This section provides an overview and links to the various "tools" that can provide you with information or techniques that are directly or indirectly concerned with forest reproductive material. It will be periodically updated as required. If you think any key information sources are missing, please let us know and we will try to include them in the future. Of course, due to space and time, we cannot include everything, but - if you have access to the internet - you will be well on the way to finding further tools.
We list here the main organisations that may be directly or indirectly relevant to your work. There is a description of the work of each institution, and of any sections or initiatives that are of potential relevance (often extracted from the Web site of the organisation). Where given, the contact name is the person who is most directly concerned with forest reproductive material - but remember that these may change.
7.1.1 CAB International (CABI)
CABI is an international, intergovernmental organisation concerned with dissemination, application and generation of scientific knowledge in agriculture, forestry and related disciplines. CABI is best known for its publications, which include the CAB ABSTRACTS and the Global Forestry Compendium.
CAB International
Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 8DE, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1491 832111
Fax: +44 (0)1491 829292
Email: [email protected]
For information on CABI's general work, visit the Web site
http://www.cabi.org
CABI Global Forestry Compendium
This Compendium is a silvicultural reference tool published by CABI in the form of a CD-ROM. It is updated every two years and currently contains a number of descriptive features which are highly relevant to several types of user. It can be used as:
an operational tool to aid decision-making by forest managers and forest officers
a reference guide for researchers, forest planners, policy makers, conservationists and consultants
an educational and training tool for extension workers, teachers, lecturers and students
Some of the features are as follows:
? Detailed data sheets of more than 1200 species worldwide of economic importance and lesser known species of local importance, including illustrations of tree species
In addition, basic data is available for over 20,000 species of forestry interest from CABI's TREENAMES taxonomic database
A species selection module which aids decision-making for selecting suitable species to plant on a required publication.
A bibliography containing references, many with abstracts provided from CAB ABSTRACTS
A multilingual glossary, including forestry terms defined in English, French, Spanish, German and Portuguese
ICRAF’s Tree Seed Suppliers Directory
? Aspects of Forestry contains text from FAO, CIFOR, ITTO and INBAR
For further information, visit the Web site:
http://tree.cabweb.org/Compendium/compenfrm.asp
CABAbstract Database
The CAB ABSTRACTS database is compiled from the world's scientific and technical literature. Over 40,000 published documents, including research Journals, conference proceedings and papers, books, reports, patents and theses are received annually from more than 130 countries in over 50 languages. This material is screened, translated, abstracted and indexed by professional and support staff. More than 150,000 new records are added to the database each year, of which 95% include an informative abstract. Over 3.5 million abstracts from the world literature have been added to the computerized CAB ABSTRACTS database since 1973, and this is complemented by a similar number in printed form before 1973, from CABI's origins in 1913.
CABI Forestry related Abstracts
There are three forestry-related abstracts:
Forestry Abstracts is a monthly journal which covers the world literature on all aspects of forestry, including land use and conservation. It started publication in 1939 and contains approximately 10,000 abstracts each year derived from the CAB ABSTRACTS database.
Agroforestry Abstracts is only available on the internet. It is published more frequently (monthly). It is available as a 13-year fully searchable archive, and covers all aspects of agroforestry systems, components and processes. Since initial publication in 1988, approximately 1,500 abstracts have been added each year, derived from the CAB ABSTRACTS database.
Forest Products Abstracts is a bimonthly journal which covers the world literature on all aspects of forestry, including land use and conservation. It started publication in 1978 and contains approximately 2,600 abstracts each year derived from the CAB ABSTRACTS
TREECD
TREE CABWeb� is a service from CABI Publishing which provides online access to CABI's Abstract Journals. The journals cover the world's published research literature in all aspects of forest and wood science. They form a comprehensive database of bibliographic references and informative abstracts. In addition to the most current abstracts, updated weekly, there is a 10-year backfile of abstracts from Forestry Abstracts and Forest Products Abstracts and a 12-year backfile of abstracts from Agroforestry Abstracts.
For further information, visit the Web site
http://tree.cabweb.org/
7.1.2 Central American and Mexico Coniferous Resources Co-operative (CAMCORE)
CAMCORE is a non-profit, international program that works for the conservation of tropical and subtropical forest tree species within Central America and Mexico. Primary activities are to: (i) identify threatened species and provenances; (ii) collect seeds from these vulnerable populations; (iii) distribute seeds for ex situ conservation and growth studies: (iv) assess genetic diversity to improve methods of in situ conservation; (v) evaluate adaptability and growth of trees in various locations; and (vi) Develop long-term improvement programs to ensure sustainability of resources.
Contact: Bill Dvorak
CAMCORE Cooperative
International Tree Conservation and Domestication
Department of Forestry
Grinnells Lab, Room 1110 / Faucette Drive
Raleigh, NC 27695 - 7626 USA
Tel: (919) 515.6424
Fax: (919) 515.6430
E-mail: [email protected]
For more information, visit the Web site:
"Http://www.camcore.org
7.1.3 Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE)
CATIE is a regional centre dedicated to graduate education and research in agriculture and the management, conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Its Regular Members include the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela. CATIE's core budget is strengthened by annual contributions from these members. The Ministers of Agriculture or of the Environment of member countries constitute its Governing Council.
Contact: Director General: Pedro Ferriera
[email protected]
or for further general information, visit the Web site
http://www.catie.ac.cr/english/
Tree Seed Bank (TSB)
CATIE's Tree Seed Bank (TSB) was created in 1967 with the support of the German organization GTZ. Its fundamental purpose was to administer forest seed samples. CATIE created the bank in response to the difficulty of finding good quality tree seeds in the region. Up until 1991, the TSB focused its activities on collecting and distributing seeds to the many research programs and occasionally commercial plantations found in Tropical America. However, since 1992, in the face of the regional need for tree seeds with better genetic and physiological quality, the TSB began to assist the Regional Tree Seed Banks by putting into effect the Tree Seed Project (PROSEFOR).
Objectives - The TSB long term goal is "contributing to the sustainability and increased forestry and agroforestry production through the storage of genetically and physiologically well adapted seeds." In the mean time, TSB seeks to strengthen both private and state run Regional Tree Seed Banks in order to achieve financial and technical sustainability and therefore, be able to provide high quality seeds.
