Presentation to the Pacific Regional Workshop Training to Support the Preparation of the State of the World s Forest Genetic Resources January,

Transcription

1 South Pacific Regional Initiative on Forest Genetic Resources SPRIG: its implementation and impact on the management of FGR in the Pacific Dr Lex Thomson EU-FACT Team Leader (and former SPRIG Project Team Leader) Presentation to the Pacific Regional Workshop Training to Support the Preparation of the State of the World s Forest Genetic Resources January, 2011 Tanoa International, Nadi, Fiji

2 South Pacific Regional Initiative on Forest Genetic Resources Purpose: Promote ecologically sustainable development in the forestry and natural resources sectors leading to enhanced quality of life for present and future generations of Pacific Islanders Two Phases ( ) $US 4.5 Million Conservation of forest genetic resources Domestication and Tree improvement Training and institutional strengthening Increased focus on deployment of selected and improved tree germplasm, contributing to sustainable rural development SPRIG

3 SPRIG Partners and Network Australian Management Consortium ENSIS/CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products Qld DPI Agency for Food and Fibre Science URS Sustainable Development Pacific Island Partners Fiji - Department of Forestry Samoa - Forestry Division Vanuatu - Department of Forests Solomon Islands - Division of Forestry Tonga - Forestry & Conservation Division Regional Partners Secretariat of the Pacific Community University of the South Pacific South Pacific Regional Environmental Program FAO SAPA (Pacific Sub-regional Office)

4 SPRIG s Pacific Island Nations Partners

5 Threats to forest biodiversity in the Pacific Islands Overexploitation Land use change and Agrodeforestation Exotic invasive weeds Climate extremes and sea level rise

6 Threats to forest biodiversity in the Pacific Islands cont African Tulip Tree Spathodea campanulata

7 Conservation Pacific Regional Action Plan for Conservation & Sustainable Use of Forest and Tree Genetic Resources Adopted by Heads of Forestry in 2001 Community/RRA surveys of FGR (priority setting, traditional knowledge) Development of tree species conservation and management strategies Collaboration with SPREP biodiversity conservation areas and National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans Increase awareness and capacity at all levels

8 Domestication and Tree Improvement Domestication process In Pacific build on traditional domestication (especially for multipurpose nut and fruit trees) Pacific Islands Tree Species Database (including 567 species, with detailed information on > 100 species) Examples for native and exotic species

9 Domestication process from wild populations to broad social use Social and local knowledge Community survey/rra Site/species Selection Threatening Processes Biogeographical descriptions Representative sampling Seed storage, propagation & assessment Assemble Base Populations Improvement (breeding & propagation) Sustainable Use Environmental Limitations Germplasm Deployment Domestication chain.increasing social utility

10 Sandalwood (Santalum spp.) ) Heavily exploited in Pacific Islands for 200 years (c. 10 species) High value (Heartwood $US kg; Oil> $US 2000 per liter) Identified as top priority for conservation, replanting and R&D Unrivalled potential for enhancing rural incomes in the Pacific islands, especially outer islands Root hemiparasites silvicultural requirements Shortage of seeds for propagation and replanting

11 2. SEED Sandalwood PROCUREMENT, seed collections COLLECTION in Phase 1 & DISTRIBUTION S. album (6) Seed collections in ( ) and field trial sites S. macgregorii (2) S. austrocaledonicum S. album (5) (10) (12) S. yasi (12)

12 Sandalwood Diversity Project Phylogeny - relationships between species within Santalum S. acuminatum S. album S. austrocaledonicum S boninense S. ellipticum S. fernandezianum S. freycinetianum S. haleakalae S. insulare S. lanceolatum S. macgregorii S. murrayanum S. obtusifolium S. paniculatum S. spicatum S. yasi

