Forest Genetic Resources
National Focal Points
The primary role of the National Focal Points is to liaise between the Secretary of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Forest Genetic Resources and their country on matters related to forest genetic resources. Furthermore, the National Focal Points are expected to initiate and coordinate, as appropriate, the preparation of country reports on forest genetic resources.
Through Circular State Letter C/CBD-7 of 22 May 2017 (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and C/CBD-10 of 18 June 2019 (available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish), FAO invited Members to update their nominations of National Focal Points for monitoring the implementation of the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Development of Forest Genetic Resources and for the preparation of The Second Report on the State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources.
List of officially nominated National Focal Points on forest genetic resources
Updated 27 July 2026
| Country | Role | Name | Position | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | National Focal Point | Francisca Mande | Head of Provincial Department (the Bengo province) | Forest Development Institute |
| Antigua and Barbuda | National Focal Point | Adriel Thibou | Senior Forestry Officer | Ministry of Agriculture |
| Argentina | National Focal Point | Diego López Lauestein | Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias - INTA | |
| Argentina | Alternate | María Gabriela García Ciuffani | Dirección Nacional de Desarrollo Foresto Industrial, Secretaria de Bioeconomía, Ministerio de Economía | |
| Armenia | National Focal Point | Arusyak Siradeghyan | Head of Forest Committee | Ministry of Environment |
| Australia | National Focal Point | Annisa Satyanti | Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences | |
| Australia | Alternate | Michael Ansong | Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences | |
| Austria | National Focal Point | Heino Konrad | Head of Ecological Genetics Unit | Department of Forest Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, Austrian Research Centre for Forests |
| Bahamas | National Focal Point | Ingeria Miller | Senior Forest Officer | Forestry Unit, Ministry of the Environment and Housing |
| Bangladesh | National Focal Point | Golam Mahboob | Principal Scientific Officer | Forestry Unit, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council |
| Bangladesh | Alternate | Kazi Noor-E-Alam Jewel | Principal Scientific Officer | Forestry Unit, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council |
| Barbados | National Focal Point | Michelle Wilson-Howard | Senior Agricultural Assistant | Soil Conservation Unit, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security |
| Belarus | National Focal Point | Oleg Baranov | Chief Research Officer | Genetics and Biotechnoiogy Laboratory, Forest Institute of the National Academy of Science of Belarus |
| Belgium | National Focal Point | Eléonore Scholzen | Comptoir forestier | Département de la Nature et des Forêts, Région Wallone |
| Benin | National Focal Point | Enock Seko N'Goye | Directeur de la Faune, de la Biodiversitéet de la Conservation de la Nature | Direction Générale des Eaux, Forêts et Chasse, Ministére du Cadre de Vie et du Developpement Durable |
| Brazil | National Focal Point | Valderês Aparecida de Sousa | Researcher | EMBRAPA Florestas |
| Bulgaria | National Focal Point | Maria Belovarska | Director | Forest Seed Central Station - Sofia, Executive Forest Agency |
| Burkina Faso | National Focal Point | Edith DABOUE | Directeur Général | Centre National des Semences Forestière |
| Cabo Verde | National Focal Point | Alexandre Ribeiro Centeio | General Directorate of Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock | |
| Cameroon | National Focal Point | Jean Daniel Mendomo Biang | Sous-directeur des inventaires et des aménagements forestiers | Ministére des Foréts et de la Faune |
| Canada | National Focal Point | Laurie Saulnier | Senior Policy Analyst | Natural Resources Canada - Canadian Forest Service |
| Central African Republic | National Focal Point | Koffi Lévy Oualengbe | Ingénieur des Eaux et Forêts | Ministére des Eaux, Foréts, Chasse et Péche |
| China | National Focal Point | Yongqi Zheng | Professor and Director of Forest Genetics Division | Chinese Academy of Forestry |
| Cook Islands | National Focal Point | William Wigmore | Director, Crop Research Division | Ministry of Agriculture |
| Côte d'Ivoire | National Focal Point | Yao Lucien Kouassi | Directeur Général des Foréts et de la Faune | Ministére des Eaux et Foréts |
| Cyprus | National Focal Point | Areti Christodoulou | Conservator of Forests, Forest Management and Silviculture Officer | Department of Forests, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment |
| Czechia | National Focal Point | Vlasta Knorová | Forestry Officer | Ministry of Agriculture, Section of Forestry |
