Resource Domestication: An Introduction to Biodiversity and Wildlife in Agriculture

Abstract

Biodiversity and Wildlife are relatively recent concepts in Agriculture. However, the meaning of each concept remains to be clearly distinguished from similar concept in Natural Resource Conservation. The concepts of Biodiversity and Wildlife in Agriculture may be better understood when explored from the perspective of Resource Domestication. Relocation of a resource from its natural habitat into human-controlled environments represents an initial phase in the process of domestication. The final phase of Resource Domestication entails selection of desired production traits in established populations through breeding programs. A more complex relationship emerges in the course of transforming a wild plant into a crop or a wild animal into a livestock. The new relationship between a resource and its domestic form served as the framework for understanding Biodiversity and Wildlife in Agriculture.