Integration of Conservation Strategies of Plant Genetic ... - Genres

on the owner; a decision to convert a mountain forest to cropland, of benefit to land hungry local people,
should be considered with reference to possible adverse effects on people downstream, such as loss of
a secure water supply.
Under the Convention on Biological Diversity, prime requirements for states are to investigate patterns
of distribution of biological diversity, identify key sites of particular biological value, legislate for the
protection of such sites and install effective systems of management. It is essential for states to be aware
of the global significance of their national biodiversity and in this context the International Council for
Bird Preservation (1992) has produced a list of key sites for conservation of bird diversity worldwide,
while WWF and IUCN will soon produce a guide to about 250 of the most significant global plant sites,
drawing on expertise from all over the world (Davis, Heywood & MacBride in prep.). There are a
number of techniques of floristic and vegetation survey which can be used to help identify patterns of
plant distribution and important plant sites, relevant to different geographical scales, and WWF is
currently preparing a practical manual for the use of field workers.
How can management of protected areas be made effective?
A protected area, which may variously be designated as a national park, forest reserve, nature reserve
or a number of other categories, implies that restrictions are placed on certain human activities. In the
case of some national parks, this has sometimes been interpreted as meaning exclusion of traditional
activities and consequently local communities have often left alienated. Relatively recent recognition
that conservation cannot normally be successful in a social vacuum, excluding local communities, has
led to the development of the "conservation and development" and "core area and buffer zone"
approaches, which seek to achieve conservation of biodiversity through meeting some of the aspirations
of local people.
Plant diversity will only be conserved in protected areas if people wish to do so. Poor rural people in
many countries rely heavily on plant resources harvested from the wild, for fuel, building and craft
materials, medicines, ropes and many other purposes. What sense is there in denying use by these people
of the plant resources on which they depend, while allowing access to the same plant resources to
scientists, plant breeders and industrialists interested in developing new types of cultivated plants,
pharmaceutical drugs or other products of commercial value? What is the justification for allowing
access to rich tourists to view wildlife and scenery, if the people who traditionally use the land are kept
away or do not receive any other benefits from tourist activity? In general, what are the incentives to
local people and communities to conserve biodiversity, if they do not receive any of the benefits from
its continued existence and sustainable use?
The inclusion of local people in the conservation equation entails an analysis of the links between people
and nature, identification of positive links (which can then be reinforced) and identification of negative
impacts (for which solutions can then be sought). This work should be done as a collaborative venture
between local communities and ethnobotanists or other plant resource experts, recognizing the need for
the full participation of local communities if proposed solutions are to be effective, as well as
acknowledging that some specialists within the local communities are likely to be more knowledgeable
about many local plant resources than any outside scientist. Weaknesses in the links between local
people and biodiversity include cases where harvesting is endangering the conservation of biodiversity,
cases where rates of harvesting are greater than the growth rates of species and cases where there is a
loss of local knowledge about the natural world, severing links between cultures and nature, with the
danger that nature will no longer be valued locally, removing a motive for its continuing existence.
There is a shortage of trained ethnobotanists and plant resource experts in many countries capable of