Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

The Argentine Sea is an area adjacent to the Southern Ocean. These two areas represent one of the last well-preserved marine systems in the world [ ] 50 Sustainable production: organic certification Argentina has made significant im- provements in the field of biodiversity conservation as well as in sustaina- ble production, partly due to work carried out by the National Service of Health and Agri-Food Quality to coordinate ecological products. Organic agricultural production is encouraged throughout the country, particularly in regions with adequate environmental and socio-economic conditions. In accordance with Argentinian law, ‘organic’ is understood as any agricultural production where collec- tion, capture and hunting practices are sustainable. It also means that the production does not involve the use of chemical products, which may have a toxic effect on human health. Additionally, organic producers have to provide healthy crops, maintain or increase the fertility of soils and biological diversity, conserve water resources and preserve or intensify the biological cycle of soils to supply nutrients for plant and animal life. These practices provide natural sys- tems, plant crops and livestock with conditions that allow them to express the basic characteristics of their innate behaviour. Organic production offers a wide range of benefits, among which are an increase in soil fertility and great- er capacity for humidity retention; the reduction of the risks of erosion and desertification; the avoidance of ground and water contamination by synthetic pesticides; an increase of agricultural genetic resources; an increase in the diversity of species in and around the farms where organic production is practiced; and natural pest control and conservation of pollinating species. During 2013, the volume of exports of organic products increased by 6 per cent per year, reaching 148,000 tons. This number represent the sec- ond highest value ever recorded. In addition, the harvested organic land area grew by 10 per cent in 2013 compared to 2012, reaching 65,555ha above the average of the previous five years. This trend shows that, from 1995 to 2013, organic produc- tion grew between 8 and 12 per cent per year. This growing trend in the development of organic production is beneficial to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the ecosystem services derived from it. A rgentina has one of the largest numbers of ecoregions in the world (Lean et al 1990), comprising a significant geographical and environmental complexity — a great variety of landscapes and climates and a diversity of ecosystems and species — within a land area of 3.7 million km 2 . The country also has the highest number of vascular plant species in the world. Argentina’s high degree of biodiversity is the source of a large variety of environmental goods and services. The conservation and use of biodiversity in a sustainable manner is a way to maintain the stability of the ecosystems from which Argentinians obtain essential resources for human development. Chilto tomato, produced mainly by small-scale farmers for biodiversity-based production Dirección de Asuntos Ambientales (DIGMA), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto Argentina