cannot only be translated into value added but also into easy and preferential access to generic technologies. The challenge is to elaborate legal frameworks and to develop appropriate institutions for the commercial exploitation of biodiversity products. There are significant opportunities in this sector, since the international markets for biodiversity products and services are fast expanding. Many developing countries could benefit from the expansion of the market for biodiversity products and services and exploit the potential value of biodiversity. This is only true if biodiversity is protected, since it can easily become a non-renewable resource if there are threats, extinctions and vulnerabilities.
     Another option is the development of technologies incorporating local knowledge for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity (combining traditional and agroecological know-how). The region has great potential based on its natural riches, especially in its biodiversity. Many plant and animal species are native to the region and can form the basis of poverty reduction strategies. Biotechnology and other niches offer opportunities for improving agricultural productivity without increasing the use of agricultural inputs. A key element of this strategy is to ensure the participation of producers and the identification and pursuit of opportunities throughout the food chain.
     In order to succeed in the options described above there must be an inventory and study of local and regional biodiversity (conservation and sustainable use and related know-how). The study on biodiversity must be carried out in close association with the taxonomy, evolution, biogeography and ecology, but on its own terms from which it is hoped that new paradigms will emerge (IAVH, 2006). The most notable lines of work are related to the role of biodiversity in organisms, the structure and functioning of ecosystems, their value to and use by man, and their inventory and monitoring. It is important that the value enhancement, monitoring and inventory of biodiversity, including the way in which inventories are carried out, are all done under common research guidelines that ensure that the compilation of data is standardized. The aim is to arrive at estimates that allow for comparisons of critical sites for protection, identification of key and indicative species, improvement of the procedures used in the exploitation of resources, and evaluation of production systems that have higher yields and less impact on biodiversity.

4.2.4.2 Sustainability of livestock farming
It is necessary to identify and disseminate options for sustainable and productive livestock farming in Latin America and the Caribbean, such as forestry and pasture land systems, protein banks that use various plant species as a source of energy and of protein for cattle (in other words, use of diverse landscape elements, such as tree barriers, significant shrub and tree biomass), protection of basins, and recycling of excreta in order to mitigate harmful or catrostrophic effects on soils and water. Depending on the type of biomass or ecosystem (since in Latin America there are savannahs, gallery forests, wetlands, foothills, the Brazilian “cerrado” and even the Andean high plateau which, with global warming, are now being used for cattle farming), the AKST should carry out research into and implement ecological principles to maximize sustainability and

production. Know-how (local but also the imported variety) and technologies are needed to stabilize agriculture and preserve natural assets.
     Environmental management in areas where livestock farming is practised leads to the unregulated occupation of land that is restored as a result of the creation of conservation units in regions of low agricultural potential, which could make the land resource more expensive and stimulate investment to increase productivity in areas already open or degraded in hopes of improving the environmental management of private land (Arima et al., 2005). In sum, when land used for livestock farming is degraded, the inhabitants leave and the land remains degraded. The aim is therefore to reverse the trend so that the land becomes sustainable and the population remains.
     On the other hand, it is also necessary to develop criteria for the allocation of financial resources in accordance with the rate of compliance with environmental regulations (Arima et al., 2005) (policy in support of AKST systems). The creation of options in the livestock sector requires technical solutions to increase efficiency in terms of head of cattle per hectare and improve the quality of livestock without degrading the soils, water or biodiversity. This option may limit the expansion of cattle farming in wooded areas (FLOAGRI, 2005), but the harmful effects of intensive livestock farming models will not be mitigated if decisive and comprehensive acion is not taken to achieve the goals of IAASTD.

4.3 Options for Strengthening AKST Capacities
AKST capacities can be strengthened by creating new institutional mechanisms, promoting participatory research, and strengthening existing institutions, provided that they revise their teaching curricula. Special emphasis should be placed on the issues of property rights and gender equality.

4.3.1 Creation of institutional mechanisms for knowledge sharing
The synthesis of know-how and its sharing/dissemination within the three models identified (Figure 4-1: conventional, traditional and agroecological) require the use of new institutional tools that are appropriate to each context. Projects designed to promote knowledge sharing have proven to be
effective in many cases. This sharing has led to significant technological improvements with positive effects on the well-being of the participants and to improvements in the environment. However, in some cases the same initiatives can promote the spread of inappropriate and even dangerous technologies and management practices (for example, use of the pesticide Chlordecone, which is banned in Europe but still used in some Caribbean islands (see http://www.minefi.gouv.fr/dgccrf/03publications/avtualitesccrf/ /chlordecone). Thus far there is no legal or institutional tool to regulate such practices.
     A great variety of groups have engaged in knowledge sharing initiatives, but their different and uncoordinated forms of organization and their excessive dependence on a few people acting as leaders are a source of weakness and prevent their spread. There is also the problem of the lack of continuity of these initiatives. In order to redress this