The publication presents twelve case studies from different parts of the world illustrating the role Protected Landscapes are playing in conserving agrobiodiversity and related knowledge and practices. A synthesis focuses on the key lessons to be learned from these case studies.

Genetically engineered cotton (Bt cotton) is one of the hotly debated subjects around the globe. The Biotech industry has created an unprecedented hype around it. However the experiences around the Global South in Bt cotton farming completely contradict this gung ho propaganda. A group of farmer-filmmakers from the DDS Community Media Trust, all women, have travelled to Mali, South Africa and Indonesia to documente the experiences of other farmers with cultivating Bt cotton.

Esta publicación presenta una compilación de información sobre los conocimientos disponibles en investigaciones inéditas, informes de investigación y simposios llevados a cabo sobre diferentes aspectos de la importancia, ecología, biología y control de los arroces maleza. También remarca los problemas económicos globales y ambientales creados por los arroces maleza, incluyendo los varios tipos de arroz rojo.

Complementary strategies for ex situ conservation of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) genetic resources. A case study in CATIE, Costa Rica

Complementary strategies for ex situ conservation of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) genetic resources. A case study in CATIE, Costa Rica

BioversityTechnical Bulletin No. 12 Based on the outputs of the participants of the Spoleto, Italy (2002) Initial Planning Workshop, and the Kunming, China (September 2004) and Meknes, Morocco (March 2005) Workshops on Diagnostic Tools to Understand Farmers’ Knowledge, Beliefs and Practices.

Pollination is an ecosystem service that is key to food security. Pollinators are essential for many fruit and vegetable crops. In agriculture, especially amongst pollen-limited crops, promoting pollination services is a means of increasing productivity without resorting to expensive agricultural inputs of pesticides or herbicides. As wild ecosystems are increasingly converted to more human-dominated uses to meet the compelling demand of food security, it is critical for us to understand what pollination services are most important for food security, and how we can preserve pollinator services in sustainable farming systems.

There has been little harmonization of the processes involved in the handling and release of sterile insects after production in mass rearing facilities. There are no standard guidelines available to transfer this technology to FAO or IAEA member countries that want to embark on sterile insect technique (SIT) activities. There is also increased interest by the private sector in investing in sterile insect production and/or other SIT activities, and these harmonized guidelines on the post-production phase will facilitate SIT application and foster the commercialization of the SIT.

Important Bird Areas and Important Plant Areas have already been identified in more than 170 countries. The Key Biodiversity Areas approach builds on the work done to date, in order to provide practical guidance to governments in identifying those sites which must be protected to ensure the future of both biodiversity and humanity.

The flora of the Mediterranean islands includes many rare and localised species unique to the islands. Some of these are particularly threatened with extinction due to various pressures caused by people and their activities in Mediterranean ecosystems. It includes 50 descriptive sheets of species which are especially threatened, based on the IUCN Red List criteria. Each sheet gives a description of the species with illustrations and maps, emphasizing the threats to the species, existing conservation measures and additional measures needed for their conservation. Aimed at the layman, the text is easily accessible to the non-botanist.

This report presents a country profile for 19 countries of West and Central Africa, considering the status, distribution, biodiversity, uses, threats and drivers of change for thier mangroves. Although there is considerable work being undertaken to research this habitat at the national, regional and global level, there are still significant gaps in information, emphasizing a need for continued efforts to improve assessment in the region.

Nepal comprises of only 0.1% of land area on a global scale, but it possesses a disproportionately rich diversity of flora and fauna at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. The Biodiversity Profiles of Nepal 1996 (BPN) was the first initiative of its kind to document all the information on Nepal’s biodiversity recorded till the year 1995. However, a system needed to be established to update and verify all these information on a regular basis. Nepal Biodiversity resource Book (NBRB) was thus established to carry out those needs and give continuity to this initiative.

The annual Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and WHO Core Assessment Group on Pesticide Residues was held in Rome, Italy, from 3 to 12 October 2006. The FAO Panel of Experts had met in Preparatory Sessions from 28 September to 2 October. The meeting was held in pursuance of recommendations made by previous meetings and accepted by the governing bodies of FAO and WHO that studies should be undertaken jointly by experts to evaluate possible hazards to humans arising from the occurrence of pesticide residues in foods.

The annual Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and WHO Core Assessment Group on Pesticide Residues was held in Rome, Italy, from 3 to 12 October 2006. The FAO Panel of Experts had met in Preparatory Sessions from 28 September to 2 October. The meeting was held in pursuance of recommendations made by previous meetings and accepted by the governing bodies of FAO and WHO that studies should be undertaken jointly by experts to evaluate possible hazards to humans arising from the occurrence of pesticide residues in foods.

The annual Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the WHO Core Assessment Group on Pesticide Residues was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 18 to 27 September 2007. The Meeting was held in pursuance of recommendations made by previous meetings and accepted by the governing bodies of FAO and WHO that studies should be undertaken jointly by experts to evaluate possible hazards to humans arising from the occurrence of pesticide residues in foods.

Esta publicación describe cómo la producción de pasturas, forrajes y ganado han sido integradas en los sistemas de agricultura de conservación en las zonas tropicales de Brasil. Vastas áreas de bosques fueron taladas en las áreas tropicales de Brasil para el establecimiento de pasturas que se vuelven improductivas una vez que se agota la fertilidad natural del suelo; esto conduce a la necesidad de talar más bosques.

Le système des semences de qualité déclarée, tel qu'il a été présenté en 1993 dans l'Étude FAO Production végétale et protection des plantes no 117, a été largement utilisé et consulté durant les dernières années. Cette version révisée, préparée par une consultation d'experts, offre une reconnaissance plus explicite du rôle des politiques nationales et de l'impact des récentes obligations internationales sur l'approvisionnement en semences et une explication plus claire de la façon dont le système des semences de qualité déclarée peut s'adapter aux variétés locales.

The flora of the Mediterranean islands includes many rare and localised species unique to the islands. Some of these are particularly threatened with extinction due to various pressures caused by people and their activities in Mediterranean ecosystems. It includes 50 descriptive sheets of species which are especially threatened, based on the IUCN Red List criteria. Each sheet gives a description of the species with illustrations and maps, emphasizing the threats to the species, existing conservation measures and additional measures needed for their conservation. Aimed at the layman, the text is easily accessible to the non-botanist.