IITA IPM project
23:
Using biodiversity capacity for sustainable agricultural development and
conservation of environmental resources in West and Central Africa
Duration: 3 years (2004 to 2006)
Purpose: To backstop the development
of effective and ecologically sound options to manage major pest problems and
sustain biodiversity in the humid forest, savanna and mid-altitude
agro-ecological zones of Subsaharan Africa.
Background/description: The importance of taxonomy in providing the names and characteristics of
all living organisms is of fundamental relevance for all scientific work in
basic and applied biology. Adequate taxonomic capabilities have proved to be
the cornerstone for the development of sustainable, biologically-based pest
management options. The taxonomic impediment, i.e. the incomplete knowledge
of the world’s biodiversity, the worldwide decline and shortage of trained taxonomists and the impact of these deficiencies on agricultural development and conservation, is
particularly acute in tropical developing countries,
where much of the planet’s biodiversity still occurs, but where
traditionally the dearth of biosystematists is the strongest. Comprehensive
biological collections such as developed by IITA contain much biodiversity
information and thus are of fundamental importance to the countries and the
West African region as a whole. They provide the instrument for the countries
to better protect environmental resources in line with the obligations taken
towards the Global Biodiversity Convention. Unrestricted access to information
and expertise provided by the project assures that benefits generated from the
use of biodiversity can be shared equitably. This information also is essential to enable sound Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) practices, improve quarantine security and strengthen
phytosanitary regulations in line with the international trade conventions and
protocols.
Agroecozone(s) and location(s): All agroecozones in West Africa
Expected outputs: a) Knowledge base on distribution and biology of pests and their natural enemies improved, and
agrobiodiversity characterized; b) Information and diagnostics support for plant protection
provided; arthropod and microbial reference collections maintained and
enriched; c) NARES capacity to develop and
implement IPM practices enhanced; d) South-South and North-South
collaboration in biosystematics institutionalized.
Potential impact and beneficiaries: West African countries
signatories to CBD; National agricultural research systems and plant
quarantine services; regional and international
biosystematics institutions
Partners:
NARs and CBD focal points in West and parts of Central Africa.
Development investor(s): Austrian Government
IITA contact person(s)/principal investigator(s): Georg Goergen G.Goergen@cgiar.org
website http://www.iita.org