outline presentation - wurportals.wi.wur.nl/files/docs/le-04-15-kik-ex-in-on farm.pdfdevelopment of...

11

Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands

Introduction to the relationship ex situ,

on farm and in situ conservation:

PLANTS

Chris Kik ([email protected])CGN, Wageningen, the Netherlands


Outline presentation

� Biodiversity: introduction and trends

� Ex situ management of PGR

� On farm management of PGR

� In situ management of PGR

� Wrap up

22


What is biodiversity?� Term ‘biodiversity’ is coined by Wilson (1988) as a

contraction of ‘biological diversity’� Biodiversity is the totality of genes, species,

ecosystems and knowledge in a region� Genetic diversity: variation of genes within species� Species diversity: refers to the variety of species

in a region� Ecosystems diversity: diversity in ecosystems in a

region� Indigenous knowledge diversity


Why does biodiversity matter?

� utilitarian values (such as medicine and agriculture)

� ecosystem services (provision of vital functions such as the continued production of atmospheric oxygen, water, etc)

� moral, ethical, and aesthetic values

http://www.bioversityinternational.orghttp://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/biodiv/

33


What do we know about global species richness?

(www.maweb.org)

1.5 million 12.2 million


Biodiversity is non-randomly distributed

44


Biodiversity changes through geological time

Paleozoicum Mesozoicum Kenozoicum

Biodiversity (# of families)


Biodiversity is threatened

� # of species worldwide: 12.2 million

� extinction rates (sp/yr): � fossil: 0.1-1

� recent: 10-100

� future: 1000-10000

� extinction rate = 100

after 122.000 years no biodiversity anymore ?!

55


Causes of loss of (plant) biodiversity


increasing world population climate change & crop yield

But we really need biodiversity: guarantee food security

66


Responding to challenges: crop yield increase

One way to respond to these challenges is to develop improved varieties which can help to increase our food production together with improved cultivation methods with a factor two in 2050


But not only crop yield increase….

� The world can feed using the agricultural area available ca. 20 billion people.

� One billion people suffer from hunger nowadays.

� Combatting hunger is also a matter of sound economical/ political management.

77


Rural and tribal communities

Governments, agencies

Genetic resource management

In situ On farm Ex situ

National parks Protected areas Biosphere reserves World heritage

Landraces Botanical gardens Zoological gardens Genebanks

Governments, agencies

Protection of biodiversity


Ex situ conservation of PGR

88


A definition of ex situ conservation

� The conservation of genetic resources outside its natural habitat� botanical garden

� genebank

• field

• cold storage

• in vitro


� Botanical gardens� important as a general resource for PGR

� limitation: only exchange of PGR for research purposes and NOT for breeding

� Genebanks� purpose: to collect, conserve and make agro genetic

resources available for breeding and research

� majority of genebanks established since 1970s

� currently ca. 150 genebanks manage ca. 7.4 million accessions (ca. 1.5 – 2 million unique)

Ex situ (genebanks, botanical gardens)

99


PGR: first signs of genetic erosion

� 1890-1910

� Ritter von Proskowetz & Schindler (GER) reported on the value of landraces in relation to bred varieties

� Baur (GER) warned that the loss of local landraces through replacement by uniform bred cultivars could lead to serious reduction in the crop genetic resource base

� 1920-30

� First signs that genetic erosion is a worldwide occurring phenomenon: Vavilov (USSR) & Harlan sr(USA)

� Development of first genebanks: VIR (USSR), USDA (USA), IPK (GER)

Vavilov

Harlan


PGR history – actions to conserve

� 1940-50

� CIMMYT (1943; wheat, maize) and IRRI (1959; rice), were established by World Bank, Ford and Rockefeller Foundations: green revolution

� 1960-70

� PGR on the political agenda; collecting and conservation of PGR important; a global genebank network gradually established

Bennett

Frankel

1010

Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlandshttp://apps3.fao.org/wiews/wiews.jsp

Collected accessions each year worldwide since 1918


potato, ground nut,

cassava, lima beans

maizecommon beans

oats, wheat, lettuce, spinach, peas

rice, wheat

millet, soybean, rice

sugarcane, yam, banana

Vavilov’s centres of crop origin

1111

Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlandshttp://apps3.fao.org/wiews/wiews.jsp

Contribution of crop groups worldwide ex situ collections


Genebanks worldwide

http://apps3.fao.org/wiews/wiews.jsp

1212


Genebank management

� Processes involved in genebanking

� acquisition

� regeneration

� characterisation & evaluation

� seed storage

� documentation

� seed distribution & information� Engels JMM & Visser L (2003) A guide to

effective management of germplasmcollections, IPGRI Handbook for Genebanks no. 6


On farm management of PGR

1313


What is on farm conservation ?

� Several definitions:� On-farm conservation is the sustainable management

of genetic diversity of locally developed crop varieties (landraces), with associated wild and weedy species or forms, by farmers within traditional agricultural, horticultural or agri-silvicultural systems (Maxted et al 1997)

� On-farm conservation involves the maintenance of traditional crop varieties (generally known as landraces) or cropping systems by farmers within traditional agricultural systems (Brush 2005)


What do we consider as a landrace?

A landrace of a seed-propagated crop is a variable population, which is identifiable and usually has a local name. It lacks ‘formal’ crop improvement, is characterized by a specific adaptation to the environmental conditions of the area of cultivation (tolerant to the biotic and abiotic stresses of that area) and is closely associated with the uses, knowledge, habits, dialects, and celebrations of the people who developed and continue to grow it (Negri et al 2009)potato landraces

1414


Landraces: when and how did they emerge?