Services - The TSB offers services in four specific areas: Training, Research, Tree Seed Catalogue, Seed Purchasing Systems
Training - The TSB offers formal courses, promotional courses or training services for technicians and seed producers on the following topics: seed source selection, evaluation and management; seed collection techniques (scaling); tree seed collection planning (costs and yields); tree seed management (collection, processing and storage); analysis of the physical quality of tree seeds (ISTA Norms); tree seed evaluation (desiccation and storage); tree seed germination protocols; and tree seed documentation system.
Research - The TSB has trained personnel and equipment needed to carry out research in the following areas: evaluation and identification of populations of species of interest; determination of the best times for seed collection and collection techniques; evaluation of forest seeds (desiccation and storage); determination of the best harvest techniques; and determination of the best germination protocol;
Availability - The TSB makes available its Tree Seed Database to the Tree Seed Banks of the region. It contains information of available seeds from more than ten banks, and has more than 100 species and information about prices, availability, and physical condition of the seeds
Seed Acquisition and Purchasing Process
To purchase seeds from the TSB's collection either write to:
[email protected]
For up-to-date information, visit the Web site:
http://www.catie.ac.cr/investigacion/investigacion.asp?pagina=banco
Tree Seeds Project (PROSEFOR)
CATIE's Tree Seeds Project (PROSEFOR) was initiated in the seven countries in October of 1992 and completed in December of 1997 and is financed by the Danish Cooperation Agency (DANIDA).
The main objective of PROSEFOR is to strengthen the development of silviculture in the member countries, through the promotion and production of seeds with improved genetic and physiological quality.
The Tree Seed Project performs its activities in the five countries of Central America and in the Dominican Republic, through cooperation agreements with the national forestry services, forest seed banks and other institutions interested in the provision of forest reproductive material. These institutions have assigned a counterpart person, known as a �link�, with whom the different activities that the project performs in each country are implemented.
PROSEFOR has produced a range of excellent publications, in Spanish, on all aspects of species selection and seed handling in the region.
For more information on the institutions and contacts with whom PROSEFOR works in each country, visit the Web site:
http://www.catie.ac.cr/projects/prosefor/
Central American and Caribbean Regional Organisation of Forest Seeds (REMSEFOR)
The goal of REMSEFOR is to strengthen the supply of physically and genetically good quality forest seeds, in order to improve the quality and productivity of the reforestation programs developed by private initiative, the public sector and non governmental organizations (NGO’s) of the member countries.
Among the specific objectives are:
To perform its work, REMSEFOR has financial and technical support from the Tree Seed Project (PROSEFOR) of CATIE.
For more information, and addresses and contacts of affiliated seed centres/companies, visit the Web site:
http://www.catie.ac.cr/cooperacion/remsefor.htm
7.1.4 Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
The CGIAR was established in 1971, sponsored by the World Bank, FAO and UNDP. CGIAR's mission is to contribute to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries through research, partnership, capacity building, and policy support through promotion of sustainable agricultural development based on the environmentally sound management of natural resources. There are five major research themes: (i) increasing productivity; (ii) protecting the environment; (iii) saving biodiversity; (iv) improving policies, and (v) strengthening national research. Sixteen international agricultural research centres (IARCs), also known as "Future Harvest Centres", form the global network of CGIAR, conducting research programmes in collaboration with a range of partner institutions. Details of the IARCs are found on the Web site. There are three of direct relevance to forest reproductive material, and are the Centre of International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).
See ORGANISATIONS - CIFOR for further information and links to Web site
See ORGANISATIONS - ICRAF for further information and links to Web site
See ORGANISATIONS - IPGRI for further information and links to Web site
For more information on other centres, visit the Web site:
http://www.cgiar.org/centers.htm
7.1.5 Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
CIFOR was established under the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system in response to global concerns about the social, environmental and economic consequences of loss and degradation of forests. It operates through a series of highly decentralised partnerships with key institutions and/or individuals throughout the developing and industrialised worlds. The nature and duration of these partnerships is determined by the specific research problems being addressed. This research agenda is under constant review and is subject to change as CIFOR's partners recognize new opportunities and problems.
CIFOR's Mission is to contribute to the sustained well being of people in developing countries, particularly in the tropics, through collaborative strategic and applied research and related activities in forest systems and forestry, and by promoting the transfer of appropriate new technologies and the adoption of new methods of social organization, for national development.
Objectives are: To improve the scientific basis for ensuring the balanced management of forests and forest lands; to develop policies and technologies for sustainable use and management of forest goods and services; to strengthen national capacities for research; and to support the development of policies and technologies for the optimal use of forests and forest lands.
CIFOR's medium-term plan 20002003 groups activities under nine main programmes: (i) Underlying Causes of Deforestation; (ii) Sustainable Forest Management; (iii) Adaptive Co-Management; (iv) Plantations; (v) Biodiversity and Managed Forests; (vi) Forest Products and People; (vii) Research Impacts and Priorities; (viii) Policies, Technologies and Global Changes; and (ix) Alternatives to Slash and Burn. The biogeographic focus of the plan is on humid and sub-humid tropical lowlands in Asia and Latin America, and the seasonally dry forest of India and tropical America.
P.O.Box 6596 JKPWB
Jakarta 10065
Indonesia
Tel: +62 (251) 622622
Fax: +62 (251) 622100
E-mail: [email protected]
For further information, visit the Web site:
Http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/
CIFOR's Biodiversity and Managed Forests Programme (BIO)
This programme aims to facilitate improvements in the sustainable use of forest biological diversity at the landscape scale through an improved capability to assess biodiversity and new insights into relationships between human interventions, biodiversity and ecosystem processes. The main aims are to determine three different sets of causes and mechanisms of forest biological diversity: proximate, direct and indirect, and produce tools and recommendations improving the likelihood of sustainable use of biological diversity. Research themes related to these aims include: (i) identification of the impacts of the major threats to in situ conservation of forest biodiversity, especially by human disturbance, logging and fragmentation and forest fire; (ii) development of tools for assessing and monitoring biodiversity; (iii) development of testable models to help generate options for sustainable forest management under variable environments; (iv) development for options for policy interventions that promote sustainable resources use; (v) development of survey techniques for efficient diagnosis and inventory of forested ecosystems; and (vi) development of integrated survey design and sampling procedures estimating biodiversity and related productivity for human needs.
