CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES A STRATEGY FOR THE NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REGION

Transcription

1 November 2011

2 CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES A STRATEGY FOR THE NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REGION Developed for The Near East and North Africa Plant Genetic Resources Network (NENA-PGRN) November

3 AARINENA Endorsement The draft Strategy was presented to the 12th General Conference of the Association of Agricultural Research Institutes in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA) held in Kuwait City, Kuwait, from 16 to 17 November The General Assembly agreed on the following statement: AARINENA commends the Coordinating Board (CB) of NENA- PGRN for taking the initiative of developing a strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable use of Plant Genetic Resources in the Near East and North Africa Region, While endorsing the Strategy s main goal and overall intent, ARRINENA is of the view that NENA- PGRN Secretariat should seek, by all available means, the views of the competent national PGR authorities and other interested parties, AARINENA entrusts the NENA PGRN with the custody of the Strategy and the responsibility of the follow up of its implementation and regular updating, AARINENA requests the NENA- PGRN Secretariat to submit six- monthly progress reports to AARINENA Executive Committee on future developments regarding the Strategy, AARINENA expresses its appreciation to the Team that has worked diligently and voluntarily to develop the draft Strategy. 3

4 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 6 PART ONE: BACKGROUND, JUSTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT 7 INTRODUCTION 7 A NEW INITIATIVE 9 SCENE SETTING 9 THE REGION 9 THE STATE OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN THE REGION 11 THE STATE OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 12 THE STATE OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES 14 THE STATE OF DIVERSITY 15 THE STATE OF IN SITU MANAGEMENT 17 THE STATE OF EX SITU CONSERVATION 18 THE STATE OF USE 20 THE STATE OF NATIONAL PROGRAMMES, TRAINING AND LEGISLATION 21 THE STATE OF REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION 22 ACCESS TO PGRFA, BENEFIT-SHARING ARISING FROM THEIR USE, AND FARMERS RIGHTS 24 PART TWO: STRATEGY FOR THE FUTURE 25 PREFACE 25 MISSION 26 VISION 26 MAIN OBJECTIVE 27 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES 27 OUTPUT 28 ACTIONS TO STRENGTHEN NATIONAL PROGRAMMES 29 COORDINATION AT NATIONAL LEVEL 29 CAPACITY-BUILDING AND UPGRADING REQUIREMENTS 30 POLICY AND LEGAL ISSUES 31 AREAS IN NEED FOR UPGRADING/BUILDING CAPACITY IDENTIFIED AREAS FOR UPGRADING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: IDENTIFIED AREAS FOR UPGRADING INFRASTRUCTURES AND FACILITIES: 33 COORDINATION AT REGIONAL LEVEL 33 AREAS FOR REGIONAL COLLABORATION GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT GERMPLASM MOVEMENT CAPACITY BUILDING / KNOWLEDGE JOINT RESEARCH PROJECTS AND VENTURES 35 COLLABORATION WITH REGIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 35 4

5 PART THREE: A FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION 37 GENERAL 37 ELEMENTS FOR A FRAMEWORK OF ACTION STATE OF DIVERSITY CONSERVATION SUSTAINABLE USE MANAGEMENT OF PGR INFORMATION POLICY AND LEGISLATION CAPACITY BUILDING BUILDING SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL PROGRAMMES REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION 41 IMPLEMENTING AND PROMOTING THE STRATEGY 43 PART FOUR: TOWARDS A REGIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM 44 RELEVANT LITERATURE 44 APPENDICES 1: DATA FROM THE 2006 STRATEGY 45 APPENDICES 2: DATA AND INFORMATION FROM THE AMRI ET AL PAPER 50 ******************** 5

6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This draft Strategy was possible thanks to the valuable input of a small Team comprising Dr Ahmed Amri (ICARDA), Dr Ali Allawati (Oman), Dr Jan Engels (Bioversity International), Dr El- Tahir Ibrahim Mohamed (Sudan), Dr Hassan Ouabbou (Morocco), Dr Harry Palmier (GFAR) and Dr George Ayad Wagdi (Egypt). As the facilitator of the development of the Strategy, I am fortunate to have worked with such highly professional and dedicated Team. Sincere thanks are due to ICARDA, GFAR and the Bioversity International for their technical support and encouragement. Special thanks are extended to Dr Ibrahim Hamdan for the interest and support he has shown throughout the preparation of the draft Strategy. Mohamed S. Zehni, PhD Dubai 28 November

