Pacific Regional Synthesis for The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture

Abstract

The report summarizes the state of biodiversity for food and agriculture in the region, based largely on information provided in ten country reports submitted to FAO as part of the reporting process for the report on The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture. The region supports many diverse ecosystems and a high level of biodiversity. The richest and most varied biodiversity tends to be found on high volcanic islands, where there are larger ecosystems and a greater range of habitats. However, the isolation of low-lying islands has often resulted in intense speciation and given rise to levels of endemism that are unique globally. Climate change is threatening the strategic reservoir of genetic resources, while economic and market influences are very strong drivers of change. The report suggests that overall, knowledge of associated biodiversity (particularly in soils), wild foods and ecosystem functioning is limited, and that all countries agreed that the main constraint in this field is funding. However, the key to optimizing limited resources is to prioritize research needs at national and regional levels. A regional conference on biodiversity for food and agriculture would help in this prioritization process.