| Czechia | Alternate | Eva Pokorná | Researcher | Forestry and Game Management Research Institute |
| Denmark | National Focal Point | Gunnar Friis Proschowsky | Chief Consultant | Nature Agency, Ministry of Environment and Food |
| Dominica | National Focal Point | Bradley Guye | Forestry Officer | Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Ministry of Environment |
| Ecuador | National Focal Point | Nelly Judith Paredes Andrade | Investigadora Agropecuaria del Departamento Nacional de Recursos Fitogenéticos de la Estación Experimental Central de la Amazonía | Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropucuarias (INIAP) |
| El Salvador | National Focal Point | Juan Antonio Salinas Gutiérrez | Técnico, División de Recursos Forestales | Dirección General de Ordenamiento Forestal, Cuencas y Riego (DGFCR), Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería |
| Estonia | National Focal Point | Maret Parv | Senior Officer | Forest Department, Ministry of the Environment |
| Eswatini | National Focal Point | Zachariah Dlamini | National Herbarium Curator | Department of Forestry, Ministry of Tourism & Environmental Affairs |
| Ethiopia | National Focal Point | Samson Shimelis | Research Officer | Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute |
| Fiji | National Focal Point | Alivereti Naikatini | Acting Deputy Conservator, Research and Development | Ministry of Forestry |
| Finland | National Focal Point | Mari Rusanen | Senior Specialist | Natural Resources Institute Finland |
| France | National Focal Point | Margaux Goulard | Chargée de mission graines et plants | Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté Alimentaire |
| France | Alternate | Euriel Godebert | Secrétariat général des affaires européennes/Comité interministériel à l'alimentation et à l'agriculture | |
| Georgia | National Focal Point | Giorgi Kavtaradze | Associate Professor | V. Gulisashvili Forest Institute, Agricultural University of Georgia |
| Germany | National Focal Point | Vera Overrödder | Desk Officer | Federal Office for Agriculture and Food, Information and Coordination Centre for Biological Diversity |
| Greece | National Focal Point | Evangelia Avramidou | Junior Researcher | Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems |
| Greece | Alternate | Konstantinos Spanos | Research Director | Laboratory of Forest Genetics, Forest Species Improvement and Biotechnology, Forest Research Institute |
| Guatemala | National Focal Point | Ariel Estuardo Nieves Antillón | Jefe de Semillas y Recursos Genéticos Forestales | Instituto Nacional de Bosques (INAB) |
| Guatemala | Alternate | Hariet Elizabeth López Solis | Encargada I de Recursos Genéticos Forestales | Instituto Nacional de Bosques (INAB) |
| Guinea | National Focal Point | Aminata Diawara | Chef de section à la division Aménagement Forestier, Direction Nationale des Eaux et Forêts | Ministere de l'Environnement des Eaux et Forêts |
| Honduras | National Focal Point | Ángel Francisco Bárcenas Carías | Asesor Técnico | Insituto Nacional de Conservación y Desarrollo Forestal, Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre (ICF) |
| Hungary | National Focal Point | László Nagy | Senior Research Fellow | University of Sopron, Forest Research Institute |
| Iceland | National Focal Point | Brynjar Skúlason | Researcher | Icelandic Forest Service |
| India | National Focal Point | Rabi Kumar | Director | Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) |
| India | Alternate | Anandalakshmi Ravichand | Scientist | Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) |
| Indonesia | National Focal Point | Ahmad Munawir | Director of Species and Genetic Conservation | Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, Ministry of Forestry |
| Indonesia | Alternate | Teguh Setiawan | Deputy Director of Species and Genetic Utilization | Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, Ministry of Forestry |
| Indonesia | Alternate | Lenny Hapsari Dewi | Senior Forest Ecosystem Management Expert | Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, Ministry of Forestry |
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) | National Focal Point | Khosro Sagheb-Talebi | Head of International Affairs | Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands |
| Ireland | National Focal Point | Brian Clifford | Forestry Inspector | National Council for Forest Research and Development (COFORD), Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine |
| Italy | National Focal Point | Giovanbattista De Dato | Researcher | Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Council for Research on Agriculture and Agricltural Economics |
| Jamaica | National Focal Point | Lawrence Nelson | Silviculture Manager | Forestry Department |
| Japan | National Focal Point | Kazuko Hagihara | Assistant Director | Forest Research, Extension and Protection Division, Private Forest Department, Forestry Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |
