Flávio Roberto Mello Garcia, PhD – Professor, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil

Series: Agriculture Issues and Policies
BISAC: TEC058000; TEC003030; TEC058000
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52305/PZQD0721

The planet is undergoing intense changes that strongly impact the maintenance of life. The unbridled exploitation of natural resources and climate change have caused intense imbalance, with social and economic losses. Overcoming these challenges requires a global effort from governments and a paradigm shift that promotes balance and sustainability. In this sense, biological control (BC) is the control method that is based on the use of living organisms, natural enemies, for population suppression of non organisms, such as pests, weeds, plant diseases, and even insect vectors of human diseases. Natural enemies are predators, pathogens, and parasitoids of these target organisms. The BC emerges as an ally of research and public policies for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030, as it has seen to be a sustainable, eco-friendly method with low environmental impact and no impact on human health. In addition, the BC has proved to be very efficient and economically viable in the medium and long term. Its wider adoption is due to a change of philosophy and approach in pest management. For the BC to become even more widely used, it is important to replace an immediate and rushed philosophy and approach with a perspective based on Population Ecology and integrated area-wide pest management. In this scenario, scientific research is the foundation of future BC programs, whether they are augmentative or conservation. To establish a BC program that is effective and economically viable, it is generally necessary to conduct many years of field research in greenhouses and the field. It requires investment from governments, private or non-profit organizations, industry, educational and research institutions that go beyond financial resources, but require the involvement of people from different areas of knowledge, and the realization of the translation of knowledge.

Thus, this book comprises seven chapters by experts from diverse training areas and countries. The authors and co-authors kindly collaborated with the call of Nova Publisher, making available scientific research results in chapters that were carefully constructed to offer the reader current content based on evidence. It seeks to inspire undergraduate and graduate students to broaden and deepen their knowledge about BC. It also aims to serve as a basis for consultation for professionals, researchers, and policymakers, subsidizing environmental management, future research, and public policies of BC.

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