6 June 2016: Participants at the eighth Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity recognized biodiversity and ecosystem services as essential in supporting agriculture in multiple ways and at all levels, stressing their integration into other sectors as essential in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Conference focused on the interlinkages between biodiversity and agriculture to develop food systems for a sustainable future.
Over 300 participants from governments, UN agencies, and international and non-governmental organizations attended the meeting, which convened from 31 May – 3 June. The Government of Norway hosted the meeting in partnership with the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Bank.
On the interlinkages between biodiversity and agriculture, participants highlighted that, inter alia: biodiversity provides the raw materials that produce plant varieties and animal breeds upon which agriculture and food systems depend; the vital role of animal pollinators in food production, including more than 20,000 species of bees; the role of diversity in and around farms in reducing pests and decreasing disease damage; and the importance of soil ecosystem services alongside the fair to very poor conditions of most of the world’s soils. The Conference also recognized that agricultural developments have raised millions of people out of poverty yet noted that agricultural activities can have significant adverse impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services.
Increasing cooperation between biodiversity and agriculture sectors is critical in achieving both the SDGs and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, participants agreed. They suggested a systematic approach to spatial planning as a valuable tool for supporting biodiversity mainstreaming and recommended increasing access to genetic diversity through a range of public and private approaches. They further recommended accounting systems that incorporate a full understanding of the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
On biodiversity, agriculture, and climate change, participants recognized the impacts of climate change on agriculture and called for building food systems that meet increased demand while remaining profitable and sustainable in the face of climate change. They suggested conserving local varieties and landraces as one action to support adaptation and recommended further consideration of linkages among trade, climate change, agriculture and biodiversity conservation.
A Co-Chairs’ report of the Conference, titled ‘Food systems for a sustainable future: interlinkages between biodiversity and agriculture,’ will be transmitted to the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP 13) to the CBD. [IISD RS Coverage] [IISD RS Summary] [Conference Website]