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Biological Production Potential
Figure 20 shows biological production potential for the entire
planet, including both ocean and land areas. An important conclusion to be
drawn from this figure is that relatively large regions of the planet, including
tropical oceans, great deserts on land, and Antarctica, have very low potential
for biological production. Essentially all the biologically productive land
that is not in forests or urban use is under human agricultural management, and most
of the productive ocean areas are heavily fished by global fishing fleets from
many countries. Increased food production to feed a growing population on
the planet will require higher production on present agricultural land or more
conversion of forest land to agricultural land, both of which present problems
and challenges. This figure reminds us of the finiteness of our planet and the
need for preservation and stewardship of its food-producing resources.
