Forests are the single most important repositories of terrestrial biological diversity. Forest trees and woody plants help support the life of a wide range of other organisms. Since trees are long-lived, outbreeding, generally strongly heterozygous and often found in variable environments, many have developed complex mechanisms to maintain high levels of intraspecific variation. Diversity in forests and genetic variation in trees and shrubs are needed to allow species to continuously adapt to dynamically evolving environmental conditions. It is also needed to maintain the potential for improvement to meet human needs and changing end-use requirements. The continued ability of forest trees to support ecosystem functions and to provide goods and services for human well-being, will depend on the maintenance of forest biological diversity and the wise management of forest genetic resources.
The present paper notes the commitments made by countries within the framework of recent related international conventions and agreements, and briefly describes work carried out at the international level in support of the management of forest genetic resources, including their conservation, enhancement and sustainable use. To meet national needs and to honour international agreements, there is an urgent need for countries to translate known technical and scientific principles into operational national programmes; to review and implement national forest genetic resources programmes within a wider, regional framework; and to develop a series of compatible and mutually complementary country-driven frameworks for action, which can help underpin well-targeted support at the global level. Special reference is made to the regional and sub-regional workshops supported by FAO3 and its national and international partners over the past years, to facilitate such a process of collaboration and consolidation of action.
3 A list of Acronyms is found in Box 4.