Criteria and Indicators Modification and Adaptation Tool (CIMAT)
CIMAT is a computer software designed to help users modify, customize and adapt the CIFOR C&I (Criteria and Indicators) generic template and C&I sets of CIFOR industrial plantation, CIFOR community managed forest, International Tropical Timber Organization, Forest Stewardship Council, African Timber Organization and the Indonesian Ecolabelling Institute to meet local conditions and expectations.
CIMAT also allows its users to develop an entirely new set of C&I from an 'empty' set. CIMAT will assist users by giving suggestions at any stage. Furthermore, CIMAT also provides guidance for assessment of C&I using multicriteria analysis i.e. analytic hierarchy process, ranking and rating. CIMAT can also be treated as a 'learning tool' for those who are merely interested in exploring the C&I knowledge store on it.
Guidelines for Developing, Testing and Selecting Criteria and Indicators (C&I) for Sustainable Forest Management
See SELECTED REFERENCES - SILVICULTURE - GUIDELINES C&I
CIRAD-FOR�T is based in Montpellier, France, and addresses complex technical and scientific challenges through its development-oriented research activities on natural forests, forest plantations, rural stands and their environment, forest products, and the impact of human activities on the natural environment - marshalling a wide range of skills and know-how in the fields of environmental and social sciences.
Fields of activity are: Designing tools and methods for the development and sustainable management of natural areas with forestry potential while preserving biodiversity; Proposing environment-friendly plans for the management of trees within agroecosystems, and assisting in setting up village and commercial forest plantations; Promoting sustainable and cost-effective use of wood materials and balanced development of the wood-production subsector.
For further information, visit the Web site:
Http://www.cirad.fr/presentation/en/depart-eng/cirad-foret.shtml
A Forest Seed Bank Management System (GESSEM)
GESSEM is software developed by CIRAD, in collaboration with FAO, for the running and management of germplasm banks and seed collections, especially those of forest tree seed centres.
See INFORMATION SYSTEMS - GESSEM
CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products is the largest single organisation in Australia conducting research into forestry, wood and paper science. The Division has an established international reputation as a centre of excellence in forestry and forest products research, both through the quality of its science and the impact of its research on economic and environmental issues.
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://www.ffp.csiro.su
Australian Tree Seed Centre (ATSC)
ATSC is administered by CSIRO, and collects and supplies high quality seed of Australia's woody flora, with special emphasis on range wide provenance collections and lots from widely spaced individual trees for research purposes. The seed collecting program is influenced by the priorities set by the FAO Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources and client needs. Currently seed from more than 1200 species, mainly of Australian origin, is held in storage. Eucalyptus, Acacia, Casuarina, Grevillea and Melaleuca are well represented. Joint seed collection expeditions with interested parties are encouraged
Contacts:
Dr. John Doran
Tel: 612-6281 8319
e-mail [email protected]
Stephen Midgley:
Tel. 612-6281 8201
e-mail [email protected]
PO Box E4008, Kingston, ACT 2604, Australia
Australian Suppliers of Tree Seed
For details, visit the Web site
http://www.ffp.csiro.au/tigr/atscmain/whatwedo/sup_list/suplist.htm
Queensland Forest Research Institute (QRI)
QFRI is concerned with tropical and sub-tropical forest and timber research and technology transfer. The Institute offers 'pollen to product' capability, from biotechnology, breeding, growing, pests, diseases and environmental management to decision support systems, forest product processing and timber utilisation.
Queensland Forestry Research Institute
80 Meiers Road
PO Box 631
Indooroopilly, Q 4068, Australia
Tel: +61 7 3896 9729
Fax: +61 7 3896 9628
Email: [email protected]
For further information, visit the Web site:
Http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/qfri/
7.1.8 Danida Forest Seed Centre (DFSC)
DFSC is an institution administered by Danida, the Danish International Development Administration, and is situated in Humlebaek, Denmark. DFSC has been in operation since 1969 and provides advice and guidance on seed procurement, tree improvement, conservation of forest genetic resources for tropical and subtropical developing countries.
Publications are available free of charge to all relevant organisations or individuals. All publications from the year 2000 onwards will be made available online. See SELECTED REFERENCES - GENERAL - DFSC
Seed - DFSC does not provide seed in bulk quantities for general planting purposes. In connection with programmes where DFSC is involved, seed is received and redistributed from well-documented seed sources for species and provenance trials as research samples; establishment of seed stands, conservation stands and pilot plantations as semi-bulk samples;research on seed biology and technology as research samples
For information on seed available, see Seed Catalogue:
http://www.dfsc.dk/seedbank.pdf
Project Support Programme - forms a major part of DFSC's training and extension activities. Much of the transfer of knowledge and experience gathered by DFSC takes place via the direct support to projects. Most of these are Danida-supported national tree seed programmes. Tree seed programmes financed by other organisations and forestry programmes financed by Danida may receive technical support from DFSC. Technical support is currently being given to projects in Burkina Faso, Central America, Eritrea, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam.
Training -It is the general policy of DFSC that training courses should be held in the country or region involved. Most courses are held under the Project Support Programme. Courses can be held in seed source identification, seed collection, establishment of seed laboratories, elementary tree improvement, and conservation of forest gene resources.
Direct seeding: DFSC is currently involved in collecting available information about direct seeding of woody species. The aim is to compile knowledge about this technique and present it in a report together with a bibliography of available papers.
Contact: Director, Lars Graudal
Danida Forest Seed Centre,
Krogerupvej 21,
DK3050 Humlebaek, Denmark
Tel.: + 45 49 19 05 00
Fax: + 45 49 16 02 58
Email: [email protected]
For further information, visit the Web site:
Http://www.dfsc.dk
The IPGRI/DFSC Project on Handling and Storage of Recalcitrant and Intermediate Forest Tree Seed
DFSC and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) initiated a project, in 1996, funded by Danida, on handling and storage of such seeds, involving many national institutes in the tropics. In the first phase of the project, a protocol for determining the minimum moisture content and optimal storage conditions was developed and tested on about 30 species. A second phase of the project is under way and participants are gathering more information on additional species and the practical applicability of the results will be tested in large scale trials.
