Background
Forest Genetic Resources and Biological Diversity in Focus
Main Activities 1998-2000
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is the largest of the UN Specialized Agencies. FAO was created in 1945. Its Headquarters is in Rome Italy. Regional FAO offices operate in Santiago de Chile, Chile; Accra, Ghana; Cairo, Egypt; Bangkok, Thailand; and Rome, Italy. These are further supported by a number of sub-regional offices (Caribbean, Southern and East Africa, North Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Pacific); and by a number of Liaison Units (Geneva, Washington, New York, Brussels, Yokohama). FAO presently has 181 member countries (2000). According to its mandate, FAO provides a forum for discussion on issues related to food and agriculture; provides technical assistance in its fields of competence; facilitates the free exchange of information and know-how between nations; and assists member countries in the development and execution of field programmes in support of sustainable agricultural development, senso lato. The concept of “food and agriculture”, in FAO, includes the forestry and fisheries sectors. FAO is thus the UN Agency mandated to deal with issues on forests and forestry, and to take the lead in these fields in support of member countries and the international community. Section 2© of Article I of the Basic Texts of the Organization, relates specifically to the conservation of natural resources and their wise utilization (FAO 1984a)6
6 FAO’s Regular Programme (RP), is financed through assessed contributions of its 181 Member Nation. Rp Activities are complemented by the Field Programme, financed by Extra-Budgetary resources and Funds-in-TrustOver the 55 years of existence of FAO, perceptions of global needs and priorities have greatly changed. The rapid developments in the field of conservation of ecosystems and genetic resources, are reflected in changes of emphasis in the work of FAO, and in internal re-arrangements and the creation of new Statutory Bodies to adequately direct the work. A new Strategic Framework for 2001-2015 was approved in November 1999 by the 13th Session of the FAO Conference, the highest decision making and administrative body of the Organization (FAO 1999i). The FAO Strategic Plan for Forestry, approved by the FAO Committee on Forestry in March 1999, is the result of a process of consultation with member countries, institutions and individuals which began in February 1996 (FAO 1999j). It links FAO’s Forestry Programme to the mandate, corporate strategies and objectives of the Strategic Framework, and will orient the programme of FAO in Forestry and related fields in the long (15 years) and medium (6 years) term.
The first discussions on plant genetic resources in FAO go back to 1948. In 1961 FAO convened a meeting which led to the establishment in 1962 of a Panel of Experts on Plant Exploration and Introduction. This Expert Panel was mandated to advise FAO on issues related to plant genetic resources, and to help develop international guidelines for the collection, conservation and exchange of crop germplasm. A Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources, established in 1968, is programmed to meet in September 2001 for its 12th Session. The Panel consists of 15 members, appointed by the Director-General of FAO in their personal capacity; each member covers specified sub-regions as well as technical and scientific fields of activity. Among the tasks of the Panel the regular up-dating of a list of species and provenances in which priority action is recommended in the fields of exploration, conservation in and ex situ, collection, evaluation and utilization (including improvement and breeding), is of particular importance (FAO 1997b, 1999k). Although the Panel is required mainly to advise FAO on programmes and priorities, its influence extends beyond this mandate due to its global coverage, neutrality and representation from developed and developing countries alike. The Panel, which reports to the Committee of Forestry and through it to the Council and the Conference of FAO, is the most important body guiding FAO’s work in forest genetic resources; it is complemented, in some aspects of the work, by the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
FAO’s Forestry Department has over the past few years given equal importance to the conservation and the sustainable utilization of genetic resources of woody species from arid/semi-arid and from humid tropical zones; and to genetic conservation proper and other genetic resources activities.
The forest genetic resources programme of FAO is carried out through programme 241, “Forest Resources”, in which projects, “Sustainable Management of Natural Forests”, and “Forest Plantations and Planted Tree Resources”, include most of the activities directly concerned with this field. Close working relations are maintained also with other projects in the same programme which include, “Trees Outside Forests”, “Sustainable Mountain Development and Watershed Management”, and “Assessment and Monitoring of Forests and Woodlands”.
The project “Biodiversity and Sustainable Wildlife Utilization”, complements the forest genetic resources activities at the level of species and ecosystem conservation, wildlife management, and the conservation of biological diversity in forest ecosystems in general.