13 Heartwood essential oils analyses Sample α- Santalol β- Santalol SPECIES LOCATION % % % yasi Planted - Lekutu, Fiji B Planted - Nausori Highlands, Fiji W Planted - Nawailevu, Fiji B Native - 'Eua, Tonga 6A Native Eua, Tonga 5A Planted - Nadroga, Fiji W Naturalised - Niue Native - Nausori Highlands, Fiji W11A Oil Yield album SRD plot - Nausori Highlands W SRD plot - Nausori Highlands W ISO standard East Indian sandalwood oil album x yasi Suva 4A Rotuma (avg) X1 &

14 Sandalwood growers provided d with: Training courses Information leaflets Advisory visits Seedlings and hosts Propagation materials

15 SPRIG impacts on sandalwood Increased awareness/knowledge/ replanting interest Importance of conserving genetic resources better appreciated (but not well implemented) Linked and helped facilitate Sandalwood R& D for more than a decade in Pacific islands and maintained network- assisted research projects in Vanuatu (ACIAR) and postgraduate studies - regional (Harbaugh); Tonga & Fiji (Huish Huish) Supported Regional meeting in 2005, which was recently followed up in Vanuatu in 2010 Work in SPC and FACT replanting e.g. Rotuma and Kadavu, progressively extended to other islands in Fiji, Tonga, Cook Is, Niue 100,000 sandalwood per year being planted in Vanuatu!

16 Banks Group S Santo & Malo (15) N Santo (10) E.Santo Maewo (13) (48) Ambae (6) Pentecost (21) Malekula (13) Ambrym (5) Domestication of an indigenous Pacific timber species e.g. Endospermum medullosum (whitewood) Seed collections in Vanuatu in 1998 (154 individuals in 16 provenances) Efate (23) Erromango

17 Field Trials (Shark Bay Research Station, Santo) Multiple objectives: es Evaluation - performance of >100 families/seedlots Selection - vegetative propagation of superior individuals Ex situ gene conservation function and seed production Demonstration intercropping

18 Assessment and Improvement Assessment and identification of superior whitewood families 23 m 3 ha -1 yr -1 cf. av. 15 m 3 ha -1 yr -1 Coppicing and vegetative propagation of selected superior individuals

19 Potential Economic Impacts of Whitewood Improvement Use of superior seed sources provides an additional return of $US4500 per hectare to growers at harvest (15 yrs) ys) Additional annual export revenue of $US 8 million to Vanuatu Plantation industry able to employ entire population of Santo

20 Agroforestry System Shark Bay, Vanuatu 2 years 4 years

21 Agroforestry system Shark Bay, Vanuatu Agricultural intercrops for first 3 years (with same productivity) Poles from interplanted Flueggea flexuosa provide $US3,000 per ha at 7-8 years 8.5 years Whitewood logs provide $US 8,600 per ha at 15 years

22 SPRIG impacts on whitewood Awareness amongst DoF staff of better performance of Santo seed sources, and di increased use in replanting programs Ongoing research and development, and supported by DoF/SPRIG large scale field trials at Shark Bay, Santo ACIAR projects - Improved silvicultural management of Endospermum medullosum (whitewood) for enhanced plantation forestry outcomes in Vanuatu (commenced in 2007) Development p and delivery of germplasm for sandalwood and whitewood in Vanuatu and northern Australia (commenced in 2009)

23 Multipurpose Indigenous Nut and Fruit Trees Terminalia catappa (Tropical almond)

24 Identification and collection of superior nut morphotypes from dispersed locations in Melanesia

25 2 years old Establishment of Multifunctional field plantings

26 5 years old

27 Evaluation of nut characteristics from field trials

28 Deployment of Tropical almond 1. National - Seedling production and distribution of superior nut morphotypes to farmers in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands 2. Regional - Superior nut morphotypes from PNG and SI planted throughout Tonga (four island groups)

29 SPRIG impacts on Terminalia catappa Increased replanting interest in some countries Nut Growers Association of Solomon Islands (NGASI) recently established and will be developing Terminalia catappa and other nut species Possible hybrid btw Terminalia catappa and T. kaernbachii in Temotu province Selected by CePACT for development of tissue culture protocosl Continuing development of improved seed sources in Solomon Is, Vanuatu and Tonga??? Potential remains grossly underutilized!!!

