FORGEN MISCELLANEA

International Board for Plant Genetic Resources

The International Board for Plant Genetic Resources was recently constituted as a subsidiary body of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, a group representative of donor countries and organizations, as well as developing countries, which is responsible among other things for the financing and administration of a number of international agricultural research centres in the developing world.

The new Board is to hold its first meeting in Rome in June 1974. It has been agreed that Forest Genetic Resources fall within its terms of reference and it includes one forester (Monsieur P. Bouvarel of France) among its members. It is to be hoped that it will be an effective unit, not only for the central coordination of international efforts in plant genetic resources but also in attracting substantial additional funds and in channelling these into the most worthwhile projects, among which forest genetic resources projects should have their fair share. Foresters and tree breeders will wish the Board every success in its challenging tasks.

The third Session of the FAO Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources will be held in Rome, 6 – 10 May 1974. The timing is apt, since the recommendations of the Panel for an integrated programme of action in Forest Gene Resources will be available to the International Board when it meets in June.

Conservation of Forest Genetic Resources

The problems involved in the conservation of forest genetic resources are receiving increased attention. In the note which appears later in this issue, Professor Roche, Chairman of the IUFRO Working Party on Gene Resource Conservation, outlines the valuable programme undertaken by it and the progress to date.

The United Nations Environment Programme has expressed interest in the conservation of forest genetic resources and has made funds available for a short-term study on the methodology of conservation to be carried out by FAO. It is hoped that this study will provide some guidelines to future action, as well as identifying the more obvious gaps in knowledge.

Planned Expeditions

We should welcome brief notices of seed collecting expeditions or similar activities being planned, particularly if there are possibilities for joint expeditions made possible through the pooled resources of more than one institute. But plans should be sent in well in advance to allow for delays in translation and publication of F.G.R.I. Send them to:

Chief, Forest Management Branch
FAO
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome
Italy

Because of the unreliable postal services in Italy, urgent mail (first-class mail only, i.e. closed letters) may be addressed to:

Chief, Forest Management Branch
FAO Headquarters
c/o FAO Regional Office for Europe
United Nations
1202 Geneva
Switzerland

The letters should be marked “Please forward by Pouch to Rome.”

F.G.R.I. Questionnaire

A number of additional replies to the above questionnaire have been received since the summary in F.G.R.I. No. 2. Up to 1.3.74 a total of 305 questionnaires had been returned, or 24.4% of those sent out. All considered that F.G.R.I. serves a useful function. A summary of subject matter preference follows.

Replies to F.G.R.I. Questionnaire 31.5.1973 – 1.3.1974

* Because of a printing error in the English and Spanish versions of the Questionnaire a number of correspondents did not answer questions 4a and 4b separately.