scholarly journals Challenges in the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Pautasso

The meeting on ‘Genetic Resources in the Face of New Environmental, Economic and Social Challenges’ held in Montpellier (France) from 20–22 September 2011 brought together about 200 participants active in research and management of the genetic diversity of plant, animal, fungal and microbial species. Attendees had the rare opportunity to hear about agronomy, botany, microbiology, mycology, the social sciences and zoology in the same conference. The research teams presented the results of about 50 projects funded by the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity to preserve genetic diversity carried out in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. These projects aimed to better understand and manage genetic resources in a rapidly changing world (e.g. structural changes in the agricultural industry, the need for climate change mitigation and adaptation, the challenge of achieving food security despite the growing world population and changing dietary habits, the opportunities provided by the many new molecular biology tools, the problems caused by widespread scientific budget cuts). The meeting also hosted some roundtables open to all participants which provided a forum to establish a much needed dialogue between policy-makers, managers and researchers.

Author(s):  
Chikelu Mba ◽  
◽  
M. Ehsan Dulloo ◽  
Kent Nnadozie ◽  
◽  
...  

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, a common concern of all countries, are critically important for the sustainable production of the significantly more nutritious food needed to feed an ever-growing population in the face of climate change and other drivers. This entails the translation of the potentials encoded into their genetic blueprints into improved productivities. The relevant international agreements, instruments and mechanisms, which address the conservation, sustainable use and access and benefit-sharing for these resources, are reviewed along with their remarkable contributions to food security and nutrition. The chapter also highlights the state-of-the-art for the scientific and technological methods used to conserve and add value through genetic gains to these resources. Underscoring the importance of collaborations at various scales, we call for continued global coordination and partnerships on the internationally agreed activities for conserving effectively and deriving the most benefits sustainably from these irreplaceable resources.


Author(s):  
M. Ehsan Dulloo ◽  
◽  
Prishnee Bissessur ◽  
Jai Rana ◽  
◽  
...  

This chapter reviews the methodologies developed to assess the extent of diversity of PGRFA at species, variety, and genetic level and examines the efforts made at global level in monitoring them at different scales. Efforts have been made to halt the loss of biodiversity (including genetic diversity) by United Nations Organizations (FAO, UNEP, UN) at setting of global targets (second Global Plan of Action on conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA, Aichi Targets and Sustainable Development Goals) and indicators have been established to monitor progress towards them. Yet none of the targets on genetic diversity have been achieved, due to a lack of implementable monitoring system that would allow progress to be accurately monitored. Further research is needed to improve the methodologies for monitoring plant genetic resources, particularly at the varietal and genetic level. The chapter discusses the opportunities and challenges as well as provides recommendations for future conservation and monitoring strategies that may safeguard PGRFA for posterity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. K. Salgotra 1 ◽  
Manmohan Sharma 1 ◽  
Pankaj Pandotra 1

Climate change is an unequivocal fact and its impacts are already perceptible today. Climate change will profoundly alter the present conditions of agriculture in almost all countries with variable severity from region to region. On one hand unpredicted changes in climatic parameters are likely to threaten the production and productivity of economically important plant species particularly that of food crops, at the same time agriculture productivity requires significant increase to meet the expected growth in demand for food by the ever increasing world population. Conservation and sustainable use of diversity present in plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge of germplasm within and among plant species represent economic, scientific and societal value which has tendency to solve the food security problems erupt due to expanding global population. An advance made in biotechnology field such as in vitro culture technology, cryopreservation and molecular markers technology has generated significant contributions to improve the methods of conservation of rare and endangered plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge of germplasm and their valuable management in an effective way. A strategic and forward vision for conservation of plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge of germplasm and sustainable use of plant resources in the 21st century is of far reaching significance for sustainable development.


Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Tyack ◽  
Hannes Dempewolf ◽  
Colin K. Khoury

Crop wild relatives (CWR) have proven to be very valuable in agricultural breeding programs but remain a relatively under-utilized and under-protected resource. CWR have provided resistance to pests and diseases, abiotic stress tolerance, quality improvements and yield increases with the annual contribution of these traits to agriculture estimated at USD 115 billion globally and are considered to possess many valuable traits that have not yet been explored. The use of the genetic diversity found in CWR for breeding provides much-needed resilience to modern agricultural systems and has great potential to help sustainably increase agricultural production to feed a growing world population in the face of climate change and other stresses. A number of CWR taxa are at risk, however, necessitating coordinated local, national, regional and global efforts to preserve the genetic diversity of these plants through complementary in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. We discuss the absence of adequate institutional frameworks to incentivize CWR conservation services and propose payment for ecosystem services (PES) as an under-explored mechanism for financing these efforts. Such mechanisms could serve as a potentially powerful tool for enhancing the long-term protection of CWR.


