Abstract
Biodiversity and agriculture are uneasy bedfellows. Conversion of natural habitats to agriculture threatens the survival of the myriad species with which we share the planet. Yet that very diversity is the fountainhead of the living resources that sustain mankind physically and, beyond bread alone, culturally. Much of its potential is untapped, for it is poorly understood. There are trends of exploitation of living resources today that may squander that potential. This essay is a plea for further exploration of the dimensions and pattern of natural diversity, and of our influence, intentional and unintentional, when we seek to modify that pattern to our own ends. From an understanding of biodiversity and our relationship with it may emerge a new philosophy of good husbandry for our natural resources, and an optimistic outlook for both agriculture and biodiversity.
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