Conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of genetic resources have been priority issues for a number of countries and international organisations over the past decade. We have begun to realise that the rapid rate of development at all costs has generated forces that are threatening to destroy the very substratum of life on Earth.Biological diversity is the building block of the myriad life forms on our planet and our defence against global climate changes. Wider acceptance of this truth has given an impetus to the need for further work at political and scientific levels. However, little information is available on how to study, use and conserve our biological and genetic resources.The Commonwealth Science Council's programme on biological diversity and genetic resources attempts to redress this imbalance. Launched in 1986, this programme recognises that good policies for conservation of our genetic resources require not only public investment by a systematic approach for institutionalising the key process of such conservation. The programme supports the development of appropriate courses, documents and training materials for capacity building at the local level.This book discusses the programme and aims to contribute significantly towards establishing relevant mechanisms and developing practical action plans for conserving and sustainably using our rapidly vanishing biological diversity.