Abstract
Interactions between agriculture and biodiversity raise ethical issues for agricultural research. Being user-driven, agricultural research classifies species as harmful or useful and influences their evolution to meet human needs. Are we allowed to alter, control or destroy species around us? Technological breakthrough may fascinate researchers but the use of increasingly powerful tools intensifies the demand for a responsible conduct of research vis-à-vis both nature and society. Considering the diversity of natural ecosystems, why should a limited number of agricultural systems be the solution? Agroecology aims at a better integration of agriculture and biodiversity in designing systems able to combine production with a healthy status of ecosystems. The choice of an agricultural system and its relationship with biodiversity reveals the values of a society. The challenge for a researcher is thus to combine scientific quality with reflexive consciousness.