D: Natural Resources
Supporting the conservation, improvement and sustainable use of natural resources for food and agriculture Other Information:
The well-being of present and future generations is threatened, particularly in developing countries, by land degradation,
water scarcity and pollution and salinization, destruction of forests, overexploitation of the world's marine resources, growth
in emissions of greenhouse gases and loss of genetic resources and biological diversity. Fragile ecosystems in particular
are on the front line of danger. The challenge is to strike an appropriate balance between conservation and sustainable use
of natural resources. This implies adopting policies and actions that contribute to efficient and socially desirable management
of land, water, fisheries and forest resources, and which, considering the multifunctional character of agriculture, enhance
its positive and mitigate its negative impacts on the environment and natural resources. However, as FAO's Members have noted
that there is currently no consensus on the meaning of the concept of the multifunctional character of agriculture, nor on
a role for FAO with respect to work on it, they agree that the Organization should pursue and further develop its work on
sustainable agricultural and rural development. FAO will continue to assist the global community in addressing natural resource
management and conservation issues through implementation of Agenda 21 of UNCED. This corporate strategy, which focuses on
assisting in the practical application of the measures needed, will require the assessment of natural resources and provision
of policy and technical advice at all levels and across disciplines as well as an exchange of information and knowledge. A
variety of policy support tools will be developed and used to optimize decision-making, programming and project formulation.
They will include best practices, guidelines, norms and standards, advice on participatory and gender-sensitive approaches
as well as natural resource management criteria and indicators, including for the economic, social and environmental costs
and benefits of restoring degraded environments.
Objective(s):
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