The cultural context of biodiversity conservation - Oapen

The global context
Fig. 2.1 Epiphytes are part of the highly diverse ecosystems of tropical rainforests
These observations and predictions, particularly in view of the significant forest clearance
in the tropics, have given cause for international concern; the need to conserve
biological resources has become widely agreed upon. As the world's biodiversity is not
only restricted to wild flora and fauna, the growing concern also applies to the importance
of plant genetic diversity as cultivated in agriculture and agroforestry. The phenomenon
of biodiversity loss does not only take place in natural environments, biodiversity
has also decreased in agricultural landscapes. Since the origin of agriculture
some 10,000 years ago, farmers have maintained numerous varieties of important
food crops. 5 Due to the ongoing alteration of ecosystems, the genetic base of many
food commodities is rapidly eroding. Agricultural intensification has encouraged a severe
depletion of varieties of domestic plants. 6 Altered patterns of consumption, climate
change, civil strife, wars and the resulting migration are further causes of the loss
of resources and associated knowledge. This erosion is increasingly curtailing access
by present and future generations to the genetic material needed for adaptation
through selective breeding; the associated risks are undermining local and regional
food security (GTZ 2000: 4). 7
5 Diversification of crops and varied patterns of plant management tend to keep pest populations
relatively low, even under conditions of intensive cultivation (Ellen 2003: 61).
6 It has been assumed that the diversity of cultivated plants has declined by some 75 percent since
the middle of the 19 th century. This process accelerated in the course of the Green Revolution beginning
in the 1960s, which encouraged the planting of high-yield varieties and fast-growing species dependent
on fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation to increase productivity and enhance capacity according
to a template of progress deemed universally valid. In disseminating science-based agriculture to
developing countries, this ideology has led to the replacing of numerous species and varieties of
crops, plants and trees with monocultures vulnerable to pests and diseases. Shiva (1994) critically
sees in this deliberate replacement of biological diversity with biological homogeneity in forestry, agriculture,
fisheries and animal husbandry a primary cause for the large-scale destruction of biodiversity.
7 The number of seed varieties used in modern agriculture is diminishing and traditional varieties are
increasingly becoming extinct. At present, it is estimated that global crop diversity is decreasing at
one to two percent annually; likewise, endangered livestock breeds are vanishing at rates of about
five percent a year (Christie & Mooney 2000: 321).
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