Agricultural Biodiversity for Sustainable Development

Agricultural biodiversity should be considered as a key resource and the most important human heritage. Biodiversity of farm animals and plants gives the foundation to food production that ensures the existence and future of contemporary civilizations. Rapid economic development, unfortunately, does not facilitate the preservation of biodiversity and organisms characterised by many desirable properties and features are perishing. Economic progress forces humans to abandon traditional, safe and more varied species, and to switch to monocultures and those non-native to specific habitats, but which are more productive. In this way mankind had lost forever a large part of this living deposit of the past times, and this process continues. Probably, in some cases, this results simply from the pure ignorance of local keepers concerning traditional varieties and breeds. Therefore, it is worth promoting and encouraging the efforts of both individuals and institutions in terms of a better understanding of this subject, and to seek support in the interests of present and future mankind.