7 Part One: Background, Justification and Assessment Introduction 1. The Global Crop Diversity Trust (the Trust) commissioned in 2005 a number of regional conservation strategies 1, including one for the Near East and North Africa (NENA) published in The NENA Strategy was developed under the auspices of the Association of Agricultural Research Institutes in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA) in collaboration with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and Bioversity International (former IPGRI) and with inputs from a wide range of partners. An Advisory Group made of PGR leaders in the region oversaw the development of the Strategy. This in essence had been an initiative of the Trust generally designed to fit its agenda at the time. However, it was hoped that competent authorities in the region would be committed to its broad goals and aspirations and adopt of it what they may consider relevant to their programmes. 2. The 2006 Strategy dealt with PGR conservation as well as their utilization, but by virtue of its terms of reference, it focused mainly on the conservation aspects. Accordingly it discussed ways and means of enhancing and strengthening the ex situ collection of the crops listed in Annex 1 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), but not exclusively. Through a detailed questionnaire and field visits, considerable amount of information was collected on national extensively collections conserved and on the state of the genebanks housing them. Though only twelve institutions in as many countries responded to the questionnaire 3, they included some of the more advanced national PGR programmes as well as some of the smaller ones, making a good representative sample. Together they reported 201,500 accessions with the Annex 1 Crops representing 66.2% of the total recorded holdings in the twelve participating countries. Nonetheless, it is not clear how much of these accessions are really distinct as opposed to unplanned duplication. 3. The goal of the 2006 Strategy was broadly stated as the conservation and sustainable utilization of genetic diversity in the region through promoting 1 The Americas, Europe, West and Central Africa, Eastern Africa, the SADC Region Central Asia and the Caucasus, West Asia and North Africa, the South, Southeast and East Asia region, Pacific Islands region. 2 Published in 2006 using the designation commonly used by the CGIAR for the region. It was titled: Towards a Regional Strategy for the Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) 3 Algeria, INRAA, Egypt, NGB, Iran, NPGB, Jordan, NCARTT, Libya, ARC, Morocco, INRA Oman, MAF, Pakistan, Syria, GCSAR NARC, Turkey, NGB- AARI, Tunisia, MOA, Yemen, AREA- NGRC 7

8 efficient and effective ex situ conservation of crop collections of prime importance to the Region and encouraging partnerships and sharing facilities and tasks, in accordance with the ITPGRFA and the Global Plan of Action (GPA). This did require, inter alia, the identification of priority crops at the regional level as well as those collections that should be included in such a system. 4. In an attempt to identify collections of priority crops, an additional questionnaire was used which posed 14 questions on three broad areas: 1) national programme structure: seeking basic information on coordination of PGR activities in the country, 2) PGR collections: providing information on the current status of PGR collections and documentation, and 3) type of data available: indicating the estimated proportion of the total number of the accessions for which there is information on passports, characterization/ evaluation, indigenous knowledge and distribution. In addition, the respondents were asked to provide information on the number of accessions they hold and specifically of the 64 crops on Annex 1 of the Treaty (For the main information collected see Appendices 1). 5. The 2006 strategy identified the limited and often lack of coordination between different national institutions dealing with plant genetic resources activities, which was a major impediment to PGR programme development and that had led to dispersal of resources in some countries. The strategy suggested measures to strengthen national programmes, noting that the alleviation of constraints depended on the importance countries attached to plant genetic resources conservation and sustainable use. While the strategy had offered certain common directives, it was clear that there were no standard solutions and that each country must decide for itself the measures and solution most suitable for its specific circumstances. 6. The 2006 strategy was intended, inter alia, as to an opportunity for countries in the region to undertake efforts that may contribute to strengthening PGR regional cooperation. In fact, a key message put forward by it was that success of any PGR conservation and utilization in the region was hinged on strengthening coordination within and among countries of the region. This call was received positively and as a result the Near East and North Africa Plant Genetic Resources Network (NENA- PGRN) was established in 2008 as one of seven networks established under the auspices of AARINENA. 7. Finally, the 2006 Strategy was seen as an endeavour that was still evolving and one that would benefit from further refinement and additional inputs. Moreover, the finalization of certain aspects of it was seen as dependent on the outcome of other relevant initiatives. The initiative by the Trust was a step in the right direction, albeit limited in its coverage. It is clear that a new initiative is needed in light of the many significant changes and major continuing gaps and needs identified by the Second Report on the State of the World s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture published in 2010, in the light of successes of several PGRFA Networks in other regions, and the need for a more comprehensive PGR strategy. 8