Coordination and linkages with genetic resources activities in the fields of agriculture (crops, horticultural species, industrial crops, forage species), animal husbandry and fisheries, are maintained through joint programming, supported by dialogue in inter-Departmental working groups on Biological Diversity, Biotechnology and Biosafety; through collaboration with the Secretariat of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; and through technical contacts between concerned Divisions and units in the Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Sustainable Development and Economic and Social Departments.
The present note focuses on the forest genetic resources programme of FAO for which the Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources provides technical and scientific guidance.
The forest genetic resources programme of FAO operates through, and in partnership with, national institutes; and helps catalyze and promotes harmonization of activities at international level. The overall goal of the programme is capacity building and institutional strengthening through direct support to national institutes, and support to networking and twinning. In broad terms, the programme promotes action aimed at the conservation of forest genetic resources in and ex situ; the use of optimal planting materials, including exchange of reproductive materials at mutually agreed terms; and dissemination of information on technologies for genetic conservation and improvement at local and national levels. The programme, further, includes the assembly and analysis of data and information on the state of forest genetic resources in the world, and helps make such information available to member countries for policy, planning and decision making purposes.
1. Exploration, Collection, Evaluation of forest genetic resources, was carried out in collaboration with national institutes and international organizations, such as the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO), relevant Centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, and other international partners. Work focused on socio-economically important species for the dry and humid tropics. In line with recommendations of the 10th and 11th Sessions of the Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources, activities concentrated mainly on species of the genera Acacia and Prosopis; Azadirachta (neem); and Swietenia and Cedrela (mahoganies) (FAO 1997c,d, 1998a,b; Graudal 1995; Hansen and Thomsen 1996; Palmberg 1981, 1984; Patiño 1997).
2. Tree Improvement and Breeding. Support and advice was provided to national institutes, world-wide. In regard to the biotechnologies, see Annex 4.
3. Conservation of Genetic Resources. The programme actively contributed to advising on strategies and in the elaboration of forest genetic resources conservation methodologies for in situ and ex situ conservation. Support was provided to evaluating and documenting practical experiences with in situ and ex situ conservation stands. The DANIDA Forest Seed Centre, Denmark, provided technical and financial assistance to this programme, carried out in partnership with national institutes in countries hosting the stands. Field assessments were carried out over the past years in in situ conservation stands of Tectona grandis and Pinus merkusii in Thailand, Baikea plurijuga in Zambia and Acacia senegal in Burkina Faso. Collaborative programmes involving field evaluation of ex situ conservation stands, mainly of eucalypts and tropical pines, were carried out with national institutes in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. In collaboration with the DANIDA Forest Seed Centre and IPGRI, and in close consultation with ICRAF, CIFOR and IUFRO, a set of practical guidelines, providing step by step guidance in the in situ and ex situ conservation of forest genetic resources, is being finalized for printing in 2000. A number of “Forestry Department Information Notes” on forest genetic resources have been prepared, widely disseminated, and made available on the FAO Forestry Department Homepage.7
7 http://www.fao.org/forestry/FODA/infonot-e.stm4. Wildlife and Protected Area Management. The programme promotes wildlife and protected area management systems and related institutional development and training. In 1998, advice was provided to countries of the Near East Forestry Commission (Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon and Sudan) on institutional arrangements for protected areas. The training needs of countries in Western Asia were assessed in 1998. In relation to sustainable utilization of wildlife for food and income generation, studies, in particular in African and Latin American countries, documented game husbandry techniques in species such as the Paca, Agouti paca, the Grasscutter, Thryonomys swinmderianus, and other small mammals. Assistance was also provided to assist member countries to fulfil the requirements of international conventions, such as CBD (the Convention on Biological Diversity); CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora); RAMSAR (the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat); and the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). An International Technical Consultation on Protected Area Management and Sustainable Rural Development was organized in collaboration with international partners in Zimbabwe in 1999.
5. Information Activities. Development of the World-Wide Information System on Forest Genetic Resources (REFORGEN) was continued. REFORGEN is aimed at supporting policy and technical decisions in genetic conservation, at national, regional and international levels (Hansen 1996, FAO 1999e, Hald 2000). REFORGEN is based on information provided by countries through questionnaires, complemented by to date six regional workshops on forest genetic resources, and data provided through a number of other sources and channels, including documentation for the Fourth International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources (1996) and sessions of the Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources. A user-friendly interface has been developed for information retrieval through the Internet. Up-dating and verifying the existing data has been initiated, and will in the future be carried out on a continuing basis using mechanisms such as the biennial meetings of the FAO Regional Forestry Commissions. The FAO Homepage on forest genetic resources provides detailed information on all FAO’s activities in this field. The Homepage, which is continuously up-dated and expanded, is available in English, French and Spanish. The newsbulletin, Forest Genetic Resources, published since 1972, is presently published annually in English, French and Spanish. In addition to despatch of some 4 000 copies, the newsbulletin is posted on the FAO Homepage (see footnote 8/below). In line with recommendations of the Panel, FAO in collaboration with IUFRO is also reviewing a number of key concepts and terms in the field of forest genetic resources to promote harmonization of terminology and mutual understanding (see FAO 1999a - Annex 4, for a list of the 20 terms presently under review).
