Since the 1980's the FAO Forestry Department has been active in developing methodologies for the conservation of forest genetic resources. Key publications include FAO (1984a, 1984b, 1988,1993), FAO/UNEP (1981), IUCN/FAO (1984) and Roche and Dourojeanni (1984).

FAO's Forestry Department and the InternationaI Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) are presently collaborating in the production of a guide on the in situ conservation of forest genetic resources. The purpose of the guide is to provide practitioners (especially those involved in managing forests) and decision makers with an easy-to-follow, step-wise approach to in situ conservation of forest genetic resources. Additional collaborators include IUFRO (which is planning a state-of-the-art review on methodologies for conserving forest genetic resources), DANIDA Forest Tree Seed Centre (which is collaborating with FAO in the development of practical guidelines for the establishment and management of national in situ gene resource conservation stands of forest tree species and provenances) and, tentatively, other CGIAR centres dealing with forest genetic resources (notably CIFOR and ICRAF). It is planned to publish the guide in the second half of 1997.

References:

FAO 1984a. In situ conservation of plant genetic resources. The scientific and technical bases (based on the work of B. Ingram). FORGEN/MISC/84/1.

FAO 1984b. Operational manual for a protected area system. FAO Conservation Guide No. 9.

FAO 1988. Plant Genetic Resources: their conservation in situ for human use. FORGEN/MISC/87. Booklet prepared in collaboration with UNESCO, UNEP and IUCN.

FAO 1993. Conservation of Genetic Resources in Tropical Forest Management: Principles and Concepts (based on the work of P.G. Kemp with scientific revision by F. Wadsworth and G. Namkoong). FAO Forestry Paper No 107.

FAO/UNEP 1981. Report on the FAO/UNEP Expert Consultation on in situ Conservation of Forest Genetic Resources.

IUCN/FAO 1984. In situ conservation of wild plant genetic resources: a status review and action plan (based on work by R. & C. Prescott-Allan). FORGEN/MISC/84/3.

Roche, L. and Dourojeani, M. 1984. A guide to in situ conservation of genetic resources of tropical wood species. FORGEN/MISC/84/2.