Climate change, urbanization, invasive species and pests, and land degradation are threatening global biodiversity. Plant science innovations play, and will continue to play, a key role in protecting and enhancing biodiversity.
It is widely recognized that biodiversity is one of the biggest challenges facing agriculture and wider society. According to the Convention on Biological Diversity, nearly half of the human population is directly dependent on natural resources for its livelihood, and many of the most vulnerable people depend directly on biodiversity to fulfil their daily subsistence needs.
CropLife International is a longtime active participant in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). As the secretariat for the Global Industry Coalition, we are working with a broad range of stakeholders to provide constructive contributions to the CBD in line with their goals to advance the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.
CropLife International is committed to promoting biodiversity by providing stewardship programs for farmers to help them grow more with less while reducing risks to biodiversity and human health.
Together with our members, we promote solutions that can safeguard and improve biological diversity, end deforestation, restore ecosystems, and minimize the environmental impacts of crop production. This includes:
A full report of association and member activities was published in 2021. This includes key outcomes and collates a wide range of contributing projects providing detail and links to original data and studies. An addendum to the report, focusing on pollinators, was published in 2022.
Additionally, we have made the following commitments to the CBD’s Action Agenda, a platform that fosters engagement with non-state actors to raise awareness on the urgency, ambitions, and concrete actions that can reduce the drivers of biodiversity loss and enable the needed shifts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.