8 http://www.fao.org/forestry/FOR/FORM/FOGENRES/homepage/fogene-e.stm6. National and International Collaboration. In addition to working closely with national Forest Services and related agencies, FAO maintains regular dialogue with a number of universities and national forest research institutes in both developed and developing countries. At international level, FAO collaborates with a number of UN and non-UN, Governmental and non-Governmental partners. The principal international collaborators of FAO in the field of forest biological diversity and forest genetic resources are referred to in the main text of the paper; the mandates and some relevant activities of a number of these partners are briefly described in Annex 2. Policy level frameworks and already existing technical networks crossing national borders can greatly facilitate implementation of programmes and activities, and on-going efforts in this field are supported where such support is requested and when resources so allow.
7. Regional Plans of Action for the Management of Forest Genetic Resources. The 13th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) in March 1997, recognized the “... need to strengthen national regional and international activities in the conservation and sustainable use of forest genetic resources, to help enhance country capabilities and to support the exchange of information and know-how”. “Some delegations were of the opinion that efforts to consider a global plan of action on conservation and sustainable utilization of forest genetic resources were premature. Other delegations suggested that FAO should pursue proposed efforts to develop regional plans of action for the conservation and sustainable use of forest genetic resources as a first step to develop a global plan of action”. COFO noted that “FAO, in conjunction with Regional Forestry Commissions and countries that requested it, could convene regional and sub-regional forest genetic workshops complementary to those already held in 1995 for boreal and temperate zones”.
In follow-up to the recommendations of COFO, subsequently fully endorsed by the Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources and fora such as the XI World Forestry Congress (Turkey 1997), FAO is supporting the organization of a series of sub-regional workshops on forest genetic resources, in which countries review the status of forest genetic resources at national and regional levels, define priority species and needs, and elaborate coordinated regional action plans, focusing on a limited number of priority species and activities (FAO 1999b). These workshops have partly been “modelled”, as suggested by COFO, on the regional workshops in temperate North America, the boreal zone, and Europe, held in 1996 (FAO 1997a).
Workshops held to date include:
- A sub-regional workshop on the conservation, management, sustainable utilization and enhancement of forest genetic resources in dry-zone sub-Saharan Africa, which was held in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), in September 1998, with support of FAO, IPGRI, ICRAF, the DANIDA Forest Seed Centre and a number of other national and international partners. The workshop resulted in the preparation of a sub-regional forest genetic resources action plan (FAO 1998a, 1999c, 2000a).8. Miscellaneous. The Tenth and Eleventh Sessions of the Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources were held in September 1997 and September/October 1999 (FAO 1997b, 1999a-e, k, 2000c). The Panel made recommendations regarding the exploration, collection, testing and evaluation, exchange, conservation in and ex situ, and the use and enhancement of forest genetic resources, including breeding and the role and use of biotechnologies in forest tree improvement. The Panel up-dated the lists of priority and target species for conservation and related genetic resources activities.- A sub-regional workshop organized by countries in the South Pacific in April 1999 in collaboration with FAO, the Australian Agency for International Development, the Australian-coordinated SPRIG project (South Pacific Regional Initiative on Forest Genetic Resources), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and a number of other regional partners (FAO 1999g, 2000b).
- A workshop held in June 2000,, which covered countries in Southern and Eastern Africa. The workshop was held under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in collaboration with FAO, IPGRI, ICRAF, the DANIDA Forest Seed Centre and a number of other partners (Sigaud and Luhanga 2000).
In March 1998, IPGRI, FAO and a number of other international, regional and national partners, organized a regional training course on the conservation and sustainable use of forest genetic resources, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
In August 1998, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, in collaboration with IUFRO and FAO, organized an international consultation on the contributions of genetics to the sustained management of global forest resources, in Beijing, China.
