Sustainable Food Security Through Conservation Of Biodiversity

A good environmental sense has been one of the fundamental features of India’s ancient philosophy. The civilisation of India has grown up in close association with the nature. There has always been a compassionate concern for every form of life in the Indian mind. This concern is projected through the doctrine of Dharma. The cosmic vision of earth is based on the concept of ‘vasudev Kutumbakam’.

Biodiversity ultimately provides us with a source of food, medicines, materials and opportunities. The earth’s biological resources are vital to humanity’s economic and social development. As a result, there is a growing recognition that biological diversity is a global asset of tremendous value to present and future generations. At the same time, the threat to species and ecosystems has never been as great as it is today. Species extinction caused by human activities continues at an alarming rate, reduction of the earth’s biodiversity as a result of human activities is a matter of great concern. Solving the problem of environmental threats and a dwindling biodiversity has been on the international agenda for some decades now. The formulation of environmental questions, however, is changing slowly

On the eco-system dimension of bio-diversity there is already a high degradation. In history there were many natural extinction of species, but the current rates of extinction are estimated to be roughly 100- times higher than typical rates in the fossil record. There are estimations that the increase will be 1000- 10,000 times higher in the future. Quantifying loss of genetic diversity is difficult, but it is clear that the extinction of species and declines of population lead to a loss of genetic diversity.

The importance of biodiversity to food security is well recognized. About three-quarters of the varietals genetic diversity of agricultural crops have been lost over the last century and that hundreds of the animal breeds are threatened by extinction. Just twelve crops and fourteen animal species now provide most of the world’s food. Furthermore, as biodiversity used in food and agriculture declines, the food supply becomes more vulnerable and unsustainable. Reduction of biodiversity entails a reduction of options for ensuring more diverse nutrition, enhancing food production, raising incomes, coping with environmental constraints and managing ecosystems. Recognizing, safeguarding the potential and diversity of nature is critical for food security and sustainable agriculture.

The biodiversity is not a easy task. It requires a scientific approach to understand how different forms of agricultural biodiversity contribute to the goals of improved food and nutrition security and sustainability, and recognition that while some principles and practices will be globally applicable, others may be constrained by locality and culture. This is a critical moment in earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future. Our planet earth is perhaps the only human habitat in the vast universe and we owe it to posterity to preserve the divine heritage of our biosphere without pollution, degradation and destruction. The long term perspective for sustainable development requires the broad-based participation of various stakeholders in policy formulation, decision-making and implementation at all levels in particular of issues of biological diversity and this must be encouraged. While progress towards sustainable development has been made through meetings, agreements and changes in environmental governance, real change has been slow.