9 A New Initiative 8. In its first meeting held in Muscat, Oman on June 2011, the Coordinating Board of the newly established NENA- PGR Network agreed to initiate a process of updating the 2006 Strategy. The new initiative differs from the old in a very significant aspect; as it aims to be more comprehensive and is carried out by national PGR focal points from the region and relevant international organizations. It was agreed that the new strategy needs to consider all NENA countries and should widen its scope to cover all PGR components in a complementary conservation approach of integrated ex-situ and in-situ conservation approaches. Furthermore, the strategy should capitalize on the Second State of the World PGRFA (SoW2), the updated GPA. 9. The process of updating the strategy has proceeded in two parallel but complementary directions: Formal Process where all members of the network were asked to provide within a reasonable time their views and inputs on the 2006 strategy document. Inputs are especially needed from countries of which information and data were not available to the 2006 strategy. And a Support Process, a more substantive and detailed process involving a small team to serve as a think tank to help in the updating of the strategy 4. The draft Strategy would need to be presented to national competent authorities to seek their views, comments and inputs, and hopefully their financial and political support, through wide circulation of the draft and the holding of series of consultations initially at the national level with all key stakeholders, especially the policy makers, in each of the countries, and thereafter a regional consultation. Scene Setting 10. Before defining the new Strategy, the following is a concise account of the NENA region, its boundaries and physical conditions, its state of agriculture and agricultural research and development, its biodiversity and the state of national and regional PGR programmes and activities, with focus on gaps and needs as well as constraints and opportunities. The Region 11. The Region is alternatively designated as the West Asia and North Africa Region (WANA) by the CGIAR, as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) by the World Bank and as the Near East and North Africa Region (RNE) by FAO 5 or 4 The Team: Ali Al Lawati, (Oman) Hassan Ouabbou (Morocco) El Tahir Ibrahim Mohamed (Sudan), Ahmed Amri (ICARDA), Harry Palmier (GFAR), Jan Engels (Bioversity International), George Ayad Wagdi (Former Director WANA-BI), Mohamed Zehni (Independent Consultant), facilitator. 5 FAO refers to the region as simply the Near East which composed of 41 countries including 4 CAC countries, the remaining 27 are identical to ARRINENA country composition 9

10 (NENA) by others, with each having different country composition 6. To complicate matters further, the SoW- PGRFA 2 used the term Near East to designate the region subdividing it in three sub- regions: Central Asia (6 countries), South/East Mediterranean (12 countries including Israel) and West Asia (12 countries) 7. The SoW- PGRFA 2 report, for example, includes Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan but under African sub- regions while they make an important part of the AARINENA and NENA- PGRN country composition. 12. This discrepancy in delineating the Region could be confusing and leads to difficulty in using of aggregate data, and while this is not always avoidable, care should be exercised in quoting aggregate data indicating, as possible, the countries included in such data. AARINENA and NENA- PGRN should seriously consider compiling data specific to the region as defined by them especially for the main parameters, i.e. area, population, agriculture size and information relevant to PGR. 13. For the purpose of this Strategy, the region is thereby referred to as the Near East and North Africa (NENA) made up of twenty- seven countries. This is in conformity with the nomenclature and country composition used by AARINENA. The strategy, therefore, covers the countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen. 14. Similar to AARINENA, the twenty - seven countries are grouped in five sub- regions based on geographical proximity and on generally comparable physical conditions as well as some practical considerations. The sub- regions are: Maghreb Sub- region (Algeria, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia); Nile Valley and the Red Sea Sub- region: (Djibouti, Egypt, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen); Mashreq Sub- region (Cyprus, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria); Arabian Peninsula Sub- region (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE); and West Asian sub- region (Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey). 15. The Region is physically vast, stretching over a land area of 17.6 million km2 with marked variations in country size ranging from about 316 Km2 for Malta to 2.5 million km2 for Sudan (before the separation of South Sudan as an independent state). The climate is extremely heterogeneous within the region and within most of the countries. All countries bordering the Mediterranean basin have a Mediterranean type of climate, characterized by mild winters, in which the majority of annual precipitation occurs, and dry hot summers. 6 For example, the World Bank talks of 21 countries making up its MENA region including Israel, but none of the following seven countries, which are part of the NENA region as used by AARINENA: Afghanistan, Cyprus, Mauritania, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Turkey. 7 The Near East: Central Asia: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; South/East Mediterranean: Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malta, Morocco, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and West Asia: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen 10

