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

4. Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources in Forestry
National activities on plant genetic resources
Present status of forest ecosystems in the Czech Republic can be considered as an ecological disaster.
Many for forestry important species of wood trees are seriously endangered or damaged, some of them
were lost. Significant forest areas have shown decreased fertility on damaged trees; there are also longer
interval between bringing seed production and a quality of the seeds produced is lower.
This unsatisfactory situation has to be changed by the use of all accessible means. Threrefore, the project
has been prepared, aimed at regeneration of genetic resources in forestry in the Czech Republic. This
project includes :
- list of means for maintenance and regeneration of forest genetic resources and ways of their
conservation;
- proposals for changes in the legal status in forestry;
- proposals for more effective use of research capacities and recommendations for particular research
projects;
- proposals for financial and material support;
- system of education of the specialists, who will be involved in the project;
- proposals for the international cooperation.
Maintenance of genetic resources of forest trees will be assured mainly in:
- forest gene basis (113 747 ha)
- forest areas which were evaluated and recognized as acceptable for seed production (148 093 ha)
- special seed woods (3 755 ha)
- selected trees (6 008 particular trees)
- seed orchards (350 ha)
- experimental plantations of forest trees (208 ha)
The national parks can contribute also to the maintenance of forest trees' resources (their area is 110 000
ha), as well as large-scale protected areas, arboretums and botanic gardens. The establishment of the
gene bank for forest trees' resources is considered as an important task to be solved.
Above mentioned facilities for maintenance and regeneration of genetic resources in forestry have to be
preserved as a national welfare. In this way sustainable source of materials for regeneration and
restoration of forests should be assured, undependently on the ownership of these facilities. An
amendment of the legal status is being prepared at this time; the proposed regulations will solve some
adverse circumstances existing presently. Furthermore, particular research projects has been chosen
which will be continuously supported by grants and will be carried out by research institutes which have
both working capacity and experts in this field. Also international cooperation should be devoloped.
Owing to a complex stress effects the present threats for some species and forest trees' ecotypes is so
serious that special procedures preventing their extinction had to be worked out.
References
BARES, I., 1984: Doktorska disertacni prace, VURV Praha, 437 pp.
BARES, I., DOTLACIL ,L., 1987: Studium genetickych zdroju kulturnich rostlin v CSSR. Rostlinna
vyroba, Vol. 33, c. 12, 1309-1313.
BARES, I., DOTLACIL, L., UZIK, M., 1985: Study of genetic resources of cultivated plants in
Czechoslovakia. Proc.of the EUCARPIA Symp. on Plant Genet. Res., Prague, March 27-29, 3-11.