For more information, visit the Web site
Http://www.dfsc.dk/IPGRIProject.htm
DFSC Publications
See SELECTED REFERENCES - GENERAL - DFSC
7.1.9 European Forestry Institute (EFI)
EFI is based in Helsinki, Finland. Its mission is to: promote, conduct and co-operate in research of forestry and forest products at the pan-European level; and to make the results of the research known to all interested parties, notably in the areas of policy formulation and implementation, in order to promote the conservation and sustainable management of forests in Europe.
In order to achieve its objectives, the Institute (i) provides relevant information for policy-making and decision-making in European countries relating to the forest and forest industry sector (ii) conducts research in the above mentioned fields (iii) develops research methods (iv) compiles and maintains data concerning European forests (v) organises and participates in scientific meetings (vi) organises and participates in forest research training and (vii) publishes and disseminates knowledge of its work and results
For more information, visit the Web site
http://www.efi.fi
Certification Information Service (CIS)
CIS is a service provided by the European Forest Institute, funded by Development [DGVIII] of the European Union under project B7-620119710
The principal goals of the Service are to provide African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries with information on the progress of forest certification and the development of national and international certification schemes; and to provide European countries with information on progress of certification within ACP countries.
Progress on certification schemes and related activities will be monitored, analyzed and documented by CIS and this information will be disseminated widely throughout the two target areas.
The CIS aims to provide the most comprehensive and up to date point of reference for any individual or any organisation seeking information or news about forest certification
For more information on CIS, visit the Web site
http://www.efi.fi/cis/english/intro.phtml
Established in 1991, the European Tropical Forest Research Network (ETFRN) is a forum for communication between European organisations, researchers, EU institutions and others concerned with (sub-)tropical forest research. The ETFRN Network seeks to promote the involvement of European research expertise towards the conservation and wise use of forests and woodlands in tropical and subtropical countries.
The network has participants in 16 European countries, including Norway, Switzerland, and all European Union member states, except Luxembourg. There is an ETFRN national focal point in each of these countries. The names and addresses of the focal points are available under National Focal Points.
ETFRN provides Network Services which include:
ETFRN contributes to the wider coordination approach envisaged under the European Initiative on Agricultural Research and Development (EIARD).
ETFRN is not a funding organisation but does provide links to funding information.
ETFRN aims to provide a European focal point for information exchange and debate on tropical forest research activities at international level. ETFRN maintains links with international organisations such as the Global Forum for Agricultural Research, FAO, IUFRO and CIFOR. As a regional network, ETFRN is particularly well placed to interact with other regional networks. Links have been established with APAFRI, AAS, CORAF-For�t and CATIE.
c/o The Tropenbos Foundation
P.O. Box 232
6700 AE Wageningen
The Netherlands
Tel. *31317-495516
Fax *31317-495521
[email protected]/nl
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://www.etfrn.org
The European Union (EU) comprises 15 member states: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland and Sweden. It is preparing for the accession of 13 eastern and southern European countries. The EU is based on the rule of law and democracy, and is neither a new State replacing existing ones nor is it comparable to other international organisations. Its Member States delegate sovereignty to common institutions representing the interests of the Union as a whole on questions of joint interest. All decisions and procedures are derived from the basic treaties ratified by the Member States.
for more information, visit the Web site
http://europa.eu.int
EU Standing Committee on Agricultural, Horticultural and Forestry Seeds and Plants
The EU has a range of legislation related to forest reproductive material:
(i) Council Directive 66/404/EEC (14 June 1966) concerns marketing of forest reproductive material
There have been several Commission Decisions concerning authorization of Member States to permit temporarily the marketing of forest reproductive material not satisfying the requirements of this directive
(ii) Council Directive 71/161/EEC (30 March 1971) concerns the external quality standards for forest reproductive material
There have been several amendments to this directive
(iii) Council Directive 1999/105/EC (22 December 1999) on marketing of forest reproductive material.
This last Directive is mainly inspired by the OECD Scheme for the Certification of Forest Reproductive Material moving in International Trade (see ORGANISATIONS - OECD), with which it is fully harmonised.
For information about the Committee visit the following Web site:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/rc/scsp/index_en.html
For more information on the directives, and amendments, start at the following Web site:
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/lif/reg/en_register_035040.html
A summary of the main directives regarding forest reproductive materials is given here:
link to PS’s list of EU legislation re FRM
According to its mandate, FAO provides a global, neutral forum for debate and discussion of all issues related to food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. In the field of forest genetic resources, FAO provides technical and scientific support to countries, covering all aspects of the conservation, sustainable use and development of forest genetic resources; and facilitates the free exchange of information and know-how between nations. FAO's work falls into two broad categories: the Regular Programme, covering normative work, policy and planning, advice to member nations and internal operation; and the Field Programme, mainly consisting of projects, through which assistance is provided to member countries.
GFAR brings together key players in agricultural research around the world. It became operational in 1998, after 18 months of work to develop an organizational framework and to mobilise the funds required to establish the GFAR Secretariat. GFAR was founded by representatives of the national agricultural research systems in developing countries (NARS), advanced research institutions (ARIs), regional and sub-regional organisations, universities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), farmers' organisations, the private sector, international agricultural research centres (IARCs), and the donor community.
GFAR's mission is "to mobilize the scientific community and all stakeholders in agricultural research for development in their efforts to alleviate poverty, increase food security and promote the sustainable use of natural resources". Its objectives are to: (i) facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge in all agricultural research sectors: crop and animal production, fisheries, forestry and natural resources management; (ii) promote the integration of NARS from the South and enhance their capacity to produce and transfer technology that responds to users' needs; (iii) foster cost-effective, collaborative partnerships among the stakeholders in agricultural research and sustainable development; (iv) facilitate the participation of all stakeholders in the formulation of a truly global framework for development-oriented agricultural research; and (v) increase awareness among policymakers and donors of the need for long-term commitment to, and investment in, agricultural research
For more information, visit the Web site
http://www.egfar.org
ICRAF was established in Nairobi in 1977 and is an autonomous, non-profit research body supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. ICRAF aims to improve human welfare by alleviating poverty, improving food and nutritional security, and enhancing environmental resilience in the tropics.
The Centre conducts strategic and applied research, in partnership with national agricultural research systems, for more sustainable and productive land use. It has five research and development themes: diversification and intensification of land use through domestication of agroforestry trees; soil fertility replenishment in nutrient-depleted lands with agroforestry and other nutrient inputs; socioeconomic and policy research to allow policies that will benefit smallholder farmers; acceleration of impact on farm by ensuring that research results are used; and capacity and institutional strengthening through training and the dissemination of information.