| Jordan | National Focal Point | Nizar Salem Obeidat | Head of Forestry Section | Directorate of Plant Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, National Agricultural Research Center |
| Kenya | National Focal Point | James M. Mwamodenyi | Head, Forest Health & Biodiversity Conservation | Kenya Forest Service |
| Kyrgyzstan | National Focal Point | Baktybek Yrsaliev | Deputy Director, Department of Forestry Ecosystems Development | The State Agency |
| Kyrgyzstan | Alternate | Aidana Kerezbekova | Leading Specialist, International Cooperation Department | The State Agency |
| Lao People's Democratic Republic | National Focal Point | Vongvilay Vongkhamsao | Director | Forestry Research Centre, National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute |
| Lebanon | National Focal Point | Anwar Kozah | Chef | Département de développement rural et des ressources naturelles |
| Lithuania | National Focal Point | Darius Raudonius | Chief Specialist | Forest Genetic Resources Department, Lithuanian State Forest Service |
| Luxembourg | National Focal Point | Martine NEUBERG | Chief for Forest Services | Administration de la nature et des forêts |
| Madagascar | National Focal Point | Lolona Ramamonjisoa | Researcher | Directorate of Natural Resources and Ecosystems Management, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development |
| Malaysia | National Focal Point | Norwati binti Muhammad | Deputy Director General (Research) | Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) |
| Mali | National Focal Point | Sidi Sanogo | Chef du Programme Ressources Forestiéres | Institut d’Economie Rurale |
| Malta | National Focal Point | Louis John Fresta | Principal Scientific Officer | Plant Protection Directorate, Rural Affairs Department, Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights |
| Mauritania | National Focal Point | Ethmane Ould Boubacar | Directeur Adjoint de la Protection de la Nature | Service Conservation et Protection des Paysages |
| Mexico | National Focal Point | Arturo Pizano Portillo | Gerente de Reforestación y Restauración de Cuencas Hidrográficas | Comisión Nacional Forestal (CONAFOR) |
| Montenegro | National Focal Point | Jelena Lazarević | Researcher | University of Montenegro, Biotechnical Faculty, Department for Forests |
| Namibia | National Focal Point | Hleni Heita | Genebank Curator | National Plant Genetic Resources Centre, National Botanical Research Institute, Ministry of Environment, Forestry & Tourism |
| Netherlands | National Focal Point | Joukje Buiteveld | Clusterleader, Forest Genetic Resources | Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands (CGN), Wageningen University & Research |
| Nicaragua | National Focal Point | Luis Valerio Hernández | Director de Monitoreo e Información Forestal | Instituto Nacional Forestal (INAFOR) |
| Niger | National Focal Point | Moussa Issa Abdoulaye | Directeur | Centre National de Semences Forestières |
| Nigeria | National Focal Point | Rasak Kolawole Adekola | Ag. Director of Forestry | Federal Department of Forestry, Federal Ministry of Environment |
| Norway | National Focal Point | Oda Otilie Holltrø Spongsveen | Adviser, Forest Genetic Resources | Norwegian Genetic Resource Center, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy (NIBIO) |
| Panama | National Focal Point | Víctor Francisco Cadavid | Director Nacional Forestal | Ministerio de Ambiente |
| Papua New Guinea | National Focal Point | Anton Lata | Manager, Planted Forest | PNG Forest Research Institute |
| Paraguay | National Focal Point | Sergio Villasanti Cano | Jefe del Departamento de Germoplasma Forestal | Instituto Forestal Nacional |
| Peru | National Focal Point | Evelin Judith Salazar Hinostroza | Coordinadora Nacional del Área Forestal | Dirección de Investogación y Desarrollo Technológico, Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria |
| Peru | Alternate | Haydeé Miriam Ramos León | Especialista en Agroforestal | Dirección de Investogación y Desarrollo Technológico, Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria |
| Philippines | National Focal Point | Ray Thomas F. Kabigting | Assistant Director | Forest Management Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural Resources |
| Poland | National Focal Point | Marcin Beza | Deputy Director | Kostrzyca Forest Gene Bank |
| Portugal | National Focal Point | Isabel Carrasquinho | Researcher | Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV) |
| Republic of Korea | National Focal Point | Sang-Jik Kim | Forest Policy Division, Korea Forest Service | |
| Romania | National Focal Point | Sebastian Constantin | Counsellor | Ministry of Water and Forestry |
| Russian Federation | National Focal Point | Olga Komarova | Researcher, Experimental Testing Unit | All-Russian Institute of Forest Genetics, Selection and Biotechnology (VNIILGISbiotech) |
| Rwanda | National Focal Point | Didas Gahigi | Acting Director of Non-Timber Forest Product Unit | Ministry of Environment |
