FAO PROJECT ON GENETIC RESOURCES OF ARID AND SEMI-ARID ZONE ARBOREAL SPECIES FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF RURAL LIVING

Report on Progress

by
Christel Palmberg
Forestry Department
FAO, Rome, Italy

INTRODUCTION

In 1979, FAO's Forestry Department initiated a project on the conservation and better utilization of genetic resources of arboreal species for the improvement of rural living.

The project receives financial assistance from the International Board on Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) and, indirectly - through IBPGR - from the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP. FAO's Forestry Department provides considerable inputs to the project in the form of a part-time coordinator and supporting services, consultants, and as direct, financial contributions to cooperating countries to supplement funding from IBPGR.

A note on the project, including lists of species involved, was published in Forest Genetic Resources Information No. 10 (pp. 31–33).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The main aims of the project are to gather information and genetic material for conservation and evaluation/characterization purposes, with the ultimate objective of better and more rational utilization on a sustained basis of existing genetic resources vitally important to rural communities as providers of fuel, food, fodder, shade and shelter in tropical arid and semi-arid areas. The project also aims at helping to build up a self-supporting network of centres concerned with conservation and seed collection activities of arid and semi-arid zone multipurpose arboreal species. Field activities this end towards were started in 1981.

Eight countries are presently formally cooperating in the project (Chile, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Senegal, Sudan and P.D.R. Yemen). Within its framework, seed is also collected by Australia and Israel. All exploration, collection and evaluation work is being carried out by local research institutes or by national forest services.

In addition to the above, active collaboration in collection activities is pursued with the Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, France (West African species); and the Commonwealth Forestry Institute, UK (Central and South American species).

PROGRESS 1981–83

Seed Collection

Within the framework of the FAO project and with some financial assistance provided by it, seed collections have been carried out in all cooperating countries of Acacia, Atriplex and Prosopis species. Some seed will also be collected in Mexico of Cercidium spp. and Chilopsis spp.

All seedlots collected are carefully documented in standard format (see copy of collection form on p. 35), cleaned and sent for further cleaning and treatment to the DANIDA Forest Seed Centre at Humlebaek, Denmark. The DANIDA Seed Centre stores the seed temporarily, and distributes it in accordance with FAO's instructions for evaluation/characterization, initially to cooperating countries only.

Training and dissemination of information

Through training and the dissemination of information, the project hopes to help build up an increased awareness of the urgent and vigorous action needed to protect, conserve and efficiently utilize existing natural resources in the ecologically fragile arid and semi-arid zones; simultaneously, it is working towards an increased level of technical knowledge and local expertise in matters related to forest genetic resources work.

During 1981–1983, the training component has involved study tours by technical staff directly involved in the project to other countries with similar ecological conditions and problems, and the organization of national seminars and courses on specific, practical aspects, such as seed collection in arid zones.

In 1983, 6 technical manuals were prepared, dealing with (i) taxonomy; (ii) seed insects; and (iii) seed collection, handling and storage of species of the genera Acacia and Prosopis (see p.40 of this issue of FGRI). The manuals fill a well-acknowledged information gap, as evidenced by the large amount of requests received for them.

Information on the Project and the urgence of work on forest genetic resources in the arid and semi-arid zones is regularly disseminated, mainly through “Forest Genetic Resources Information” and “Unasylva” (see list of references at the end of the article).

PLANED ACTIVITIES IN 1984/85

Active cooperation and commitment to this important Project are steadily increasing in the cooperating countries, as is collaboration between these countries and others with similar ecological conditions. Although small in terms of monetary contribution, the Project is often getting a special mention from the countries involved, in programming and policy discussions.

In 1984/85, seed collections will be continued to meet the established collection targets both as regards provenance coverage and quantities of seed required for conservation and evaluation purposes. The opportunity will also be taken to collect samples of seed of other important, sympatric species suitable for village woodlots and firewood, whenever possible.

Cooperating countries will be visited when necessary to discuss (i) gaps of coverage recorded in connection with botanical exploration; (ii) conservation action needed due to increased pressures on existing resources; and (iii) possible additional species/provenances to be included in the collection programme.

