Since 1970, trends in agricultural production, fish harvest, bioenergy production and harvest of materials have increased. Yet, unsustainable agricultural practices, including rampant monoculture and intensive use of pesticide and fossil fuel, overfishing and unsustainable consumption are threatening some of nature’s essential contributions to people. Soil quality is deteriorating due to biodiversity loss and the reduced capacity of ecosystems to store carbon and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Globally, local varieties and breeds of domesticated plants and animals are disappearing. This loss of diversity, including genetic diversity, poses a serious risk to global food security by undermining the resilience of many agricultural systems to threats such as pests, pathogens and climate change. Although overall food production today is considered sufficient to satisfy global needs, approximately 11 per cent of the world’s population is undernourished. BES-Net’s work, combined with its support for pollinator conservation and land restoration, serves to gather the latest evidence and country-specific knowledge on tackling food insecurity driven by biodiversity loss.