11 However, aridity is a prevailing feature in the region, making it the poorest region in the world in terms of water resources, both globally and on a per inhabitant basis, despite the contribution of large rivers. While the Region covers nearly 14% of the total area of the world and supports about 10% of the global population, it has only about 2% of the total renewable water resources. This situation will worsen by the climate change direct impacts on availability of water. This situation will worsen by the climate change direct impacts on availability of water. 16. Agriculture in the region is extremely vulnerable to climate change, especially as changes in precipitation patterns increase the likelihood of short- run crop failure and long- run production declines. Agriculture will be hard hit by climate change, through both reduced crop area and reduced yields. Higher temperatures eventually reduce yields of desirable crops while encouraging weed and insect pest proliferation. Climate change is now a reality in the region and all the predictive models show similar patterns in projecting increased temperatures in all countries accompanied by a decline in rainfall. Therefore, the region will experience more frequent droughts and hotter temperatures with more frequent extreme events. The importance of dryland agro- biodiversity is recognized for adaptation to climate change. 17. The population was estimated at more than 715 million inhabitants in 2005, an increase of 110 million since 1996, and is expected to exceed 820 million by Most of the countries have experienced a drop in demographic rates, but some countries, like Yemen and Palestine, have still birth rates exceeding 3%. The rural population has dropped by between 2 to 5% in most countries (except Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, and Syria), but still represents, on the average, 49% of the total population with a range of from 3.6% to 75.8%. In absolute terms, the rural areas have not been depopulated since the population has increased by around 35 million since The state of agricultural Production in the region 18. The importance of agriculture depends to a large extent on the structure of the economy of the country and agriculture s contribution to GDP. With the exception of the major oil exporting countries, and despite a slow, but steady, decline in its contribution to GDP, the agricultural sector is important in economic development because of its contribution to food security and the export opportunities for some commodities. It is also important in terms of employment generation and contribution to the livelihoods of rural communities and small farmers. 19. The literature shows a decline in the contribution of agriculture to GDP in most countries. In 2005, this contribution ranged from 20 to 30% for Pakistan and Syria; between 10 and 20% for Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Yemen and negligible for most Gulf countries, Djibouti, and Jordan. Animal production plays a major role as for example in Sudan the contribution of agriculture to GDP in 2005 was about 38% with the agrarian component of it was 19.7% and animal component was 18.9%. The contribution of agriculture 11

12 to GDP for most countries depends closely on the climatic conditions affecting crop production. The recent increases in food prices have caused many countries to rethink their agricultural strategies to emphasize self- reliance, food security, and, in some cases, self- sufficiency. 20. Currently, with the exception of the Gulf countries, cereals (mainly wheat) are predominate in the cropping systems followed by barley, rice, cotton, vegetables, and fruit trees. Forages are also important in all countries and, together with date palm, constitute the main commodities in the Gulf countries. Other crops such as sorghum and pearl millet are of significant importance to several countries in the Region. For Example in Sudan, sorghum is grown annually in an area around 8 million hectares accounting to about 45% of the total cultivated area, while pearl millet is grown in an area of about 3.5 million ha accounting to about 20% of the total cultivated area. With the exception of exporting countries (Turkey and Syria) and self- sufficient countries (Pakistan and, more recently, Iran), all other countries in the NENA region are net importers of wheat and forages. The NENA countries continue to rely on imports of edible oils and sugar. Most agricultural countries are exporting part of their vegetables and fruits productions. 21. Most countries are pursuing policies of modernization of agriculture with more irrigated lands and greater transition to privatization in the sector. However, many problems related, for example, to marketing of products, input distribution system and access to credits continue to hamper agricultural development. But water scarcity and depletion of water tables and salinization are emerging as major concerns for agriculture in NENA countries. 22. Livestock, mainly small ruminants, continue to be an important component of the farming systems in the drylands of the NENA region and are always considered by farmers and herders as important sources of agricultural income and as a key element in their strategies to cope with prevailing droughts. As a consequence, the rangelands are highly degraded in most countries and their contribution to feeding calendars has dropped significantly over the years to less than 40% in most countries. Small ruminants consist exclusively of local breeds often being reared under extensive grazing systems and their numbers are showing steady increases over years. This situation will worsen by the climate change direct impacts on availability of water. The State of Agricultural Research 23. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources in Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) recognizes the importance of agricultural research and contains special provisions for the exchange of information, transfer of technology and capacity building related to plant genetic resources. In general there is no uniformity among the countries in the region as far as who manages plant genetic resources at the national level. In some countries, ministries of agriculture are wholly responsible for PGR, while in others the responsibility is shared with the ministries of the environment or other entities including 12

13 universities and NGOs as is the case of the Royal Center for Conservation of Nature in Jordan. In most countries the ex situ sector and genebanks are under autonomous agricultural research centres or universities. Thus, the importance of having strong research institutions and active plant breeding programmes as a requisite for viable plant genetic conservation and use The fortunes of agricultural research institutions vary considerably among countries of the region, but the majority of them seem to be plagued by the same constraints and limitations in manpower, facilities, finances and managerial skills. Some success stories are, however, reported in the literature, indicating increases in the region s cereals production attributed to the impact of research resulting in wider use of high yielding varieties. Also, a number of countries have improved their overall management set- up and developed detailed master plans. 25. Agricultural research in the Region is carried out predominantly in governmental institutions and departments, and to a lesser extent in universities. Only limited specialized research is performed by the private sector, although there is some evidence that it is on the increase in several countries, particularly in the seed sector for high value crops. The role of NGOs in this regard is rather negligible, although this might drastically change in countries adopting a more decentralized governmental role. There is a dearth of hard data on the division of labour between the various sectors. One study on Arab agricultural research shows that in 126 institutions claiming to have a direct stake in agricultural research, 80% of the research force is in government ministries, 15% in colleges of agriculture, 4% in autonomous institutions and less than 1% in private or semi- public institutions. 26. Agricultural research in most countries is dispersed and poorly linked with other related activities and institutions within and outside the country. Early studies by FAO and ISNAR count only eight to nine countries of the region (mostly small countries), which could claim a national mechanism of any sort for the coordination of agricultural research. In most other countries, research programmes are formulated and activities are carried out at the institutional level with little or no co- ordination at all with other relevant units in the country. 27. It follows from the above the difficulties faced by most countries in the Region to develop long- term agricultural research strategies that are truly reflecting national overall developmental policies and goals. In defense of the agricultural research systems, it should be added that this is mostly a reflection of a general lack of capacities in the country as whole. Nevertheless, this 8 In most, if not all, countries the National Plant Genetic Resources Programmes are seen as an integral part of the national agricultural research system, with an institute has been identified to host/lead/operate the national genebank and all other PGR activities. The interlinks and interplay between the ministry of agriculture, the research institutes and the national PGR programmes and how the overall PGRFA system is functioning is very important and needs clearer definition. 13

