Assessing role of ecosystems in producing goods for sustainable development

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities.

Agenda 21 recommends undertaking long-term research into the importance of biodiversity for the functioning of ecosystems and into the role of ecosystems in producing goods, environmental services and other values supporting sustainable development, with particular reference to the biology and reproductive capacities of key terrestrial and aquatic species, including native, cultivated and cultured species. The work should be undertaken with the widest possible participation, especially of indigenous people and their communities, including women.