CONSERVATION OF GENETIC RESOURCES: DATA BOOK ON ENDANGERED ARBOREAL SPECIES AND PROVENANCES

A “Data Book on Endangered Forest Tree Species and Provenances” was published by FAO in 1981 as document FO:MISC/81/11 and distributed to potentially interested institutions and persons. It contained Data Sheets that had been compiled by the IUFRO Working Party entitled “Forest Gene Resources Conservation” and by FAO's Forestry Department which took over the work when the IUFRO Working Party ceased to operate. A number of the individual data sheets have also appeared in some previous issues of FGRI.

Based on replies and comments received and on an enlarged list of endangered species and provenances drawn up by the 5th Session of the Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources in December 1981, work has been intensified during 1984 and 1985 on 59 species which are considered to be threatened with extinction or with genetic impoverishment and contamination at the species or provenance level.

A book bringing together the results of this work is being compiled by FAO's Forestry Department and is expected to be available in late 1985.