Samples of the seedlots collected to date will be transferred for long-term storage to Kew Gardens, UK, where a base collection of all seedlots available will be conserved. Based on results from the evaluation trials described above, it is also planned to establish ex situ conservation stands of important species and provenances in a number of countries.

It should be noted that the evaluation trials can also, to a limited extent, be considered as sources for future genetic material.

Seed will continue to be distributed to cooperating countries for evaluation trials in a range of environmental conditions, using standardized design, treatments and measurement schedules.

Any surplus seed available will be distributed for further evaluation to countries which have expressed an interest in joining the programme but which have not to date been formally coopted, as well as to other interested countries. The recipient countries will be requested to provide exchange seedlots for the material received, thus augmenting available collections of genetic material.

The practical value of study tours by officers from cooperating institutes in one country to an institute in another country will be compounded once the evaluation trials have been established. Although these trials will still be young in 1984/85, many lessons can be learned regarding establishment, lay-out and measurements, and such trips will help ensure standardization of approach and render overall results from the trials more reliable. Locally organized courses will also be essential in the use of measuring equipment, methodology of evaluation and data recording.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The overall, general goal of FAO and its Forestry Department, is to assist member countries in meeting the basic needs of, and securing general progress for, rural communities. In line with this policy, ongoing genetic resources programmes are concentrating on assistance to the rural poor, and aim at promoting the use of well-adapted but robust genetic material suitable for village woodlots, shelterbelts, fodder, land rehabilitation, etc. Top priority is given to the conservation and evaluation of existing stands of shrubs and trees which are presently in danger of extinction or genetic depletion but whose adaptation to prevailing environmental conditions and acceptability to local populations are unquestioned; and to the establishment of systematic species and provenance trials in which local and introduced species can be compared under uniform management systems.

The on-going FAO Project, which has been steadily gaining acceptance and momentum since its initiation, supports the above principles.

We are aware of the fact that much more work is still needed in this field: the species covered form only a small fraction of those which merit urgent attention, the number of countries which we have been able to include as direct cooperators is very small. However, through this and related work we hope to catalyze action elsewhere in the world, to show one of the ways of going about the problems which we all should be determined to solve: the conservation of our heritage of genetic resources and the utilization of these resources for the betterment of life particularly of rural communities dependent on them.

LITERATURE REFERENCES TO THE PROJECT

Anon. 1981 FAO/IBPGR Project on genetic resources of arboreal fuelwood species for the improvement of rural living. Forest Genetic Resources Information No. 10: 31–33. FAO, Rome, Italy.

Anon. 1983 The Fuelwood Crisis in Africa: an FAO Round Table Discussion. Unasylva 35 (141):22–25.

FAO. 1980 Genetic Resources of Tree Species in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas. Report on a survey for the improvement of rural living in Latin America, Africa, India and SouthWest Asia. Based on the work of F.B. Armitage, P.A. Joustra and B. Ben Salem. FAO, Rome, Italy. 118 pp.

Palmberg, C. 1981 Genetic resources of arboreal fuelwood species for the improvement of rural living. Special Invited Paper, FAO/UNEP/IBPGR Technical Conference on Crop Genetic Resources, Rome, Italy April 1981. Forest Resources Division, FAO, Rome, Italy.

Palmberg, C. A Vital Fuelwood Gene Pool is in Danger. Unasylva 33(133):22–30.

Palmberg, C. 1983 Conservation and variation in tropical tree species. Plant Genetic Resources Newsletter 55/September 1983. FAO/AGP, Rome, Italy.

FAO PROJECT ON GENETIC RESOURCES OF ARID/SEMI-ARID ZONE ARBOREAL SPECIES:

	SEED COLLECTION REPORT
			Collection No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
			Species: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
			Country: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
	Province: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . District:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
	Lat: . . . . . . . . . .° . . . . . . . . . .'   Long: . . . . . . . .° . . . . . . . .'   Elev: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . m
	Topography:		Flat/hilly
			Slope: steep/medium/gentle
	Soil:	Deep/shallow/intermediate
		Drainage: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
		. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
		Stoniness: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
		Texture: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
			. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
		pH:	Acid/neutral/alkaline