Maintaining biodiversity is necessary to conserve critical ecosystems and promote economic sustainability. Many developing countries have ecosystems with a trove of biological resources and still-undiscovered plant and animal species.
Wild species are the gene bank used to maintain the vigor of our crops and livestock.
Small farmers and other resource users will abandon destructive practices only if they have economically and culturally acceptable alternatives. Following are success stories from Ecuador , Russia , and Madagascar . The law enforces a quarantine system to protect the Galapagos' environment from species introduced from the continent. It restricts immigration and empowers local institutions to take leadership in the affairs of the archipelago. Under the law, commercial fishing is prohibited within 40 miles of most parts of the islands, and park fees from tourism stay in the Galapagos to self-finance their programs.