{"id":36313,"date":"2013-05-29T18:40:52","date_gmt":"2013-05-29T22:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=36313"},"modified":"2013-05-29T18:40:52","modified_gmt":"2013-05-29T22:40:52","slug":"even-farm-animal-genetic-diversity-is-plummeting-loss-of-genetic-diversity-amongst-wild-and-domesticated-species-is-a-slow-moving-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/even-farm-animal-genetic-diversity-is-plummeting-loss-of-genetic-diversity-amongst-wild-and-domesticated-species-is-a-slow-moving-disaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Even Farm Animal Genetic Diversity Is Plummeting — Loss Of Genetic Diversity Amongst Wild And Domesticated Species Is A Slow-Moving Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"

Along with the rapid disappearance of much of the world’s wild biodiversity over the past century, the diversity of domesticated plant and animal species has also been falling rapidly. This loss of species diversity and genetic diversity poses a serious threat to continuation of modern industrial agriculture, and perhaps much more importantly, to the free “services” that the world currently provides us — clean water, clean air, food, forestry products, a livable temperate climate, etc.<\/p>\n

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Image Credits: Hopetoun Falls<\/a> via Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This loss of genetic diversity makes species, and also domesticated breeds\/types, more and more susceptible to disease and environmental change, and less adaptable to changing circumstances. It’s currently estimated that about 75% of all the genetic diversity that was previously present amongst human-grown-crops was lost during the last century “as farmers worldwide switched to genetically uniform, high-yielding varieties and abandoned multiple local varieties.” These (now lost) indigenous varieties were generally not only very well-suited to their climates, soils, local diseases, etc, but also possessed a resiliency to the extremes present in their environments — a resiliency simply not present in the genetically uniform\/high-crop-yields-at-all-costs varieties of today, which are typically dependent upon industrial infrastructure for their viability.<\/p>\n

This widespread loss of biodiversity will have profound effects on the world in the coming years. According to the founding Chair of a new global organization created to narrow the gulf between leading international biodiversity scientists and national policy-makers, Zakri Abdul Hamid, this loss “threatens” the continued existence of modern civilization.<\/p>\n