Contact:
International Centre for Research in Agroforestry
PO Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: +254 2 524000 via USA +1 650 833 6645
Fax: +254 2 524001 via USA +1 650 833 6646
[email protected]
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://www.icraf.cgiar.org
ICRAF Tree Seed Suppliers Directory
ICRAF published In 1991 a directory of seeds and microsymbionts "Multipurpose Trees and Shrubs - Sources of Seeds and Inoculants" (by P von Carlowitz). The objective of that directory was to provide users with contacts of potential seed or microsymbiont suppliers for agroforestry tree taxa and to provide a basis for selecting among those suppliers. Since then, new suppliers have come into being, and the directory needed updating. In collaboration with FAO, DFSC and IUFRO, and with funding from DFID, BMZ and VVOB (The Flemish Office for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance), ICRAF reviewed the suppliers and produced a new directory.
The information from the directory is available online, also in a book version, and will be available on CD-ROM.
The book version is as follows:
Tree Seed Suppliers Directory: Sources of seeds and microsymbionts
Kindt, R.; Salim, A.S.; with Muasya, S.; Kimotho, K.; Waruhiu, A.; Mutua, A.
Published by ICRAF in technical collaboration with FAO, DFSC and IUFRO, with funding from DFID, BMZ and VVOB
The directory can be accessed online at:
Http://www.icraf.cgiar.org/treessd/treessd.htm
ICRAF Agroforestree Database
This database is a species reference and selection guide for agroforestry trees. In the context of the database, agroforestry trees are those that are deliberately grown or kept in integrated land-use systems and are often managed for more than one output. They are expected to make a significant economic or ecological impact, or both.
Species in this database are available on line at:
http://www.icraf.cgiar.org/treessd/databases.htm
and are included in CABI's Global Forestry Compendium.
IPGRI is an international research institute with a mandate to advance the conservation and use of genetic diversity for the well-being of present and future generations. It is a Centre of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
For more information, visit the Web site:
Http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/
Forest Genetic Resources Programme
IPGRI's FGR Programme began in 1993 following IPGRI’s decision, based on the recommendation of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the CGIAR in 1991, to expand its mandate to include forest genetic resources. An extensive consultation process took place in which IPGRI identified priority research areas through careful analysis of international research needs and IPGRI’s comparative advantage in the field of forest genetic resources.
For more information, visit the Web site:
Http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/system/page.asp?frame=programmes/grst/FGR/home.htm-topic
The IPGRI/DFSC Project on Handling and Storage of Recalcitrant and Intermediate Forest Tree Seed
See ORGANISATIONS - DFSC section
For more information, visit the Web site:
Http://www.dfsc.dk/IPGRIProject.htm
Sub Saharan Africa Forest Genetic Resources Programme (SAFORGEN)
IPGRI in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) has created a FGR programme – Sub Saharan Africa Forest Genetic Resources Programme (SAFORGEN), to ensure that forest genetic resources in the region receives the attention that it requires.
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/regions/ssa/Networking/forestry.htm
European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN)
IPGRI created EUFORGEN, whose main tasks are to coordinate and promote the in situ and ex situ conservation of Europe's forest genetic resources, to facilitate the exchange of genetic material and information, and to increase public awareness of the need to conserve forest genetic resources.
For more information, visit the Web site
http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/networks/euforgen/euf_home.htm
The primary purpose of the ISTA is to develop, adopt and publish standard procedures for sampling and testing seeds and to promote uniform application of these procedures for evaluation of seeds moving in international trade.
The secondary purposes of the Association are to actively promote research in all areas of seed science and technology (sampling, testing, storing, processing and distributing seeds), to encourage variety (cultivar) certification, to participate in conferences and training courses aimed at furthering these objectives and to establish and maintain liaison with other organizations having common or related interests in seed.
ISTA - International Seed Testing Association
Secretariat, P.O. Box 308 Zuerichstrasse 50
8303 Bassersdorf, CH-Switzerland
Tel +41 1 838 60 00 Fax +41 1 838 60 01
E-mail [email protected]
For more information, visit the Web site:
Http://www.seedtest.org/
Forest Tree and Shrub Seed Committee
The overall aims of the committee are to improve existing rules and trial improvements before introduction, and to develop new rules and trial before introduction. There are several "chapters" which focus on particular seed testing topics, such as purity, germination, tetrazolium, moisture content etc.
The Committee is also concerned with revision of the following publications:
ISTA Tree and Shrub Seed Handbook
The Handbook on Tropical and Sub-Tropical Tree Seed Testing
'Micro-organisms associated with tree seed: World checklist 1990
See SELECTED REFERENCES - ANALYSIS
Contacts:
Chairperson: Zdenka Prochazkova
Vice-chairman: Hugh W. Pritchard
ISTA Publications
For relevant publications, see SELECTED REFERENCES - ANALYSIS
The ITTO is a commodity organization which brings together countries which produce and consume tropical timber to discuss and exchange information and develop policies on all aspects of the world tropical timber economy. The ITTO is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and hasly 2001 had 57 members, including the European Community, which together represent 95 percent of world trade in tropical timber and 75 percent of the world's tropical forests.
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://www.itto.or.jp/Index.html
ITTO Guidelines
ITTO has produced a wide range of reports and publications, including the following guidelines:
(i) Guidelines for the Establishment and Sustainable Management of Planted Tropical Production Forests, 1993
(ii) Guidelines for the Conservation of Biological Diversity in Tropical Production Forests, 1993
See ITTO's Web site for a full list of publications.
The World Conservation Union was founded in 1948, and brings together States, government agencies and a diverse range of non-governmental organizations in a unique world partnership: over 980 members in all, spread across some 140 countries.
IUCN's mission is to to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
2000 IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species
IUCN, through its Species Survival Commission (SSC) has been assessing the conservation status of species, subspecies, varieties and selected sub-populations on a global scale in order to highlight taxa threatened with extinction, and therefore promote their conservation. Although today UCN is operating in a very different political, economic, social and ecological world from that of the first IUCN Red Data Book, the SSC remains firmly committed to providing the world with the most objective, scientifically-based information on the current status of globally threatened biodiversity. The taxa assessed for the IUCN Red List are the bearers of genetic diversity and the building blocks of ecosystems and information on their conservation status and distribution provides the foundation for making informed decisions about preserving biodiversity at local to global levels.
