Biodiversity and Plant Genetic Resources Biological diversity - or biodiversity - refers collectively to the variety of life on earth.

Biodiversity forms a "web of life" of which human beings are an integral part and upon which they fully depend. Plants, including food crops, are an important part of this biodiversity, vital for nourishing and sustaining human society. Biodiversity provides enormous benefits, including aesthetic, cultural, ecological, economic, educational, environmental, genetic, medical, recreational, scientific, and social services. CGIAR and Genebanks

The ICARDA genebank located in Aleppo, Syria, holds approximately 25 % of the CGIAR's total germplasm collections. CGIAR scientists play major roles in collecting, characterizing and conserving plant genetic resources. Eleven Centres together maintain over 650,000 samples of crop, forage and agroforestry genetic resources in the public domain. On 16 October 2006, 11 International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) of the CGIAR which hold ex situ germplasm collections signed agreements with the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture placing the collections they hold under the Treaty. (Article 15). These agreements placed the ex situ collections of PGRFA held by those Centres (some 650,000 accessions of the worlds most important crops) within the purview of the Treaty. Under these agreements, the Centres recognize the authority of the Governing Body of the Treaty to provide policy guidance relating to their ex situ collections.

Read the generic agreement between the Centers and FAO Read the Statement of the CGIAR Centers regarding implementation of the agreements between the Centers and the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture - October 2006

As from 1 January 2007, Centres have been using the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) adopted by the Governing Body of the Treaty at its First Session in June 2006 for transfers of PGRFA of crops and forages listed in Annex 1 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. At its second session, 29 October - 2 November 2007, the Governing Body of the Treaty decided that the Centres should also use the SMTA when

transferring non-Annex 1 plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. As a result, from 1 February 2008, the Centres have been transferring all plant genetic resources for food and agriculture they hold in trust - both Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 materials - using the SMTA. As agreed by the Governing Body, the SMTA used by the Centres includes a footnote indicating that the provisions of the SMTA referring to Annex 1 materials should not be interpreted as precluding the use of the SMTA for transfers of non-Annex 1 materials. Standard Material Transfer Agreements (posted September 29, 2010):

Standard Material Transfer Agreement - English version Standard Material Transfer Agreement - French version Standard Material Transfer Agreement - Spanish version Standard Material Transfer Agreement - Russian version Standard Material Transfer Agreement - Arabic version Standard Material Transfer Agreement - Chinese version

The CGIAR is committed to conserving these collections for the long-term and to making the germplasm and associated information available as global public goods.The collections held by the CGIAR genebanks are among the largest in the world and arguably the most important for the livelihoods of the poor and global food security. In fulfilling its stewardship obligations, CGIAR invests $6 million every year to maintain these valuable resources for the benefit of humanity.

Click here to see photos of CGIAR genebanks Click here to see who has what at the CGIAR genebanks.

In 1992, at Rio Earth Summit, more than 150 countries signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit. Relentless agricultural expansion, environmentally-destructive practices such as slash-and-burn agriculture, reliance on monocultures, environmental degradation and large-scale conversion of habitats all pose threats to biodiversity. Currently, 168 countries have signed the CBD. More recently, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture recognized the CGIAR collections as a central pillar of global conservation efforts. Traditionally, farmers save seeds from one season for planting in the next and seed storage in genebanks is a recent innovation. Storing seeds in controlled temperatures helps maintain their germination viability.

Ex situ conservation involves seeds stored in genebanks, In situ conservation is done in farmers' fields and the wild, In vitro conservation is done in laboratory settings.

The CGIAR seed collections are a unique resource, available to all researchers. Seed contributions have helped lay the foundations of recovery by jumpstarting agricultural growth in countries emerging from conflict such as Afghanistan, Angola, Mozambique, and Somalia. They have also helped countries recover from natural disasters such as Hurricane Mitch which struck Honduras and Nicaragua. A recent study showed that of the more than one million seed samples distributed over the past 10 years, the vast majority -- 80 percent or more - went to universities and national agricultural research systems where scientists are developing new crop varieties that give higher yields, have improved nutritional value, use less water, need

lower amounts of fertilizers, and have natural resistance to pests, diseases and climatic vagaries such as droughts and floods.

Bioversity International
Bioversity International was founded in 1974 and is the world's largest international institute with a mandate to advance the conservation and use of genetic diversity for the well-being of present and future generations. Hosted by the Government of Italy, in Maccarese, outside Rome, Bioversity's mission is to encourage, support and undertake activities to improve the management of genetic resources worldwide so as to help eradicate poverty, increase food security and protect the environment. Bioversity focuses on the conservation and use of genetic resources important to developing countries and has an explicit commitment to specific crops. Currently, more than 170 Bioversity scientists and staff work in 15 locations around the world. Its budget in 2000 was US$22 million.

* Note: The name Bioversity International replaced International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) on December 1, 2006. Global Crop Diversity Trust An initiative led by Bioversity International on behalf of the CGIAR-supported Centers and FAO has established an international organization--the Global Crop Diversity Trust-- to support the conservation of crop diversity. A public-private partnership, the Trust is raising an endoment fund of $260 million for the conservation of agricultural biodiversity around the world, including the more than half-million samples held in-trust under FAO auspices. Support for the endowment comes from governments, foundations and a diverse array of industry sectors. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture provides the policy frameworkfor the partnership, which will build and maintain into perpetuity a global system for the conservation of agricultural biodiversity. Systemwide Genetic Resources Program (SGRP) Bioversity International convenes SGRP to coordinate genetic resources activities of the entire CGIAR system, including those relating to fish, trees, and livestock. SGRP was established in 1994 to serve as a single program capable of effectively and efficiently responding to global needs. SGRP has represented the CGIAR at important meetings (Convention on Biological Diversity, Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources, and International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture).
Systemwide Information Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER) Sharing knowledge and best practices in collection, conservation, and characterization are key activities for sustainable management of plant genetic resources. SINGER is a relational database that links the databases of 11 Centers supported by the CGIAR having genebanks. The database is searchable by taxonomy, geographic source, accession identification, material transfer recipients, and characterization results. SINGER is a powerful tool that permits searches using multiple criteria including five descriptors. SINGER is continuously updated so that users have easy access to the latest information.

International Crop Information System (ICIS)

ICIS is a collaborative effort sponsored by six Centers supported by the CGIAR and partners from national agricultural research systems. ICIS complements SGRP, and helps facilitate the advancement of knowledge-intensive crop improvement programs by systematic identification and characterization of germplasm, including information on the pedigree of samples in a Genealogy Management System. Information is organized to promote integrated genetic resource management, including breeding, characterization, evaluation and utilization. FishBase FishBase is a global information system with all you ever wanted to know about fishes. FishBase is a relational database with information to cater to different professionals such as research scientists, fisheries managers, zoologists and many more. FishBase on the web contains practically all fish species known to science. ReefBase ReefBase is the world's premier online information system on coral reefs, and provides information services to coral reef professionals involved in management, research, monitoring, conservation and education. Its goal is to facilitate sustainable management of coral reefs and related coastal/marine environments, in order to benefit poor people in developing countries whose livelihoods depend on these natural resources. Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) The Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) initiative compiles, processes, and makes available internationally comparable data on institutional developments and investments in agricultural R&D worldwide, and analyzes and reports on these trends in the form of occasional policy digests for research policy formulation and priority setting purposes