Use it or lose it: Improving the conservation/use link as a tool to sustain agrobiodiversity

Conservation of biodiversity is often seen as universal good, the maintenance of natural diversity being an end in itself, totally devoid of any potential benefit that biodiversity may have to humankind. This view is critically evaluated, and an alternative paradigm that highlights the necessary link between underutilized plant species (UPS) conservation and use is proposed. The key issues to be reviewed are: (1) conservation as pure science, (2) conservation as applied science, (3) the threat facing biodiversity and agrobiodiversity, (4) improving the conservation/use linkage for UPS, (5) use and over-use of wild plant diversity, (6) development and application of priority-determining mechanisms, (7) proposal for the development of an evidence-based utilization information system for UPS, and (8) the systematic incorporation of UPS into strategies for agricultural development and agrobiodiversity conservation at the national, regional, and international levels. These issues are illustrated by work on underutilized plant species used for food, nutrition, income, and sustainable development.