This was the overarching theme of a keynote speech delivered by Emile Frison, Director General, IPGRI, on behalf of the CGIAR to the 7th Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Malaysia.

Hidden hunger afflicts 2 billion people worldwide. Roughly one in every three people lacks essential vitamins and other nutrients. The most severely affected are women and young children, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

"Biodiversity and human health are integrally linked," said Frison in his plenary address. "We are committed to mobilizing public goods science for tackling the problem of hidden hunger and malnutrition head on."

Promoting diversity in diets is the simplest way to address problems of micronutrient deficiencies. A study in the United States showed that diversity in diets reduced the risk of mortality. Research conducted in Italy has shown a link between greater diversity (in fruits and vegetables) and reduced incidence of stomach cancer. In Tamil Nadu, India, IPGRI is working with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation to boost consumption of minor millets that are nutritious and can grow in marginal environments. This project is supported by IFAD.

"Farmers who benefit directly from biodiversity, are more likely to conserve it," Frison told the conference. "Just as more complex and diverse ecosystems are generally more productive and more stable, so do more diverse diets act as a buffer against the ill effects of nutritional perturbations."

 

"Penang Statement and Action Plan"

More than 200 million people depend on fisheries for their livelihoods. Highlighting the important contributions of fisheries to the sustainable development agenda, WorldFish Center released the "Penang Statement" at the Convention on Biological Diversity meetings. The statement outlines a strategy for improving fisheries management, both in support of the Convention and FAO's Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) and calls for: Adopting the Ecosystem Approach to Inland Fisheries The Ecosystem Approach: Why and What? Threats to inland fisheries and degradation of aquatic ecosystems are affecting the livelihoods of millions of poor people. This problem cannot be solved within the fishery sector alone The inland fisheries problems are largely ignored and invisible outside the sector. The outreach inherent in the ecosystem approach to inland fisheries will give the sector a voice. Aquatic resources are more than managing fish-it is about people! The ecosystem approach brings people from all sectors together, making the link between fisheries, water and the environment Implementing the ecosystem approach poses new challenges The Ecosystem Approach: how? Work towards a coherent and coordinated set of policies, laws and guidelines Strengthen institutions and their functions to implement the ecosystem approach in cross-sectoral cooperation Create an enabling environment to promote stakeholder participation Support research and the collection, dissemination and use of local knowledge to provide an informed basis for implementing the ecosystem approach For a complete version of the Penang Statement, visit www.worldfishcenter.org For FAO's work on fisheries, visit www.fao.org/fi

The seventh session was attended by some 2,000 participants, including 80 ministers. In Kuala Lumpur, the 187 Member States of the CBD set rigorous targets for reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

For more information on CBD, visit www.biodiv.org

Copies of Biodiversity, Nutrition and Health: Making a Difference to Hunger and Conservation in the Developing World available at http://www.biodiv.org/meetings/cop-07/press/speech.aspx
or from j.cherfas@cgiar.org