Biodiversity and Plant Genetic Resources
Biological
diversity - or biodiversity - refers collectively to the variety
of life on earth. Biodiversity forms a "web of life"
of which human beings are an integral part and upon which
they fully depend. Plants, including food crops, are an important
part of this biodiversity, vital for nourishing and sustaining
human society. Biodiversity provides enormous benefits, including
aesthetic, cultural, ecological, economic, educational, environmental,
genetic, medical, recreational, scientific, and social services.
CGIAR and Genebanks
The ICARDA genebank located in Aleppo, Syria, holds approximately 25 % of the CGIAR's total germplasm collections. |
CGIAR scientists play major roles in collecting, characterizing and conserving plant genetic resources. Eleven Centres together maintain over 650,000 samples of crop, forage and agroforestry genetic resources in the public domain.
On 16 October 2006, 11 International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) of the CGIAR which hold ex situ germplasm collections signed agreements with the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture placing the collections they hold under the Treaty. (Article 15). These agreements placed the ex situ collections of PGRFA held by those Centres (some 650,000 accessions of the world’s most important crops) within the purview of the Treaty. Under these agreements, the Centres recognize the authority of the Governing Body of the Treaty to provide policy guidance relating to their ex situ collections.
As from 1 January 2007, Centres have been using the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) adopted by the Governing Body of the Treaty at its First Session in June 2006 for transfers of PGRFA of crops and forages listed in Annex 1 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. At its second session, 29 October - 2 November 2007, the Governing Body of the Treaty decided that the Centres should also use the SMTA when transferring non-Annex 1 plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. As a result, from 1 February 2008, the Centres have been transferring all plant genetic resources for food and agriculture they hold in trust - both Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 materials - using the SMTA. As agreed by the Governing Body, the SMTA used by the Centres includes a footnote indicating that the provisions of the SMTA referring to Annex 1 materials should not be interpreted as precluding the use of the SMTA for transfers of non-Annex 1 materials.
Standard Material Transfer Agreements :
The CGIAR is committed to conserving these collections for the long-term and to making the germplasm and associated information available as global public goods.The collections held by the CGIAR genebanks are among the largest in the world and arguably the most important for the livelihoods of the poor and global food security. In fulfilling its stewardship obligations, CGIAR invests $6 million every year to maintain these valuable resources for the benefit of humanity.
In 1992,
at Rio Earth Summit, more than 150 countries signed the Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit.
Relentless agricultural expansion, environmentally-destructive
practices such as slash-and-burn agriculture, reliance on
monocultures, environmental degradation and large-scale conversion
of habitats all pose threats to biodiversity. Currently, 168
countries have signed the CBD. More recently, the International
Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
recognized the CGIAR collections as a central pillar of global
conservation efforts.
Traditionally,
farmers save seeds from one season for planting in the next
and seed storage in genebanks is a recent innovation. Storing
seeds in controlled temperatures helps maintain their germination
viability.
- Ex
situ conservation involves seeds stored in genebanks,
- In
situ conservation is done in farmers' fields and the
wild,
- In
vitro conservation is done in laboratory settings.
The CGIAR
seed collections are a unique resource, available to all researchers.
Seed contributions have helped lay the foundations of recovery
by jumpstarting agricultural growth in countries emerging
from conflict such as Afghanistan, Angola, Mozambique, and
Somalia. They have also helped countries recover from natural
disasters such as Hurricane Mitch which struck Honduras and
Nicaragua. A recent study showed that of the more than one
million seed samples distributed over the past 10 years, the
vast majority -- 80 percent or more - went to universities
and national agricultural research systems where scientists
are developing new crop varieties that give higher yields,
have improved nutritional value, use less water, need lower
amounts of fertilizers, and have natural resistance to pests,
diseases and climatic vagaries such as droughts and floods.
Bioversity International
Bioversity International
was founded in 1974 and is the world's largest international
institute with a mandate to advance the conservation and use
of genetic diversity for the well-being of present and future
generations. Hosted by the Government of Italy, in Maccarese,
outside Rome, Bioversity's mission is to encourage, support and
undertake activities to improve the management of genetic
resources worldwide so as to help eradicate poverty, increase
food security and protect the environment. Bioversity focuses on
the conservation and use of genetic resources important to
developing countries and has an explicit commitment to specific
crops. Currently, more than 170 Bioversity scientists and staff
work in 15 locations around the world. Its budget in 2000
was US$22 million.
* Note: The name Bioversity International replaced International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) on December 1, 2006.
Global Crop Diversity Trust
An initiative led by Bioversity International on behalf of the CGIAR-supported Centers and FAO has established an international organization--the Global Crop Diversity Trust-- to support the conservation of crop diversity. A public-private partnership, the Trust is raising an endowment fund of $260 million for the conservation of agricultural biodiversity around the world, including the more than half-million samples held in-trust under FAO auspices. Support for the endowment comes from governments, foundations and a diverse array of industry sectors. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture provides the policy frameworkfor the partnership, which will build and maintain into perpetuity a global system for the conservation of agricultural biodiversity.
Systemwide Genetic
Resources Program (SGRP)
Bioversity International
convenes SGRP to coordinate genetic resources activities of
the entire CGIAR system, including those relating to fish,
trees, and livestock. SGRP was established in 1994 to serve
as a single program capable of effectively and efficiently
responding to global needs. SGRP has represented the CGIAR
at important meetings (Convention on Biological Diversity,
Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and sustainable
Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources, and International
Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture).
Systemwide Information
Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER)
Sharing
knowledge and best practices in collection, conservation,
and characterization are key activities for sustainable management
of plant genetic resources. SINGER is a relational database
that links the databases of 11 Centers supported by the CGIAR having
genebanks. The database is searchable by taxonomy, geographic
source, accession identification, material transfer recipients,
and characterization results. SINGER is a powerful tool that
permits searches using multiple criteria including five descriptors.
SINGER is continuously updated so that users have easy access
to the latest information.
International Crop
Information System (ICIS)
ICIS
is a collaborative effort sponsored by six Centers supported by the CGIAR and partners from national agricultural research systems.
ICIS complements SGRP, and helps facilitate the advancement
of knowledge-intensive crop improvement programs by systematic
identification and characterization of germplasm, including
information on the pedigree of samples in a Genealogy Management
System. Information is organized to promote integrated genetic
resource management, including breeding, characterization,
evaluation and utilization.
FishBase
FishBase is a global information system with all you ever
wanted to know about fishes. FishBase is a relational database
with information to cater to different professionals such
as research scientists, fisheries managers, zoologists and
many more. FishBase on the web contains practically all fish
species known to science.
ReefBase
ReefBase is the world's premier online information system
on coral reefs, and provides information services to coral
reef professionals involved in management, research, monitoring,
conservation and education. Its goal is to facilitate sustainable
management of coral reefs and related coastal/marine environments,
in order to benefit poor people in developing countries whose
livelihoods depend on these natural resources.
Agricultural
Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI)
The Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI)
initiative compiles, processes, and makes available internationally
comparable data on institutional developments and investments
in agricultural R&D worldwide, and analyzes and reports
on these trends in the form of occasional policy digests for
research policy formulation and priority setting purposes.
Other Information Sources on Genebanks
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