Considering Biodiversity Threats to Production Agriculture: A Search for Balance in Program Strategy

Michael Bertelsen

Associate Director, OIRED; and Associate Dean for International Agriculture

Virginia Tech

Biodiversity conservation and agricultural production intensification are important goals to which virtually all natural resource management and agricultural research stakeholders can subscribe. However, a very real danger exists that our enthusiasm for achieving one of these goals may endanger the other, and ultimately threaten the common overriding development goals of poverty alleviation and food security. It is clear that agricultural production and biodiversity conservation goals may in many cases conflict. It is also clear that biodiversity program strategy is currently in the ascendant among important elements of the international community. We, as agricultural and natural resource management researchers and practitioners, have a responsibility to all stakeholders to search for an appropriate balance in research program strategy. In our work in agricultural and NRM projects we need to recognize that biodiversity goals are not, generally, overriding but must be considered when important tradeoffs between goals are evident.