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://www.redlist.org/info/introduction.html
1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants
See SELECTED REFERENCES - CONSERVATION - REDLIST
IUFRO is an international non-governmental scientific body founded in 1892. Its secretariat is in Vienna, Austria. IUFRO unites more than 15,000 cooperating member scientists in over 700 member institutions in over 100 countries, and is an associate member of ICSU, the International Council for Science. Members collaborate via eight Divisions and some 260 research networks to attain IUFRO's objectives. There are many working groups of relevance to forest reproductive material, but the most relevant to seed are concerned with seed physiology and technology, and cone and seed insects.
For more information on IUFRO, visit the Web site:
http://iufro.boku.ac.at
Seed physiology and technology research group. IUFRO Unit 2.09.00
The primary function of the Research Group "Seed physiology and technology" is to provide a forum for discussion of forest tree seed problems and their solutions, and for the exchange of information on all aspects of forest tree seed physiology and developments in seed technology to meet objectives of reforestation and afforestation. The unit focuses on seed dormancy, aiming at an understanding of the underlying mechanisms and methods for its removal, on seed storage and the causes and prevention of seed deterioration, on seed testing and the assessment of seed quality, and on a host of related topics in forests in temperate and tropical regions.
Members of the Research Group (formerly Project Group P2.0400) publish their papers in a variety of major scientific journals - such as the Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Forest Science, New Forests, Forest Ecology and Management, to mention a few North American publications, but also including Silvae Genetica, Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, Seed Science and Technology, and many others. For each symposium the Research Group aims at producing a record of its activities.
The "World Directory of Tree Seed Workers" was published in 1976, and consideration has been given to an updated version, probably in electronic form, but no definite plans are in place
Contact: Unit Coordinator: John Vozzo
For further information, visit the Web site:
http://iufro.boku.ac.at/iufro/iufronet/d2/hp20900.htm
Cone and seed insects research working group. IUFRO Unit 7.03.01
Contact Coordinator Gary L. DeBar at:
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://iufro.boku.ac.at/iufro/iufronet/d7/hp70301.htm Global Forest Information System (GFIS)
The mission of the IUFRO Task Force on Global Forest Information Service is to develop a strategy for, and implement, an Internet-based metadata system that will provide coordinated worldwide access to forest information. The resulting system will provide multiple benefits to information users and providers including, facilitating user-friendly access to a greater amount of information, and improving the dissemination and quality of forest-related data and information. GFIS is to be launched at end of August 2002
Coordinator: Dr Risto Paivinen
For more information, visit the Web sites:
Http://www.gfis.net
http://iufro.boku.ac.at/iufro/taskforce/tfgfis/gfis-brochure2000.htm
IUFRO SylvaVoc Programme
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://iufro.boku.ac.at/silvavoc/fgr-glossary
World Directory of Forest Geneticists and Tree Breeders
This Directory, published in 1965 by the North American Forestry Commission, was revised and published by by the USDA Forest Service and IUFRO in 1998.
See the following Web site: http://dendrome.ucdavis.edu/Colleague/index.html
The OECD groups 30 member countries sharing a commitment to democratic government and the market economy. With active relationships with some 70 other countries, NGOs and civil society, it has a global reach. Best known for its publications and its statistics, its work covers economic and social issues from macroeconomics, to trade, education, development and science and innovation. Governments have long intervened in domestic and international markets to support agricultural production. Many of these interventions, mainly through production subsidies and trade barriers, impose costs on consumers and taxpayers, reduce economic efficiency, distort production and trade, impede growth in developing countries, and may damage the environment.
OECD Ministers of Agriculture have agreed to "the long-term objective of substantial progressive reductions in support and protection", and have adopted a set of shared goals for the agro-food sector. In 2001 OECD Ministers again recognised that "OECD's analysis...is an essential contribution to the understanding of agricultural policies and their international impacts".
Contact: Bertrand Dagallier, Administrateur
Codes et Systemes agricoles de l'OCDE
2, Rue Andre-Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France
tel: +33 (0) 1 45 24 18 78
For more information on OECD's forest related activities, visit
http://www.oecd.org/agr/forest
OECD Scheme for Certification of forest reproductive material moving in international trade
The OECD Scheme aims to encourage the production and use of forest tree seeds or plants that have been collected, processed, raised, labelled and distributed in a manner that ensures their trueness to name. The "Certified" material is intended for use in a variety of forestry functions: timber production, soil protection, environmental criteria etc. The Scheme originated in 1974, and was updated in 1995/96.
A useful overview of the updated scheme can be found in: Nanson, A (2001), The New OECD Scheme for the Certification of Forest Reproductive Materials, Silvae Genetica 50, 5-6. The following is a summary of the key points taken from that paper.
The scheme defines four broad categories of forest reproductive material, and seven types of "basic materials":
CATEGORIES:
(1) Source-identified material, where - as a minimum - a description of the location (i.e. region of provenance, seed source, or delineated stand), and possibly altitude, are mentioned on the certificate. There has been no form of phenotypic selection.
(2) Selected material, where the basic material has undergone phenotypic selection at the population level. This includes seed stands which are phenotypically superior to other stands in the same region of provenance.
(3) Qualified Material, where there has been phenotypic selection at the individual level.
(4) Tested Material, where the material has been found to be genetically superior by testing (e.g. in progeny tests, or in comparative trials).
TYPES:
(1) Seed Source, where seed is collected within a collection zone or seed source. This zone is not necessarily delineated, nor clearly identified. However, the Region of Provenance where the seed source lies must be clearly delineated and identified in a Register.
(2) Stand, which is a well delineated population of trees possessing sufficient uniformity. For the selected category, the stand must be registered
(3) Seed Plantation, which has originated from seedlings derived from sources located in one or more regions of provenance, in which phenotypic selection has been carried out at provenance and individual tree level. There are two situations: (i) provenances are bulked, no tree being identified by its provenance, and (ii) each tree is identified by its provenance, and statistically laid out in the plantation. This corresponds to a "Provenance Seeding Seed Orchard".
