Report: Crop Expansion and Conservation Priorities in Tropical Countries

Publication Date: January 2013

This report, compiled by Researchers from UNEP's World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, shows that an increase in the amount of land being used for crops is one of the main reasons for the continuing loss of biodiversity and threatens to undermine attempts to meet international environmental goals. It details how land, which is often rich in biodiversity, is being converted or set aside for crops like rice and maize in some 128 tropical countries.  The study warns that such trends, if continued, could derail progress towards meeting the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.