Humans consume more than 7,000 species of plants and animals, very few of which have been domesticated through agriculture. In the drive to address food security, there is a lack of understanding among policy makers that for many people, especially the 70% or more in less developed countries who live in rural areas, wild sources of food—fish, small mammals, wild vegetables, fruits, honey and nuts, form an important part of people’s diets and are essential for nutritional health. To achieve food security for a burgeoning global population, what grows in the wild is just as important as what grows on farms.
Dr Gill Shepherd, Special Adviser to IUCN on Ecosystem Management explains.