Genetika ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 585-598
Author(s):  
Mirjana Milosevic ◽  
Mirjana Miloradov ◽  
Sasa Dragin ◽  
Milan Stegic

The maintenance and preservation of biodiversity is going through the processes of conservation and restoration of disturbed ecosystems and habitats, as well as the preservation and recovery of species. Genetic diversity means the variety and total number of genes contained in plant and animal species and microorganisms. Genetic diversity is the basic unit of diversity, which is responsible for differences between individuals, populations and species. Genetic diversity is very important for the preservation of biodiversity and can be saved in several ways. Part of the germplasm is maintained through breeding programs as they evaluate germplasm stored and used as a source of needed diversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity is one of the most important international agreements to protect nature and conserve genetic resources. International treaties governing the use of genetic resources for food and agriculture are a way to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of plant resources for food and agriculture, and to regulate the rights of farmers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 775
Author(s):  
Jennifer Cao ◽  
Roswitha Baumung ◽  
Paul Boettcher ◽  
Beate Scherf ◽  
Badi Besbes ◽  
...  

Animal genetic resources are critical to livestock productivity and adaptability, facilitate resilience to climate change, and are a key contributor to food security and livelihoods around the world. The Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources (Global Plan), consisting of four Strategic Priority Areas (SPAs: Characterization; Sustainable use; Conservation; Policy), provides a framework to guide countries and other stakeholders on actions to improve the management of animal genetic resources. Assessing, reporting and monitoring the progress and implementation of the Global Plan are critical processes for understanding global commitments made to enhance livestock genetic diversity. In this study, three rounds of reporting (2012, 2014, and 2019) from Member Nations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations were quantitatively analyzed to gain insight into the progress and implementation of the Global Plan by grouping questionnaires responses into quantitative indicator scores. Variations were found in indicator scores across SPAs, year, and regions, as well as within regions. Countries from North America and Europe and the Caucasus reported higher scores, while most BRICs countries (Brazil, India, China, South Africa) had high implementation scores relative to other countries in the same region. A significant positive correlation was observed between mean implementation scores in 2019 and GDP per capita (r = 0.456). Countries reporting higher implementation of in situ conservation also indicated higher proportions of breeds at risk. Significant progress was reported over the years for three of the four SPAs; SPA3 (conservation) was not found to have significantly improved. Despite the gains that have been made since 2012 in management of animal genetic resources, much remains to be done. The population status of nearly 60% of breeds is unknown while almost three quarters of breeds of known status are at risk of extinction. Efforts must continue to improve management of livestock genetic diversity, with further investments and development of approaches that support socio-economic viability of local genetic resources.


2008 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 71-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. Woolliams ◽  
O. Matika ◽  
J. Pattison

SummaryLivestock production faces major challenges through the coincidence of major drivers of change, some with conflicting directions. These are:1. An unprecedented global change in demands for traditional livestock products such as meat, milk and eggs.2. Large changes in the demographic and regional distribution of these demands.3. The need to reduce poverty in rural communities by providing sustainable livelihoods.4. The possible emergence of new agricultural outputs such as bio-fuels making a significant impact upon traditional production systems.5. A growing awareness of the need to reduce the environmental impact of livestock production.6. The uncertainty in the scale and impact of climate change. This paper explores these challenges from a scientific perspective in the face of the large-scale and selective erosion of our animal genetic resources, and concludes thai there is a stronger and more urgent need than ever before to secure the livestock genetic resources available to humankind through a comprehensive global conservation programme.


Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Leonard Bonilha Piveta ◽  
Nilda Roma-Burgos ◽  
José Alberto Noldin ◽  
Vívian Ebeling Viana ◽  
Claudia de Oliveira ◽  
...  

Rice is the staple food for about half of the world population. Rice grain yield and quality are affected by climatic changes. Arguably, rice cultivars’ genetic diversity is diminished from decades of breeding using narrow germplasm, requiring introgressions from other Oryza species, weedy or wild. Weedy rice has high genetic diversity, which is an essential resource for rice crop improvement. Here, we analyzed the phenotypic, physiological, and molecular profiles of two rice cultivars (IRGA 424 and SCS119 Rubi) and five weedy rice (WR), from five different Brazilian regions, in response to heat and drought stress. Drought and heat stress affected the phenotype and photosynthetic parameters in different ways in rice and WR genotypes. A WR from Northern Brazil yielded better under heat stress than the non-stressed check. Drought stress upregulated HSF7A while heat stress upregulated HSF2a. HSP74.8, HSP80.2, and HSP24.1 were upregulated in both conditions. Based on all evaluated traits, we hypothesized that in drought conditions increasing HSFA7 expression is related to tiller number and that increase WUE (water use efficiency) and HSFA2a expression are associated with yield. In heat conditions, Gs (stomatal conductance) and E’s increases may be related to plant height; tiller number is inversely associated with HSPs expression, and chlorophyll content and Ci (intercellular CO2 concentration) may be related to yield. Based on morphology, physiology, and gene regulation in heat and drought stress, we can discriminate genotypes that perform well under these stress conditions and utilize such genotypes as a source of genetic diversity for rice breeding.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Azalea Guerra‐García ◽  
Tania Gioia ◽  
Eric Wettberg ◽  
Giuseppina Logozzo ◽  
Roberto Papa ◽  
...  

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