ABSTRACT
American chemical enterprises import plant materials such as oils, fats, and waxes worth many millions of dollars a year, using them to manufacture a vast array of end-products whose ultimate economic value is many times greater than the cost of the raw materials. Agriculture can be helped through cutting down on damage caused by insect pests. The International Board for Plant Genetic Resources, administered by the Food and Agriculture Organization, devotes a mere $3 million a year to genetic resources, reflecting the low priority accorded to crop germ plasm by the Board's member governments. The Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, housed within the World Bank, coordinates the programs of rather over one dozen research centers. A similar discrepancy between benefits and costs arises with regard to biological-control agents of agricultural pests. A save-species effort would probably have to be broached as part of a comprehensive strategy to protect the entire global environment.
