseli speaks about with emotion, is located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is a sacred place for the Mbuti Indigenous People. Within this spectacular rainforest is the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. It occupies about one-fifth of the forest and houses some of the richest wildlife in central Africa, including a large population of the reserve’s iconic okapi, also known as a forest giraffe. It is also home to more than 100 species of mammals, including several endangered species such as the forest elephant and the eastern chimpanzee.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 - 12:00-14:00

Wild plant genetic resources for food and agriculture: their conservation and sustainable use

This webinar is a follow up to the First International Multi-stakeholder Symposium on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: Technical Consultation on in situ conservation and on-farm management of PGRFA, held in March 2021.  At this event, examples of the continuum of management practices for wild plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, from their conservation to use in breeding improved crop varieties, will be presented and discussed.

Dos sistemas agrícolas y agroforestales biodiversos, o chakras, del Ecuador (uno en las montañas de los Andes y otro en la región amazónica del país) han sido reconocidos como Sistemas importantes del patrimonio agrícola mundial (SIPAM) por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentac...

8 February 2023 - Agrifood systems have the potential to make a significant contribution to the 2030 Agenda and more specifically to the conservation, sustainable use and restoration of biodiversity as stipulated in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Las legumbres son las semillas comestibles de las plantas leguminosas que se cultivan tanto para consumo humano como animal. Los frijoles (Phaseolus y Vigna), los garbanzos y los guisantes son los tipos de legumbres más conocidos y consumidos, pero existen diversas variedades más en todo el mundo...

La comunidad de las naciones del mundo adoptó el pasado 19 de diciembre un marco histórico para apoyar la diversidad biológica mundial, y el acuerdo incluye una contribución importante de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO), comprometida a garantizar...

Washington, DC - The fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) ended earlier this week in Montreal, Canada with a landmark agreement to protect 30 percent of the world’s lands, coastal areas and inland waters by 2030. The fina...

Described as the most important global meeting for the future of our planet this century, the 15^th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held in Montreal, Canada under the presidency of China, concluded on Monday 19 December. Around 18 000 people registered for the conference, including representatives from more than 194 parties to the CBD. 

Despite the substantial progress made in spreading knowledge about soil biodiversity and its functions, only around 1% of soil organisms have been identified so far. Moreover, soil biodiversity loss remains one of the main global threats to food security in many regions of the world and is likely...

“Ecosystems are being pushed beyond breaking point. The adoption of an ambitious post-2020 Framework that strengthens the transformation of agrifood systems is essential for food security, tackling climate challenges and sustainable economic growth, for prosperity, well-being and achiev...

Las Naciones Unidas otorgaron un galardón especial a 10 iniciativas innovadoras de diversas regiones del planeta en reconocimiento a su vital trabajo en la restauración del mundo natural.

As negotiators gather in Montreal to agree on a new deal to protect biodiversity, success will depend on the full engagement of the food and agriculture sectors. Our ecosystems are being pushed to the limit. Conservation alone can’t get the job done. We must take action to conserve, protect...

Martine Biron, Minister of International Relations and Francophonie and Minister responsible for the Status of Women, and Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General of FAO, are proud to announce the technical and financial partnership between Quebec and FAO in the form of an international climate cooperation project entitled Accelerating adaptation to climate change in agriculture and food security" (SAGA)

The United Nations has recognized an initiative to repair thousands of kilometres of degraded land across Africa as one of 10 pioneering efforts to revive the natural world.

The United Nations has recognized an initiative to restore 300,000 ha of drought-stricken Central American farmland and forests as one of 10 pioneering efforts to revive the natural world.