The 44th Session of the FAO Conference adopts the revised Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Development of Forest Genetic Resource

The genetic resources of trees and other woody plants are essential for the health of all forests and their capacity to provide food, livelihoods and various ecosystem services. The genetic diversity of forests is crucial for the sustainable supply of wood and non-wood forest products, as well as for maintaining resilience and enabling forests to adapt to climate change.The Second Report on the State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources, prepared under the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and published in March 2025, provides a global assessment of forest genetic resources. It highlights their importance for sustainable development and reviews progress on conservation efforts.  While the report points to several improvements in the conservation and sustainable use of forest genetic resources, it also shows that more needs to be done to improve the management of these valuable resources. 

The first Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Development of Forest Genetic Resources was agreed, in 2013, by the Commission as a policy response to the findings of the first global assessment of forest genetic resources.  In response to the findings of the Second Report, the Commission revised the Global Plan of Action.  While the original 27 strategic priorities were retained in the revised Global Plan of Action, a number of new actions were added to several strategic priorities. These actions include: 

• promoting collaboration between researchers, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and governmental institutions to collect data on forest genetic resources; 
• promoting the establishment and maintenance of national, subregional and regional genebanks, and encouraging multistakeholder collaboration in their management; 
• improving the long-term monitoring of marginal and range-limits tree populations; 
• improving traditional agroforestry systems and raising awareness of the benefits of on-farm management of forest genetic resources; 
• mobilizing funding for conservation efforts led and managed by Indigenous Peoples and by local communities; 
• promoting research addressing regional knowledge gaps in the conservation and use of forest genetic resources, and identifying appropriate germplasm for forest restoration; 
• supporting collaborative national research projects involving different stakeholders and international knowledge-sharing networks; and 
• encouraging regional collaboration to facilitate the exchange of germplasm, data and information, and the sharing of benefits derived from them. 

Through Resolution 2/2025, the Conference invited Members to develop or strengthen national policies, strategies and action plans, as appropriate, for the management of forest genetic resources, strengthen their efforts to implement the revised Global Plan of Action and integrate forest genetic resources into relevant national policies and strategies on forests, biodiversity, climate change and desertification. The Resolution also called on all partners and stakeholders, including donors, to collaborate on the implementation of the Global Plan of Action.   

Reinforced action and investments are crucial at the national, regional and global levels to ensure that forest genetic resources are sustainably managed for the benefit of current and future generations.