(4) Seed Orchard, which has originated from selected clones or families, isolated and managed to avoid or reduce pollination from outside sources, and to produce frequent, abundant and easily harvested crops of seed. There are two types of seed orchard: (i) clonal, and (ii) family seedling (equivalent to progeny tests using small plots, where the trees are later subjected to genetic selective thinning)
(5) Parents of Families, are defined groups of trees (clones) producing open pollinated or controlled pollinated families. These are afterwards mixed for production. Usually, the mixture is vegetatively bulk propagated.
(6) Clone, which is a group on individuals (ramets) derived originally from the same single individual (ortet) by vegetative propagation (e.g. by cuttings or micropropagation). All individuals will have the same genotype (unless somatic mutation occurs).
(7) Clonal Mixture, of initially identified clones in defined populations. Usually, the ramets of these clones are mixed and bulked, and thus identity of individual ramets is lost. Such mixtures are sometimes called multiclonal, or polyclonal varieties.
In summary, these four categories and seven types produce fourteen authorised combinations for the purposes or certification.
CATEGORY OF FOREST REPRODUCTIVE MATERIAL | ||||
TYPE OF BASIC MATERIAL |
SOURCE IDENTIFIED |
SELECTED |
QUALIFIED |
TESTED |
Seed Source |
x |
|||
Stand |
x |
x |
x | |
Seed Plantation |
x |
x | ||
Seed Orchard |
x |
x | ||
Parents of Family(ies) |
x |
x | ||
Clone |
x |
x | ||
Clonal Mixture |
x |
x | ||
x = authorised combinations | ||||
There is a European Union directive concerning the marketing of forest reproductive material which has categories and types of material that are similar to the OECD scheme, and is based on it. It is not yet completely compatible. See ORGANISATIONS - EU for more information.
For general information on the OECD forest scheme, visit the Web site:
http://www.oecd.org/agr/forest
For text of the scheme see:
Http://www.oecd.org/pdf/M00024000/M00024005.pdf
BIOTRACK
BioTrack Online focuses on information related to the regulatory oversight of products of biotechnology which is used by governments, industry and other stakeholders (regulatory development of countries, product database, field trials, free documents, etc.).
For further information, see the Web site
http://www.oecd.org/biotrack
The OFI comes under the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, UK
Over the last 30 years the OFI has undertaken an extensive programme of research on forest genetic resources of a range of socio-economically important tropical tree species, largely funded by the Forestry Research Programme of the UK Department for International Development, DFID (formerly the Overseas Development Administration, ODA). This involved the field exploration, and collection of more than 7,000 seedlots, mainly in Central America and Africa, and distribution of seed for the establishment of international trial networks, seed orchards and genetic conservation plantings, as well as laboratory research to investigate taxonomic and genetic diversity. Seed has been sent to more than 900 recipients (academic institutions, research organisations, NGOs, government depts., research sections of commercial companies) in some 140 different countries. Over this period, these networks of species, provenance and progeny trials have yielded a large body of important data and information on the relative performance of the material as well as patterns of taxonomic and genetic diversity across a range of plantation and agroforestry species.
The seed was collected, in large part from natural populations, in collaboration with forest tree seed centres and forest research organisations in the countries of origin under a variety of collecting permits and research agreements between the relevant regulatory authorities and OFI, on the mutual understanding that material would be made available to research organisations (in line with the principles of the FAO Code of Conduct 1991). In addition to the transfer of seed for development and research purposes, a subset of this material, consisting of provenances identified as under threat in situ, was transferred in 1995 for preservation within the long term seed storage facilities of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Changing research priorities, funding constraints and greatly enhanced national and regional capacities to carry out this sort of work in tropical countries, mean that OFI is no longer in a position to continue to maintain these seed collections, nor to continue distribution of seed for trials. It has been agreed that seed collections of the legume (and other agroforestry) tree species will be transferred to the International Centre for Agroforestry Research (ICRAF) in Kenya , while the pine seed will go to the DANIDA Forest Seed Centre (DFSC) in Denmark, who will continue to make small research quantities of seed widely available for research or tree improvement purposes. Under these new arrangements, priority will be given to researchers in developing countries, and the seed will continue to be made available free of charge, but the holders reserve the right to recoup handling/carriage costs. All seed has now been rationalised and shipped from OFI to ICRAF and DFSC.
CAMCORE, CATIE, China, Mexico, and Zimbabwe have also received smaller quantities of seed for direct use within specific countries or regions. Small amounts of some seedlots suitable for laboratory-based research are being stored in Oxford under the umbrella of the Oxford University Herbaria and managed by Herbarium staff. This seed will remain available for distribution for small, laboratory-scale research requests.
The associated hard copy documentation and database files (publication descriptions, seed test data, history of seed distribution and trial establishment, etc.) have been reviewed as part of the rationalisation exercise to ensure that relevant documentation accompanies seedlots whilst maintaining a basic archive in Oxford. Files at OFI have been rationalised and incorporated into the Oxford University Herbaria as a permanent hard copy archive, along with maintenance of the SISTEM+ database, which is currently being incorporated into BRAHMS.
Although the OFI seed distribution programme has now effectively ceased, active research on forest genetic resources continues in Oxford. Current projects include a Sourcebook on Central American Trees ( http://arbolesmesoamericanos.port5.com), the EU-funded FRAXIGEN research project on Ash in Europe (http://www.fraxigen.net), and new work on indigenous domestication and diversity in Leucaena (see Research, C.E. Hughes at: http://www.plants.ox.ac.uk/)
Contacts:
For legume / agroforestry seedlots:
Genetic Resources of Agroforestry Trees Unit,
International Centre for Research in Agroforestry,
P.O. Box 30677, Nairobi. KENYA.
Tel + 254 2 524161/524000 ext 4161 or via USA +1 650 833 6645
Fax + 254 2 524001 or via USA +1 650 833 6645
e-mail [email protected]
For Pine seed lots:
The Director
Danida Forest Seed Centre
Krogerupvej 21
3050 Humlebaek
Phone 0045 49 19 05 00
email: [email protected]
For Broadleaves (Cordia)
CATIE- BSF
CATIE 7170137, Turrialba, Costa Rica.
