ABSTRACT
At a time of exponential human population growth-there will be nine billion humans on Earth by 2025 (Lutz, Prinz, and Langgassmer 1993)—our plant genetic resources should be as valuable to us as gold and oil, if not more so. Unfortunately, however, history shows us that far too often, humans have repeatedly mismanaged nature and shown a thoughtless disregard for non-human biodiversity.
