Why we should go for conservation

Our technical civilisation eliminates numerous animals and plants. Although generally known, but also generally accepted: Who cares? The Spotted Orchid extinct - well, who even knew about its existence?

It was in 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, when biodiversity was redefined also as economic resource. Conservation changed from a hobby of spleeny conservationists into a value to be protected by the whole Society. Because biodiversity provides the raw material for evolution. And without biodiversity life on this planet looses ist ability to adjust to the changing Environment.

However, there is also a quite pragmatic aspect of biodiversity: With respect to crop plants the genetic diversity of their ancestors and relatives (so called Crop Wild Relatives) have to be conserved for breeding. The Convention on Biological Diversity, since Rio signed by 150 states, made it clear, for the first time, that biodiversity is a highly political issue.