ICARDA Caravan 4

They strongly expressed their support for "the farsighted programs initiated a long time ago by the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization in favor of an equitable and sustainable use of biological diversity, which is the key element in the achievement of sustainable food and nutrition security."

Among the measures called for by Prof. Mugnozza and Dr Swaminathan, several struck a chord with ICARDA, which is already practising them. They call for "the effective conservation in situ of the wild relatives of crops and agricultural animals and the development of in situ gene parks", a strategy being followed by ICARDA and a number of its partners in their project Conservation and Sustainable Use of Dryland Agro-Biodiversity in the Near East. Also desired are "dynamic on-farm conservation strategies which aim both at ensuring the long-term conservation of agricultural genetic diversity, and at the economic and social development of the farmers themselves, and their farming communities." This is being pursued as an integral part of the crop breeding strategy (Three Among The Millions).

The authors of the Appeal also urge "the secure conservation of resources by completing ex situ collections, particularly of materials at risk, and also by bringing such collections to the International Network of ex situ collections under the auspices of the FAO." ICARDA's ex situ collection, which is one of the world's largest with 110,000 accessions, was placed under the auspices of the FAO in 1994. Several other policies advocated by Prof. Mugnozza and Dr Swaminathan are already being implemented at ICARDA.

wo eminent scientists recently launched an urgent appeal for the conservation of biodiversity, timed to coincide with the World Food Summit, convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which took place between 13 and 17 November 1996.

M.S. Swaminathan, President of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Madras, India, and Prof. Gian Tommaso Scarascia Mugnozza, President National Academy of Sciences, Rome, and Rector University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy, urged all colleagues to give their names to a document addressed to the governments represented at the Summit. The document was headed Appeal to concerned scientists throughout the world for the safe conservation and optimal utilization of biodiversity and genetic resources for food and agriculture, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits.

Dr Swaminathan is a former Director General of ICARDA's sister Center, IRRI, and has served as Chair or Member on several of the CG Centers' Boards of Trustees.

As part of the preamble to the Appeal, Prof. Mugnozza and Dr Swaminathan wrote that they believe "that it is the moral duty of all men and women of culture and science towards humanity to contribute to forming public policy, and to educating public opinion about the fundamental need to conserve biological diversity, to use its components sustainably, and to share fairly and equitably the benefits arising from the utilization of these resources."