14 represents a rather serious problem limiting the capacity of national agricultural research to be an effective partner in national economic and social development as whole. 28. The preceding brief description of the major features of the region serves as a backdrop for considering the future role of AARINENA, with its mix of serious challenges, great expectations and great opportunities. In developing its vision and strategy for the future, it is hoped that AARINENA will eventually emerge as an organization capable of facing the challenges and making the most of opportunities. The state of plant genetic resources 29. National plant genetic resources conservation and use programmes in the Region are at different stages of development. Only few countries could claim reliable and well- coordinated efforts in this regard. Some countries have established national genetic resources committees and national focal points, while several countries are at the beginning of establishing national plant genetic resources programmes and genebanks. Since 1996, different countries have shown significant progress in collecting efforts resulting in an increase in the number of accessions conserved by their genebanks. However, conditions of conservation and practices for regeneration were lagging behind. Many countries faced difficulties in ensuring that the genetic integrity of cross- pollinated species during regeneration. 30. Good progress has been made since 1996 on documenting accessions held in the main genebanks in a number of countries while in others documentation remained less systematic or standardized and in several cases the documentation process is still manually implemented due to the lack of personal qualification. The characterization and evaluation of genetic resources using published standard descriptors have advanced in almost all countries of the region since the publication of the first SoW report. It has been carried out on a wide range of species for morphological traits of agronomic importance, quality attributes and for tolerance and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. On the other hand, some countries are yet to have viable programmes for the description and characterization of local PGRFA germplasm. 31. Various public and private entities and groups are involved, in varying degrees, in plant genetic resources activities in the Region: agriculture, environment and development public sectors, private companies, NGOs and botanic gardens, communities. 32. Efforts to streamline such different plant genetic resources activities in the framework of a well- coordinated national programme should provide the opportunity to add value to such diverse efforts. On the other hand, National plant genetic resources programmes are the foundation of national, regional, and global efforts that are contributing to the objectives of international instruments such as the GPA, the CBD, and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Few national programmes in the 14

15 region are strong enough to meaningfully contribute to, and take full advantage of, international cooperation on access to PGRFA and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from their use. 33. FAO has called for the establishment of National Information Sharing Mechanism (NISM) in order to strengthen national PGRFA programmes and to improve the conservation and sustainable utilization of PGRFA through enhancing worldwide information management and exchange. The mechanism is based on the participation of stakeholders at national level and seeks to promote information exchange and strengthen stakeholder cooperation. Only nine countries in the region have established such a mechanism. Eighteen countries within NENA region are not covered by the system. The NISM has generated some valuable data and information on the nine countries, which took active part in providing information on their PGRFA activities. Efforts of updating it, and extend it to other countries in the NENA region will promote information exchange on PGRFA and strengthen stakeholder cooperation nationally and regionally. 34. In summary, genetic resources in NENA region are at different stages of development. The second report of the State of the World PGRFA pinpointed many constraints facing the region. This report is mainly based on general and fragmented information provided by only few national institutions within the countries involved in PGRFA conservation and use. It is mainly based on the information provided in the country report or information provided by individuals during SOW- PGRFA and updated GPA meetings and from secondary information available in the literature. Comprehensive direct assessment of the state of PGRFA which based on direct contact with genebanks curators and genetic resources stakeholders is urgently needed to reflect the strengths, constraints and needs of the actual existing activities to ensure better conservation and utilization of PGRFA. The State of diversity Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, as an integral component of agricultural biodiversity, are crucial for sustainable agricultural production and the livelihood of a large proportion of people who depend on agriculture. The loss of biodiversity is a serious threat to sustainable development and it is of outmost importance to significantly reduce the loss. The SoW2 notes that many country reports expressed continuing concern over the extent of genetic vulnerability and the need for a greater deployment of diversity. Countries are sovereign over their biological resources, as recognized in the Convention on Biologic Diversity (CBD) but, nevertheless, they bear responsibility for conserving and facilitating access to these resources for future use. The increased environmental variability that is expected to be caused by climate 9 For this and subsequent parts, extensive use was made of the excellent paper: Ahmed Amri, Ahmed, Javad Mouzafari Natalya Rukhkyan: Near East and North Africa Regional Analysis of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: A contribution to the Second State of the World s Report on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (2008). 15

