At present, the greatest loss of forest habitats is in the tropics where the largest number of species are found per unit area. This is also the region where there are increasing needs for agricultural land, timber and building materials, fuelwood and fodder. Although it is well known that social and economic pressures are frequently the cause of environmental degradation, it is inevitable that the degradation of lands and the depletion of renewable natural resources are in turn apt to cause serious social problems. Genetic resources are critically important in sustaining the socio-economic systems that produce the material goods on which we depend.
As part of a joint FAO/UNEP project to test strategies of in situ conservation of forest genetic resources in Cameroon, Malaysia and Peru, pilot conservation areas were established at a number of sites in the Peruvian sierra (highlands).
In the sierra, large tracts of the native forest have been destroyed by agricultural development, firewood collection and cattle grazing over the past few hundred years. Because of harsh conditions, one or a few woody species may dominate - species adapted to growing in high altitudes and dry and/or alkaline or saline soil. Because of pressure for fuelwood and building materials as well as a lack of appropriate management of the resource, even the remaining forests are now under threat.
Through the project, remnant stands of Polylepis sericea were placed under active management with the help of forest extensionists while small nurseries were established to grow seedlings, using material from the stands. The seedlings and cuttings were used to establish plantations and woodlots to help satisfy community needs for shelter, fuel and erosion control, thus easing pressure on the existing degraded natural stands of the species.
In another area, managed in situ conservation areas and nurseries of the species Alnus jorullensis were established. This species serves a range of purposes and can be planted on terraces used for the production of food crops. In this way, it helps to protect the soil from erosion, promotes the growth of the crops through its ability to fix nitrogen from the air and provides stakes and fuel for the community. Remnant small natural stands of A. jorullensis, which usually belong to the local communities, were being overexploited for wood, posts, poles and fuel and were rapidly disappearing. The project demonstrated that food production - a day-to-day concern of the peasants - could be greatly improved by planting alnus seedlings along the contour lines of agricultural fields, and that these seedlings could be produced using material from the natural stands of the species. In this way, the value of the earlier neglected stand suddenly increased greatly. At the same time, demonstrations showed that, although the stand could and should continue to be used to provide wood products for the community, good management could visibly improve the stand and ensure that materials would also be available in the future. The management of natural alnus stands, and the growing and utilization of seedlings using genetic materials originating in such stands, has already spread spontaneously to neighbouring communities.
For further information please contact:
Chief, Forest Resources Development Service
Forest Resources Division
FAO
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome
Italy
Forest Genetic Resources No. 22. FAO, Rome (1994)
