Initiatives for biodiversity conservation and utilization in crop protection: A strategy for sustainable crop production

A major challenge for mankind is how to increase agricultural productivity while preserving and increasing biodiversity. The competition between humans, weeds, pests, and diseases has led to significant losses in agricultural products, highlighting the ecological and financial necessity of making efficient and sustainable use of limited resources such as land, water, and soil. Because biodiversity offers a variety of ecosystem services that can be used to boost agricultural production and encourage sustainability, it is crucial to use it for crop protection. Biodiversity forms the very foundation for the development of effective biological management techniques utilizing natural enemies to regulate the populations of undesirable organisms, thereby improving crop health and yield. However, inadequate management and protection of biodiversity have led to the fundamental functions that ecosystems provide to humans being threatened. To effectively address and prevent the challenges posed by biodiversity, plant protection products must be used safely and properly by farmers and land managers. This review explores how biodiversity can be used to manage pests and diseases, including soil fertility and plant resilience, using various cutting-edge techniques, including biotechnology and organic improvement. It also examines crop losses caused by insect pests, providing valuable insights for crop protection.