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Global Plan of Action 14.
Assessment: Rational conservation (both in situ
and ex situ) ideally begins with the surveying and inventorying
of existing resources. In
order to elaborate policies and strategies for the conservation
and utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture,
national programmes need to know what resources exist in their
countries. Countries
that have ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity
have acknowledged certain needs and responsibilities concerning
this subject. Country
Reports indicate that little systematic work has been done
in this regard for many crops and their wild relatives. 15.
Longterm objectives: To identify, locate, inventory,
and as feasible assess any threats to those species, ecotypes,
cultivars and populations of plants relevant to food and agriculture,
especially those that are of anticipated use. 16.
To facilitate the development of complementary conservation
strategies (e.g., weighing the need and importance of collecting
for ex situ conservation and/or continued conservation in
situ) and national policies related to the conservation and
sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
17.
Intermediate objectives: To develop useful methodologies
for surveying and inventorying plant genetic resources for
food and agriculture. 18.
Policy/strategy: The surveying and inventorying
of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture should
be considered as a step in the process of conservation and
of reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity. Without
the capacity to conserve and/or use, however, such work may
have marginal utility. Thus,
surveying and inventorying should ideally be linked to specific
object ives and a plan, such as one for in situ conservation,
or collecting, ex situ conservation, and use. 19.
Local and indigenous knowledge should be recognized as important
components of surveying and inventorying activities and should
be properly considered in all such efforts. 20.
Capacity: Countries should provide and may need
financial and technical support to survey andinventory plant
genetic resources for food and agriculture. 21.
Countries should provide and may need assistance in having
appropriate access to existing and planned Geographic Information
System facilities and information. 22.
Training and capacitybuilding should be undertaken in areas
such as taxonomy, population biology, ethnobotany, and ecoregional
and agroecological surveying. 23.
Research/technology: Adequate support should
be given to developing better methodologies for the surveying
and assessment of intra and infraspecific diversity in agroecological
systems. 24.
Existing information sources should be used in research to
determine to what extent wild relatives of domesticated species
are already in protected areas. 25.
Coordination/administration: Most coordination
must take place within country. Regional
and global level coordination is needed to provide linkages
with existing ex situ and in situ conservation efforts. 26.
Strong linkages need to be established with national, regional
and crop networks and with the users of plant genetic resources
for food and agriculture (breeders and farmers) in order to
inform, direct and prioritize the entire conservation process.
Countries
should collaborate in surveying and inventorying activities
in order to build incountry capacity. 27.
Coordination between relevant international organizations,
inter alia, FAO, UNEP, UNESCO, IUCN and international agricultural
research centres, should be further strengthened. 28.
This activity is closely linked with: |