16 change means that in the future, farmers and plant breeders will need to be able to access an even wider range of PGRFA than today. 36. The NENA Region harbours four Vavilovian Centers of Origin of cultivated crops (Near Eastern, Central Asian, Mediterranean and Abyssinian Centers). The region is a centre of diversity for a number of globally important crop plants, including cereals, food legumes, vegetables, fruit trees, forage plants, spices and condiments, and many ornamental and medicinal plants. In addition to isolated and marginal areas, such as drylands, mountains and oases, landraces are found in most NENA countries in farmers' fields within the traditional farming systems where local cultivars are still grown. The wild relatives of cultivated plants are threatened by the expansion of agricultural activity to marginal areas and to forest remnants, as well as by overgrazing and urbanization. The region is also known for a large number of under- utilized or locally important plant species, which are extremely well adapted to harsh environments and part of long cultural traditions that could be important in the diversification of farming systems, income generation, and the diets and health wellbeing of local populations. 37. A wide range of ecosystems, including forest ecosystems, can be found in the Region. These forests and woodlands play a fundamental role in soil, water and environmental conservation, and are also important for the provision of many basic products and services. A considerable amount of the commercialized fruit and nut trees, for example, originate from this region. Many of their wild relatives (e.g. wild pear, wild pistachio and wild olive) can still be found in their natural environment, serving as a valuable genetic base. Coordinated research and protection efforts are lacking in the conservation of the genetic diversity of wild fruit and forest tree species. However, due to overexploitation, deforestation, habitat fragmentation, overgrazing and forest fires, these resources are highly degraded throughout the region. Although several countries have put considerable efforts in conservation actions and the awareness of the need to act is growing, the focus is mainly on ecosystem conservation. Much less attention has been paid so far to the issue of conservation and sustainable use of the forest genetic resources (FGR). 38. The Region has also a great wealth of livestock, representing, for example, 74%, 26% and 21% of the world total for camels, sheep and goats, respectively. The contributions of animal production to the national agricultural gross product differ greatly from one country to another and ranges from 16% in Syria to 81% in Mauritania. The region is the home of some renowned breeds examples are the Arabian horse, the Angora goat and the Awassi and D man sheep. The richness of the region is indicated by the fact that its share of animal genetic resources is greater than its share of world livestock population. 39. No precise assessment is available for the Region of the extent or rate of biodiversity loss in terms of species richness and genetic diversity. However, the various threats combined with climate change are likely to accentuate the loss of populations of different species and could lead to the extinction of entire species. On the other hand, as more thorough plant surveys and taxonomic 16

17 studies are being conducted in the region, new species are being recorded in several countries. The assessment of species richness in other countries is limited by a lack of expertise in plant taxonomy and by shortage of adequate funding for establishing and updating for instance the countries red lists. 40. The underlying threats to agro- biodiversity in general are manifold and complex. Among these are deforestation and habitat fragmentation, increased population pressure, climate change, soil erosion and desertification, coastal development and marine pollution, limited policy and legislation conducive to biodiversity conservation, trade globalization, limited public awareness, and the poverty of farmers and herders, who are the main custodians of agro- biodiversity. Other threats to agro- biodiversity that are specific to most NENA countries: pressure from over- exploitation; increasing water scarcity by frequent droughts, an alarming depletion of underground water; displacement of local populations from their farming systems lead in many cases to loss of landraces; marketing difficulties and the disintegration of traditional systems for the sustainable management of natural resources. For detailed information see table 1 in Appendices 2 The state of in situ management 41. Protected areas are valuable reservoirs for the wild relatives of crops, medicinal, and herbal plants, as well as all other components of the ecosystems. The NENA region ranks poorly in this regard with the protected areas, covering merely 7% of the total land area as protected area. However, recent country reports show that new protected areas have been declared since 1996 (2 in Tunisia, 2 in Lebanon, 2 in Syria, 3 in Iran, 5 in Pakistan, 13 in Jordan, and 22 in Turkey). In the last decade many countries in the NENA region have established a number of protected range areas where resting and managed grazing are contributing to the conservation of native pasture species. Most of the existing protected areas and the new ones are targeting the ecosystems as a whole rather than the wild relatives of crops of global significance themselves. 42. Several GEF funded projects implemented since 1994 have contributed significantly to the promotion of in situ conservation of biodiversity through the development of national biodiversity strategies and action plans, improved capacity, and increased awareness, which have facilitated mainstreaming and recognition of the importance of biodiversity conservation. These projects have contributed to the development of approaches for community based, in situ/onfarm conservation of agro- biodiversity, recommendations for in situ sites, and suggested elements for their management plans. GEF Small Grant Programme has increasingly targeted on- farm conservation of landraces type of activity. These projects have shown that landraces of field crops and traditional fruit trees are still widely used in traditional farming systems and are only replaced by improved varieties or introduced species when farmers can improve the growing conditions. 17