| Saint Lucia | National Focal Point | Nereus Mitchell | Environmental Education Officer II | Division of Forest and Land Resources |
| Samoa | National Focal Point | Moafanua Tolusina Pouli | Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Forestry Division | Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment |
| Samoa | Alternate | Elizabeth Kerstin | Principal Forestry Research and Development Officer | Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment |
| Serbia | National Focal Point | Vedrana Lalović | Advisor | Directorate of Forests, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management |
| Slovakia | National Focal Point | Roman Longauer | Senior Researcher | National Forest Centre |
| Slovenia | National Focal Point | Saša Rus | Senior Advisor | Directorate for Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food |
| Solomon Islands | National Focal Point | Vaeno Vigulu | Permanent Secretary | Ministry of Forestry and Research |
| South Africa | Alternate | Tendani Mariba | Assistant Director, Forestry Research, Development and Innovation | Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment |
| South Sudan | National Focal Point | Nathaniel Kenyi Bullen Baggu | Director General, Agroforestry and Forest Extension | Ministry of Environment and Forestry |
| Spain | National Focal Point | Elsa Enríquez Alcalde | Subdirectora General de Política Forestal y Lucha contra la Desertificación | Subdirección General de Política Forestal y Lucha contra la Desertificación, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Bosques y Desertificación, Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico |
| Spain | Alternate | Felipe Pérez Martín | Jefe de Área de Recursos Genéticos Forestales | Subdirección General de Política Forestal y Lucha contra la Desertificación, Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Bosques y Desertificación, Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico |
| Sudan | National Focal Point | Sayeda Ali Ahmed Khalil | REDD+ Coordinator | Forest National Corporation |
| Sweden | National Focal Point | Sanna Black-Samuelsson | Specialist in forest genetics | Swedish Forest Agency |
| Switzerland | National Focal Point | Amira Tiefenbacher | Research Assistant | Forest Division, Federal Office for the Environment |
| Thailand | National Focal Point | Phanumard Ladpala | Forest Conservation Research Specialist | Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation |
| Thailand | Alternate | Voradol Chamchumroon | Plant Taxonomy Specialist | Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation |
| Togo | National Focal Point | Balakyem Awesso | Chef section recherche forestières | Direction des ressources forestières, Ministere de l'environnement et des ressources forestières |
| Tonga | National Focal Point | Heimuli Likiafu | Deputy Secretary, Head of Forestry | Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry |
| Tunisia | National Focal Point | Kailene Jamel | Directeur de developpement sylvo-pastoral | Ministère de l'agriculture de ressources hydraulique et de la péche, Direction Générale des Forets |
| Turkey | National Focal Point | Gaye Eren Kandemir | Ministry of Forest and Water Affairs, Forest Tree Seeds and Tree Breeding Research Directorate | |
| Ukraine | National Focal Point | Svitlana Los | Head of Laboratory, Forest Tree Breeding | Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Forest Melioration |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | National Focal Point | Clare Trivedi | Plant Health R&D Manager | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| United Republic of Tanzania | National Focal Point | Siima Salome Bakengesa | Director | Forest Production Research, Tanzania Forestry Research Institute |
| United States of America | Alternate | Toral Patel-Weynand | Director, Southern Research Station | USDA Forest Service, Research & Development |
| Uruguay | National Focal Point | Héctor Andrés González Rosales | Ingeniero Agrónomo | División Manejo Forestal Sostenible, Dirección General Forestal, Ministerio de Ganadería, Agricultura y Pesca |
| Vanuatu | National Focal Point | Godfrey Bome | Acting Director of Forests | Department of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity |
| Yemen | National Focal Point | Mohammed Moqbel Taher Mareai | Technical Director | National Genetic Resources Center, Agricultural Research and extension Authority |
| Zambia | National Focal Point | Kennedy Mbindo | Principal Herbarium Curator | Forestry Department |
| Zimbabwe | National Focal Point | Mduduzi Tembani | Research Coordinator, Seed Physiologist | Forestry Research Division, Forestry Commission |
| Zimbabwe | Alternate | Pomerayi Mutete | Tree Breeder | Forestry Research Division, Forestry Commission |
No National Focal Point has been nominated by the following countries
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Democratic People's republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Santo Tome y Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam.