CWR in situ Conservation In-country Report Lithuania

Juozas Labokas Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania

Authorities and stakeholders involved

• Ministry of Environment

• Nature Research Centre

• Plant Gene Bank

• Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry

• Protected areas authorities

• Forestry enterprises

Prioritization of CWR based on national flora methodology*

• Adapted from Finland (Fitzgerald et al., 2013): 1. Relative threat (2 subcriteria) 2. Value (3 subcriteria) 3. Use (4 subcriteria)

• Result: 180 species, 26 families and 78 genera

• Published:

Approach 1

Labokas, J. et al. 2016. Developing national crop wild relative in situ conservation strategy for Lithuania: creation of national CWR inventory and its prioritization. In: Maxted, N. et al. (eds.) Enhancing Crop Genepool use: Capturing Wild Relative and Landrace Diversity for Crop Improvement. CAB International. ISBN 1780646135, 9781780646138.

*Maxted and Kell (2009) and Maxted et al. (in prep.)

Groups of priority CWR species identified

• By use: Forage/fodder 55.0 % Fruit & berries 15.5 % Medicinal plants 15.5 % Vegetable & spice 14.0 %

• By families: Poaceae 27.8 % Fabaceae 27.2 % Rosaceae 13.3 % Other 23 families 32.2 %

• Species of Red Data Book of Lithuania 22.2 %

• Focus on CWR for food and agriculture • Three categories of CWR priority by species

occurrence and threat status –Red Data Book species –Not protected species, but not frequent –Widely distributed species

• Total number of priority species 160 (2/3 forage and 1/3 food species)

• Concentrated on protected areas mainly

Prioritization of CWR

Approach 2

Current work

• Establishing distribution of priority CWR species – analysis of botanical databases, including EU priority habitat inventory database

• Over 26,000 records of species distribution since 1990

• Trying to employ Threatened Species Information System (SRIS) – https://sris.am.lt

• Preparing data for QGIS application

National policy development

• LANDSCAPE AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION ACTION PLAN FOR 2015−2020 Endorsed by the Minister of Environment Order No. D1-12 of January 9, 2015

Objectives of the Landscape and Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan

• To prepare and implement a programme and action plan of the national CWR conservation (based on the experience of European countries), 2017–2020 (€ 115,848)

• Among the implementation measurement criteria – 4 genetic reserves for CWR conservation to be established by 2020

Potential CWR in situ sites

• Three potential sites for CWR genetic reserves located (approved as medicinal plant genetic sites, Ministry of Environment Order No. D1-342, April 27, 2015): –Pamerkys site: Ribes nigrum and Ribes spicatum, total 5 species, area 17.9 ha (includes 8 ha woodland key habitat) –Kernavė site: Fragaria viridis, Allium oleraceum, Angelica archangelica, total 32 species, area 1.5 ha (Neris riverside) –Ukmergė site: Origanum vulgare, Lathyrus sylvestris, Festuca rubra, total 28 species, area 1.8 ha (gas pipeline)

• All these sites are located in the protected areas

Potential CWR genetic reserve at Pamerkys (South-East Lithuania)

Ribes nigrum, R. spicatum, ... total 5 species Area 17.9 ha (woodland key habitat makes 45%)

Potential CWR genetic reserve near Kernavė (Central-East Lithuania)

Fragaria viridis, Allium oleraceum, ..., Angelica archangelica – tot. 32 species Area 1.5 ha (Neris riverside)

Potential CWR genetic reserve near Ukmergė (Central-East Lithuania)

Origanum vulgare, Festuca rubra, ..., Lathyrus sylvestris, tot. 28 species Area 1.8 ha (precaution for gas pipeline)

CWR Diversity and Hotspots

• In situ conservation of CWR diversity is among the most prospective on: – physically isolated / naturally protected sites, like riversides, islands, peninsulas, coastal areas – border zones

• Hotspots of forage, Allium and Fragaria species: – Rambynas Regional Park; – Nemunas Delta Regional Park; – Other PAs

Examples of potential, naturally isolated sites for CWR reserves in West Lithuania

Nearest objectives

• Development of the national CWR in situ conservation strategy as a backround for the programme and action plan of the national CWR conservation

• Establishing 4 CWR genetic reserves (based on climatic zones, see next slide) to contribute to the National Landscape and Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan for 2015–2020 and to the European Strategy for Plant Conservation 2008‒2014 (Target 9.1 Establishment of 25 European crop wild relative genetic reserves covering the major hotspots of species and genetic diversity)

Thank you for your attention!