Biodiversity, Genetic Resources and Ecosystem Services

Food security and nutrition policies must include and address the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity for food and agriculture. The importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services in sustainable crop and livestock production, fisheries, aquaculture and forestry requires renewed efforts to better integrate them into global and national agriculture and natural resources policies.

The Organization develops and supports countries in the implementation of normative and standard-setting instruments, such as international agreements, codes of conduct, international plans of action, technical standards and others that address biodiversity either directly or indirectly.

Coordination between Ministries responsible for agriculture, fisheries, forestry, environment, education, economy, health, trade and social affairs is needed. Policies should be inclusive, involving producer organizations, civil society and the private sector.

Policies should seek to improve scientific knowledge, harness traditional knowledge and effectively communicate the need to utilize and conserve species, breeds and varieties for now and the future.

As a leading governance institution of global governance on agri-food systems, FAO’s statutory and governing bodies play an important role in promoting the relevance of genetic resources and biodiversity for all aspects of agri-food systems, within the global governance landscape on biodiversity.