NEOTROPICAL WILDLIFE PRODUCTION: PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT THROUGH SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Neotropical wildlife has gained much interest in sustainable food production. The use of several indigoes species in food consumption. There is significant increase of food import from developed countries to developing countries. The cost of grains on the international market are increasing. Exportation of food from developed countries to developing countries are decreasing. So there is a need to investigate indigenous flora and fauna for food. The Caribbean is a net importer of food. It has an opportunity to develop local flora and fauna for food. Indigenous species of plant and animals are not fully understood/investigated. Indigenous species are well adapted to the environmental conditions of the tropics. The neotropics has 70% of world biodiversity, 604 species of birds, 502 species of reptiles, 140 species of amphibians and 89 species of mammals (Ojasti 1996; Garcia 2008). All the meat that are nowadays consumed, comes from animals that were once wild such as: the Muscovy duck, Turkey and Guinea Pig all originate in this part of the world