. The Canadian field-naturalist. Natural history. 1997 Small: Biodiversity Priorities of Canadian Agriculture 501 Issue 9: Profitability as a Key to Harmony Between Agriculture and Environmentalism Thou shalt promote harmony between agriculture and environmentalism. - J*J*. Biodiversity is economically important because it provides biological resources (Beattie 1991). The Earth's biota is an indispensable agricultural resource, furnishing germplasm for presently culti- vated species, a wealth of species exploitable in the future as cultivated plants, pollinators, and biocon- trol agents, and e
. The Canadian field-naturalist. Natural history. 1997 Small: Biodiversity Priorities of Canadian Agriculture 501 Issue 9: Profitability as a Key to Harmony Between Agriculture and Environmentalism Thou shalt promote harmony between agriculture and environmentalism. - J*J*. Biodiversity is economically important because it provides biological resources (Beattie 1991). The Earth's biota is an indispensable agricultural resource, furnishing germplasm for presently culti- vated species, a wealth of species exploitable in the future as cultivated plants, pollinators, and biocon- trol agents, and essential functions in the mainte- nance of ecosystems supporting agriculture (Ehrlich and Wilson 1991). The concept of biodiversity, and the underlying habitat preservation upon which the maintenance of biodiversity is dependent, has become the heart of an economic argument. As stat- ed by Webb (1991) "how much does wildlife have to be worth before it will generate more income per unit area than can come from conventional agricul- ture?" Paul Hawken (1993), however, has pointed out at great length the hidden costs that must be con- sidered in exploiting bioresources. As he has stated, "Our human destiny is inextricably linked to the actions of all other living things. Respecting this principle is the fundamental challenge in changing the nature of ; Up until the present, human activities destructive of biodiversity have appeared to be highly profitable — at least in the short term. Thus agriculture, ranch- ing, urbanization and forestry, which have often degraded biodiversity, have resulted in economic prosperity for Canadians. It is human nature to oppose policies that reduce one's wealth, and not surprisingly the environmental movement has been opposed by many vested interests concerned that policies good for biodiversity were bad for them. As discussed by Montgomery and Pollack (1996), the most contentious environmental issue is simply who will
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