18 43. The landraces still have the advantage of being better adapted to the prevailing harsh conditions in the region, including low- input agriculture; fortunately functional informal seed production systems facilitate the exchange of seeds among farmers and thus, have sustained cultivating landraces of crops. Several countries are supporting the distribution of seeds of landraces of cereals and legumes. For fruit trees, many countries are subsidizing the planting of fruit trees, but only a few are targeting landraces. The GEF- ICARDA dryland agrobiodiversity has contributed to the development of a community- driven approach for on- farm conservation of landraces and wild relatives of cereals, food legumes, fruit trees and forages. GEF- IPGRI project on participatory management of plant genetic resources in oases of North Africa had helped to develop in vitro propagation protocols for many local varieties of date palm and had investigated several value- adding and technological options, which have revived interest in conserving some neglected landraces. For detailed information see tables 2 & 3 in Appendices 2 The state of ex situ conservation 44. While many major crops are well duplicated for safety reasons, including at the Seed Vault at Svalbard, many important crop collections are not adequately duplicated and hence they are potentially at risk. For several staple crops, such as wheat and rice, a large part of the genetic diversity is adequately represented in collections. However, for many others considerable gaps remain. Interest in collecting threatened crop wild relatives (CWR), landraces and neglected and underutilized species, is growing as land- use systems change and environmental concerns increase the likelihood of their erosion. In general, many countries, including NENA countries, still lack adequate human capacity, facilities, funds or management systems to meet their ex situ conservation needs and obligations, and as a result, a number of collections are at risk. 45. The plant genetic resources programmes and genebanks in NENA countries are at different stages of development. Significant improvements have been achieved since 1996 with stronger commitment by various governments to conserve biodiversity in general and to strengthen ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources in particular. Only few countries have strong PGRFA conservation programmes equipped with medium and long- term conservation facilities and all other laboratories and disciplines related to conservation activities, including taxonomic expertise. Some other countries have since 1996 established new facilities for long- term conservation of PGRFA. However, most of the remaining countries are either conserving their genetic resources under ambient conditions or in conditions for medium- term conservation with no humidity control, i.e. sub- optimal for secure and efficient conservation of PGRFA. 46. Many collections in most of the NENA countries are still held by breeders and university scientists or are conserved under short- term conditions or active collections with no guaranty for their effective conservation and with no safety duplication arrangements. Many of the NENA countries do not have genebanks, 18

19 while others have made plans for the establishment of reliable genebanks for the long- term conservation of their genetic resources and the germplasm from other countries. Tissue culture and cryo- conservation techniques for in vitro conservation are available only in few countries to conserve some vegetable and fruit tree species. Some of these countries have established a system for the production and conservation of virus- free nucleus seed stocks for vegetatively propagated crops. 47. Almost all countries have field genebanks and botanic gardens to conserve landraces of fruit trees and other perennial species. Most of the field genebanks have both landraces and varieties introduced from abroad, but the richness in landraces of most fruit trees needs more collecting efforts for their inclusion in reliable genebanks. Most of the old- field genebanks are suffering from a lack of adequate maintenance and regeneration. Most countries of the Arabian Peninsula are planning to establish botanical gardens. For date palm PGRFA, field genebanks have been established in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and Iran. The well- known field genebank of Iraq was destroyed during the war. 48. Up to 1998, the number of stored accessions in genebanks was estimated at 138,664, representing only 2.6% of the global ex situ collection. From the available data from different sources, more than 435,922 accessions have been reported for the period 2006 to 2008 from 20 NENA countries. When comparing the data for countries with information available for 1996 and the period 2006 to 2008, the holdings increased from 160,188 accessions to more than 328,194 accessions in Significant increases were reported in the holdings of all the main genebanks since 1996, except in the case of Afghanistan and Iraq where the destruction of their genebanks has led to the loss of most stored accessions. The increases are attributed to extensive collecting efforts undertaken in most countries and to the establishment of new genebanks, for example in Tunisia and Lebanon. 49. The genetic resources collected jointly by national and other genebanks are safely duplicated at CGIAR and developed countries genebanks. Only the national genebanks of Turkey and Iran have made arrangements for safe duplication within the country, which is not entirely in accordance with genebank standards. Some of the unique accessions are not safely duplicated outside their original genebanks, which calls for urgent action to ensure their effective conservation. Good progress has been made since 1996 in documentation for the main genebanks. Computerizing the information has been completed in several countries, while partially computerized databases are available for the main genebanks of other NENA countries. 50. The regeneration of the holdings of the main genebanks is critical since most of the genebanks are not routinely assessing the viability of their seed samples. In addition, all countries have confirmed the difficulty of regeneration of cross- pollinated species while ensuring their genetic integrity. The main genebanks of Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and Sudan have declared that they have regenerated more than 50% of their accessions. As well as the percentage of the accessions that has been regenerated, it is also important the time 19