Tel: (506) 5561933 - 556-6431
Fax: (506) 556-7766 - 5561533
[email protected]
[email protected]
For small quantities of seed for laboratory-based research (e.g. in systematics, populations genetics)
Curator, Oxford Herbaria
Department of Plant Sciences
University of Oxford
South Parks Road
OXFORD
OX1 3RB, UK
For more information about OFI visit the Web site:
http://www.plants.ox.ac.uk/ofi/
The mission of the RBG Kew is to enable better management of the Earth's environment by increasing knowledge and understanding of the plant and fungal kingdoms - the basis of life on earth.
This mission will be achieved by:
developing RBG Kew's global reference collections and making them more accessible to the greatest possible variety and number of users;
undertaking world-wide research into systematics, economic and ethnobotany, biological interactions, conservation and horticulture;
supporting the conservation and sustainable use of plant resources in the UK and overseas;
informing the wider public about our activities, through the maintenance and development of world-class Gardens that provide a window into RBG Kew's work;
providing education, advice and information in various forms to our stakeholders, and building the global capacity for studying and conserving plant diversity through collaborative partnerships and by training scientists from developing.
Contacts: see below
Millennium Seed Bank Project
This is one of the largest international conservation projects undertaken. It aims to safeguard over 24,000 plant species world-wide against extinction and to secure the future of the UK's native flowering plants. At Wakehurst Place in Sussex, UK, a building has been constructed to house the new seed vaults and provide a world resource for seed conservation, research and education
The two principal aims of the project are to: (i) Collect and conserve 10%, over 24,000 species, of the world's seed-bearing flora, principally from the drylands by 2010; and (ii) Collect and conserve seeds of the entire UK native seed-bearing flora by 2000.
The project also intends to: carry out research to improve all aspects of seed conservation; make seeds available for research and species reintroduction into the wild; encourage plant conservation throughout the world by facilitating access to and transfer of seed conservation technology; maintain and promote the public interest in plant conservation; and provide a world-class facility as a focal resource for this activity.
Contact:
Hugh W. Pritchard PhD MIBiol
Head of Research Seed Conservation Department
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Wakehurst Place,
Ardingly, Haywards Heath West Sussex
RH17 6TN, UK
Tel (direct) +44 - (0)1444 - 894140
Fax: +44 - (0)1444 - 894110
Email: [email protected]
For more information, visit the Web site:
Http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/seedbank
Database on Tropical Tree Seed Research (DABATTS)
See INFORMATION SYSTEMS- DABATTS
Tropenbos International (TBI) is non governmental organization (NGO) based in the Netherlands. To meet the needs of policy makers and forest users, Tropenbos International facilitates the formulation and organisation of participatory, objective-oriented and multidisciplinary research and development programmes.
Through a process of research programme articulation through stakeholder consultations, with stakeholders being local forest dependent people, forest managers, governmental authorities, commercial forest enterprises, conservationists and researchers. The dissemination and uptake of research results by the different stakeholders are an important part of the programmes.
TBI is currently operating and developing research in Cameroon, Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia and Vietnam (so called publication countries). C�ted'Ivoire and Guyana were publication countries in the previous phases of Tropenbos. Contacts are maintained and opportunities for renewed co-operation are being investigated. Suriname is planned as a publication country in the near future.
For more information visit the Web site:
http://www.tropenbos.nl/
UNESCO's constitution was adopted in 1945, and entered into effect on the 4th of November 1946 when 20 states had depopublicationd instruments of acceptance. It currently has 188 Member States. The main objective of UNESCO is to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science, culture and communication in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations.
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://www.unesco.org/
Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB)
The People and Plants initiative is a collaborative effort between the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), UNESCO-MAB and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on the promotion of ethnobotany and the equitable and sustainable use of plant resources. Field activities include work in biosphere reserves, World Heritage publications and other areas, with field training activities organized at international, regional, national and local levels. Information and guidance materials include a series of conservation manuals, working papers and a handbook.
The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre was established in 2000 as the world biodiversity information and assessment centre of the United National Environment Programme (UNDP).
The Centre's roots go back to 1979 when IUCN established a Cambridge office to monitor endangered species. In 1988 the independent, non-profit World Conservation Monitoring Centre was founded jointly by IUCN, WWF and UNEP. Their financial support and guidance in the Centre's formative years is widely recognised and appreciated. The transition to UNEP in the year of the new millennium received the full support of IUCN and WWF, as well as the political and financial backing of the UK government. A high level Scientific Advisory Council is being established to guide the Centre's work, which is closely linked to the UNEP Programme on Environmental Information, Assessment & Early Warning.
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://www.unep-wcmc.org
Tree Conservation Information Service
UNEP-WCMC, in association with the IUCN Species Survival Commission and a network of experts, identified over 8000 tree species which are threatened with extinction at a global level. This survey, supported by the Government of the Netherlands as part of the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Trees project, is the first of its kind to assess the conservation status of tree species worldwide. Information on individual species is recorded in the Tree Conservation Database and includes IUCN red list category, information on distribution, uses, ecology, threats and conservation measures. Summary information on individual species is published in The World List of Threatened Trees.
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/trees/Background/intro2.htm
Global Trees Campaign
The Global Trees Campaign developed by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and WCMC aims to save the world's most threatened tree species and the habitats where they grow through information, conservation and wise use. The majority of globally threatened tree species are not yet subject to any specific conservation measures and this is why FFI and WCMC are taking action in collaboration with other international organisations and local partners.
The scientific basis for the Campaign is provided by the results of the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Trees project. Through the Global Trees Campaign gaps in current information on the conservation status of trees will be filled by field research and continued networking with experts worldwide. The Campaign will use this information to stimulate further conservation action.With the help of contributors to the project, a portfolio of over 20 priority tree conservation projects has already been identified. Work has begun on small-scale tree conservation projects in Brazil, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mexico and Malawi supported by FFI's 100% Fund
For more information, visit the Web site:
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/trees/GTC/gtc_front.htm
World List of Threatened Trees
The conservation of biodiversity and its sustainable management are internationally recognised as vital global concerns. Identification of the components of biodiversity and the they face are important steps in planning for conservation action. Tree species are ecologically, culturally and economically valuable components of biodiversity and their conservation is essential to the well-being of people in all countries of the world. With increasing general pressures on ecosystems and selective pressures on species, it has become apparent that many tree species are threatened with extinction. Information on the degree and extent of threat has, however, previously been scattered and scarce. The World List of Threatened Trees presents the results of the first survey of the conservation status of trees species worldwide.
