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

Conservation Outside Habitats
At the Governmental level, the UK policy on conservation of Plant Genetic Resources PGR is under the
review of an Interministerial Group including representatives from
the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF)
the Scottish Office, Agriculture Food Division (SOAFD)
Department of the Environment (DoE)
Overseas Development Administration (ODA)
Agriculture and Food Research Council (AFRC)
Plant Genetic Resources are currently defined in the widest possible interpretation of the definitions
appearing in the Biological Diversity Convention.
The current situation is devolved with many collections owned and controlled by the individual institutes
yet fully funded or partially funded by a variety of government sources e. g. MAFF, SOAFD, DANI, the
Forestry Commission and the AFRC.
There are 51 PGR collections within the UK of which 33 are in the main directly funded by
Government, 13 are mainly indirectly funded by Government, 1 funded from International Bodies, 2
funded from industry and 2 are NGO funded.
Two governmentally funded collections, the vegetable Genebank at Wellesbourne and that for wild
species at RBG Kew, are recognised base collections within the IBPGR/FAO network, the other
governmentally funded collections are seen at present as working collections which directly support
research breeding program.
In 1992, the total cost of the ex situ Conservation programme was just over £ 1m.
The UK Group on Plant Genetic Resources provides a forum whereby collections curators, breeding
industry representatives and Ministry representatives can meet informally to exchange information at the
technical level on matters relating to PGR policy.
The group also provides the opportunity of collection curators from Crop Research Institutions,
Universities, Botanic Gardens and NGOs to meet and co-operation to develop. International
organisations such as the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) and Botanic
Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) are invited to attend as observers.
Full details of the collections are provided in Appendix 1 and 2.
Conclusions
Increasing contacts between those involved in conservation of plant genetic resources inside and outside
habitats is leading to a clearer understanding of the complimentarity between the two approaches.
Material held outside habitats is seen as:
1. underwriting the continued existence or that species of the genetic resources held in that
population. For rare plants, this will provide the source material for reintroduction and
enrichment planting. For more widely dispersed species where continued "development" will