20 dimension is critical as well as the quality of the regeneration. The main genebank in Morocco has undertaken substantial efforts for the regeneration of their accessions, while the rest of the genebanks have limited activities on regeneration. 51. Finally, it is important to recall the vital role played by the CGIAR centres and others in collecting plant genetic material and safe guarding it at their genebanks. Thanks to centre like ICARDA, it was possible to make up for the considerable losses of valuable collections during internal strives in such countries of Afghanistan and Iraq for example. The following illustrates the extent of involvement by the CGIAR centres. Total holdings of germplasm kept at eleven CGIAR centres and coming from the twenty- seven countries Near East and North Africa Region are estimated to be 93,976 accessions. They range from two accessions from Bahrain to 22,063 accessions from Iran. Three centres house nearly 93% of the total CGIAR holdings. By far the largest collection is held by ICARDA (56,255 accessions) followed by ICRISAT (16,638) and CIMMYT (13,851). AVDRC, a non- CGIAR centre, holds 2608 accessions mainly from Iran (796), Turkey (788), Pakistan (372) and Afghanistan (351). IBPGR (now Bioversity International) has played a major role in mounting over the years collecting missions in eighteen countries in the Region resulting in more than 20,000 collections of which cereals (7463 collections), forages (6576), legumes (3165), and vegetables (1654) totaling more than 93% of the total. For detailed information see tables 4, 5 & 6 in Appendices 2 The state of Use 52. The NENA region is well endowed with resources of agricultural genetic materials, which could offer solutions to many of its agricultural problems, if they were properly used or used at all. The utilization of PGRFA plays a key role in facing many of the major challenges in agriculture, such as food security, climate change, water deficit, periodic and prolonged droughts, salinity and desertification. The present and future livelihood of the people of the region depends, to a greater extent, on the proper conservation and utilization of these resources. In order to have a reliable and productive agriculture system in an increasingly fragile environment, enhancing the technical capacity for conserving and the judicial utilization of these resources should be a high priority for the region for meeting the region food security objectives in many ways. 53. The availability and distribution of PGRFA is encouraged by CBD for their use in research and education while the International Treaty on PGRFA has established a multilateral system to facilitate access and benefit sharing. Despite these international developments, given the uncertainties of the negotiation period and the slow pace of ratification or implementation of these frameworks in some countries of the NENA region, exchanges of genetic resources outside the countries have been restricted. The limitations on sharing germplasm with 20

21 the outside world are attributed to the lack of proper legislation and adequate funding for regeneration and mailing. Exchange within the countries is difficult too, which has also hindered the arrangements for the safe duplication of unique accessions only available within the country. 54. The activities on characterization and evaluation of genetic resources have been substantially enhanced in almost all of the NENA countries in recent years. Countries with active national breeding programmes are extensively using landraces to improve resistance to major diseases and insects and tolerance to drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures. There are also active programmes in these countries on industrial crops, fruit trees, and vegetables and the use of PGRFA has been extended to the wild relatives of crops. In other less advanced countries, the use of landraces is limited to cases of cereals, food legumes, and forages. In most countries, the improved vegetable varieties are direct introductions from abroad, undertaken by the private sector in most cases. But, some countries have launched breeding programmes for vegetables and fruit trees using local landraces. 55. Most range improvement and afforestation projects were primarily using introduced species until recently when a progressive shift to the use of native species was undertaken in many countries. In the Gulf countries, all research results are supporting the use of these native species in range rehabilitation. This practice is now adopted in Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon. In 2003 Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon passed ministerial orders to use the wild relatives of fruit trees in at least 30% of their afforestation plans. 56. As stated in the SoW2, there is a need in many countries for more effective strategies, policies and legislation, including seed and intellectual property (IP) legislation, to promote a greater use of PGRFA. Good opportunities exist to strengthen cooperation among those involved in conservation and use, at all stages of the seed and value chain. Stronger links are needed, especially between plant breeders and those involved in seed systems, as well as between the public and private sectors. For detailed information see tables 7, 8, 9, 10 &11 in Appendices 2 The state of national programmes, training and legislation 57. In general, there is huge heterogeneity among national programmes in terms of their goals, functions, organization and structure regarding the conservation and use of the PGR; the NENA region is no exception. Such programmes in the region are at different stages of development, but since 1996 many countries have made good progress towards better coordination of their efforts, where the national responsibility for coordinating PGRFA conservation and use was assigned to focal institutions. Conservation of biodiversity in general and of agricultural biodiversity in particular, is coordinated either by Ministries of the Environment or with a shared responsibility with Ministries of 21