30 Pandanus tectorius Documentation, propagation and conservation of traditional varieties Catalytic, collaborative approach

31 Low oxalate cultivars Photo: Lois Englberger High in carotenoids Photo: Lois Englberger Photos: Lois Englberger

32 Kiribati Pandanus for Enjoyment and Health Field gene bank of Pandanus cultivars, Tarawa, Kiribati

33 Field gene bank of Pandanus cultivars, Tarawa, Kiribati

34 SPRIG impacts on Pandanus tectorius Priority species for SPC LRD / food security FACT support to Robert Reimer Enterprises to develop Pandanus juice and baby food products problem is lack of consistent supply FACT collections of edible Pandanus from Rabi Is and entered into CePACT CePACT following up on vegetative propagation and has developed successful tissue culture protocols for Pandanus Increased replanting interest in Marshall Islands Pandanus genetic resources remain greatly underutilised especially for Atoll Is countries facing climatic extremes and possible food insecurity (in future).

35 Improvement and deployment of improved teak (Tectona grandis) ) in Solomon Islands 14 month-old old teak from clonal seed orchard, Poitete, Western Province Tallest trees are 9 m tall

36 Clonal l Seed orchard Routine seed source 2-years old teak - Bahoro trial site, Roviana Lagoon

37 Outgrower planting on Guadalcanal 2 year old teak IMPACT: Use of selected improved seed sources of teak to provide an additional $US 1.7 Million per annum to outgrowers and $US 10.5 Million to timber exports in Solomon Islands

38 USA S. humilis Improvement of Swietenia macrophylla Mexico (58) Guatemala (45&3*) Costa Rica (75&3*) Panama (27) Belize (1) S. mahogani Cuba (3*) Honduras (42 & 2*) Nicaragua (5) Mahogany identified as a priority exotic timber species for Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu 0 o Colombia (1*) Brazil (1*) 1. Source diverse germplasm 10 o S Peru (3) Pacific Ocean Bolivia (2*) 12 countries 15 bulk seedlots 256 individuals

39 2. Mahogany field trials Fiji Volume Index for the fastest growing imported seedlots cf. Fiji landrace seedlots (Experiment 36 at 3 years) e Index Volum Costa Rica Los Chiles Honduras Tela Costa Rica Los Chiles Costa Rica Los Chiles Costa Rica Los Chiles Fiji Tailevu Fiji Tailevu Fiji Tailevu

40 Potential (unrealized) Impacts: Identified mahogany seed sources to provide Fijian landowners with an additional $US 8 million in royalties per annum Additional annual export revenue return from to the Fijian economy of $US 90 million

41 Deployment of superior mahogany seed sources Samoa s community forestry programs

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43 SPRIG: CONTINUING IMPACTS Institutionalization of FGR into SPC Regional Forestry Program (with appropriate level of resourcing from AusAID) Smallholders and Industry aware and utilizing improved genetic materials and silviculture Projects FACT, ACIAR (Whitewood, sandalwood), AusAID (Samoa community forestry project), JICA (Regional Tree Seed Centre) Need to continue to link FGR opportunities with established and emerging markets for timber, pulp and NWFP and dealing with climatic extremes

44 Implementation of Tree Species Conservation Strategies Replanting of Santalum yasi in Tonga

45 Conservation and Management Strategy developed for Santalum insulare var. mitiaro Endangered medicinal plant only on Mitiaro, Cook Islands

46 Degraded lowland rainforest, Upolu, Samoa

47 Regenerating lowland rainforest, Upolu, Samoa

48 Rehabilitation of lowland rainforest, Savai i i, Samoa Mixed rainforest species, Falelima at 1 year

49 Training course on conservation of arboreal biodiversity