� Around 10.000 yrs ago a gradual conversion took place from a hunter/gatherer society to a agricultural society


Where did domestication take place?

1515


From wild species to cultivars

Van der Wouw et al 2009


Domestication

� The process of the development of landraces we call domestication:� domestication of crops: the changing of traits of a wild

species to traits beneficial for people. This process took place via mass/natural selection

� Traits commonly associated with domestication: � non-dehiscent fruits and seeds; increased reproductive

efforts, larger seeds and fruit, more even and rapid germination, more uniform ripening; self fertilization, increased palatability, loss of defensive structures, increased local adaptation

1616


Domestication of lettuce

Domestication syndrome:• shortening internode length• bundling of leaves• increase seed size• non-shattering


Modern agriculture – the breeding paradox

� Modern breeding resulted in:� higher yielding varieties (HYV)

� more uniform varieties

� This type of varieties resulted in the loss of variable landraces:� mechanism: farmers focus on yield,

and this goes at the expense of less yielding landraces or cultivars

� But breeders need new variation which can be found in landraces….

1717

Centre for Genetic Resources, the NetherlandsJarvis et al. (2008), PNAS

On farm management of PGR is still the rule worldwide


Supporting on farm management: what to consider?

� What do we want to conserve in situ?

� crops?

� processes?

� Do objectives and expectations of conservationists match those of farmers in the context of rural livelihood systems?

� How can participatory approaches be scaled up so that more farmers can benefit from it?

Almekinders & de Boef 2000

1818


In situ conservation of PGR


How do we define in situ management?

� … the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings and, in the case of domesticated or cultivated species, in the surroundings where they have developed their distinctives properties.

CBD (1992)

1919


In situ management

� Traditionally in situprogrammes were developed primarily to conserve � forests

� sites valued for their wildlife

� Two distinct approaches: � Species

� Ecosystem


In situ management approaches

� Species approach� to protect a single or a group of species� people identify easily with flagship species� sheer number of species but limted budget: which species to

protect?

� Ecosystem approach� to protect (part of) an ecosystem� large number of species can be protected simultaneously� often no substitute for an important (economically, cultural)

species

� Practise: integrate both approaches (mostly ecosystem approach prevails over species approach)

2020


Components conservation strategy (for a target species)

� Priority setting for target species

� Planning, design and setting-up conservation areas for target species

� Management and monitoring of areas

� Policy and legal support


Priority setting for target species

� Selection criteria� Actual/potential economic use� Conservation status (genetic erosion)� Cultural importance� Focal role

� Ecogeographic survey (Maxted et al 1997)� Phase I: Project design

• identify expertise on taxonomy• identify collections (herbaria, genebanks)• select regions• develop database

2121


Priority setting for target species

� Phase II: data collecting & analysis

• survey of data sources: taxonomy, ecology, geology

• verification data

• analysis data

� Phase III: product generation

• synthesize data

• ecogeographical database

• identify priorities for conservation


Planning, design & setting up of conservation areas

� Selection depends upon the purpose of conservation� Protection of landscape values or indigenous

communities

� Conservation of

• large & significant parts of ecosystems

• target species

• biodiversity

2222


Conservation of global diversity

� Identification of ‘hot spots’ of biodiversity� Myers et al 2000; 44% of all vascular species are present

in ca. 25 hotspots which occupy ca 1.5 % of the total land surface.

� IUCN/WWF; 250 centres of plant diversity; 21% is legally protected at full, 35% of the sites have more than 50% of their area already in protected areas.

� Drawback hot spot approach: possible neglect of other important areas for plant diversity


25 global hotspots

Myers et al 2000

2323


Planning, design & setting up of conservation areas

� Types of protected areas� biosphere reserves

• core – buffer – transition zones

• ca. 450 biosphere reserves in 97 countries

� genetic reserves

• focused on target species

• conserved genetic variation as large as possible

• only very few CWR PA sites: Mexico, Armenia, Turkey, India, USA (Meilleur & Hodgkin 2004)


Management and monitoring

� A minimum management plan should consist of:� Description

• location, legal agreements, access, etc� Evaluation and objectives

• site description (habitat, geology, ecology)• operations likely to damage the special interest• monitoring (size, diversity, etc)• management objectives

� Prescription of interventions planned• workplans: general and annual

2424


Policy and legal support

� Conservation strategy should be incorporated into national policy instruments

� Stakeholders should be involved as much as possible


Wrap-up

2525


Characteristics of various conservation methods

Engels & Visser 2000


Formal (ex situ) and informal (on farm) seed systems

Louwaars 2007

2626


Five considerations for conserving PGR

� Use as much different strategies as possible

� PGR is best conserved via its use

� The conservation of (agro) biodiversity depends to a largeextent upon the farming communityand visa versa

� How much PGR is being conserveddepends upon how many people are involved; what type of PGR is beingconserved depends upon to whomyou are talking

� The need for PGR never ends


Assignment 1

� Develop a plan for the conservation of coconut� Provide an analysis of the different options for

conservation

� Make recommendations on what the maincomponents of a complementary conservationstrategy are and why

2727


Assignment 1 (cont’d)

� Divide the group in subgroups of ca. 4 personseach

� Duration: 90 min group and 60 min plenary

� Info: � Batugal P (2006) International coconut genetic resources

network (COGENT); its history and achievements

� Factsheet

� Prepare a poster per group with your answers to present to the plenary

outline presentation - wurportals.wi.wur.nl/files/docs/le-04-15-kik-ex-in-on farm.pdfdevelopment of...

Documents