Partnerships For Plants: Proceedings of CBCN's 1996 Workshop

Latest update: 7 December, 1998

7a: Off-Site (ex situ) Conservation by Botanical Gardens: The Future of Gene Banks for Native Species in Canada

Workshop Leader: Campbell Davidson, Head of Landscape Plants, Morden Arboretum, Morden, Manitoba

The focus of this session will be an introduction to the area of genetic resource conservation, which will include:

1. What is a gene bank? What is the role of PGRC (Plant Gene Resources Canada) - where are the sites and what crops?

2. A brief overview of the international scene in relation to plant genetic resources.

3. A introduction to the Global Action Plan (GAP) and the role identified for botanical gardens. This was accomplished at the recent Leipzig meeting, under the auspices of FAO.

We may be able to move into recovery and rehabilitation, but the area is large and we will have much to discuss with gene bank issues. The grey area between gene bank, genetic resource conservation issues with deal with agronomic crops, and biodiversity issues are difficult to negotiate without a lot of confusion. It will be our goal to identify specific areas where gene banks might fit in and what is the potential for interaction with the larger botanical community.

(notes by David Galbraith)

Gene banks are the practical reservoir of genetic material for plant breeders working with both ornamental and agricultural plants. Two principle forms of gene banks are in use in botanical gardens, arboreta and other research facilities. Living gene banks, in the form of plantations, are visible and accessible, but expensive relative to storing seed and other viable tissue in frozen banks.

Like all aspects of institutions that have received government support, gene banks are now being asked to minimize expenses and generate income. The traditional direct users of gene banks - plant breeders - are now few.

Despite their historic and practical importance as reservoirs for the future, gene banks are under great financial pressure, and several collections have been recently closed or scaled down. Their vulnerability can be traced to government policy decisions about the importance of their function.

At the January, 1996 meeting of the Clonal Genebank Specialist Group in Ottawa, the specialist group recommended developing a cooperative program for plants of economic significance with the botanical gardens of Canada through the Canadian Botanical Conservation Network.

Workshop Report

Campbell G. Davidson
Manager, AAFC-Morden Research Centre
Unit 100-101 Route 100, Morden, MB
R6M 1Y5
E-mail:

Draft Mission Statement: "The mission of the Canadian Botanical Conservation Network is to aid the botanical gardens, arboreta and other institutions maintaining living collections of plants in Canada to realize their potential to contribute to the conservation of biological diversity"

• To promote positive effects of BG's.....
  

• To increase participation of botanical institutions....
  
• To encourage development of information....

How does the workshop topic aid in achieving the vision? What are the topics: What new perspectives can we develop?

• Activities
  

• Alternatives
  
• New outlooks to an old problem
  
• Research strategies
  
• Bottom line--- who will pay, work and benefit

Genebank Background information

The number of ex situ (read gene banks) collections rose dramatically during the 1970 and 80's. This growth was in response to real or perceived threats to wild plants in many areas of the world. Since that time deterioration of many of the collections has happened due to increasing operating costs and unstable economies.

Three areas to provide an overview:

• Plant Gene Resources Canada: see Campbell K. and B. Fraleigh. 1993. The Canadian Plant Germplasm System. Can. J. Of Plant Sci. 75:5-7
  

• Expert Committee on Plant and Microbial Genetic Resources
  
• FAO role's is to help facilitate the formalization of agreements

Expert Committee on Plant and Microbial Genetic Resources

• Established over 20 years ago
  

• Provides technical, practical and scientific background and advise to the Federal Government and other agencies on the areas of genetic resource conservation
  
• Representatives from Government agencies (both Federal and Provincial), regions of Canada, universities, industries and NGO's.
  
• Resolutions passed on to decision making authorities
  
• Forum for debate, workshops and presentation of new ideas and concepts

Interested people can obtain copies of the most recent proceedings by contacting Dr Davidson by email (above) or forwarding a formatted diskette to the Morden Research Centre, Unit 100-101 Route 100, Morden, MB, R6M 1Y5

Rational for the Global Action Plan for Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) under the FAO

• PGR for food and agriculture are often the result of human intervention.
  

• In situ diversity is often concentrated in a relatively small area.
  
• Human migration has spread genetic material all over the world.
  
• Interdependence of countries is high.
  
• PGR are under conserved.
  
• Interrelationship of In situ, Ex situ and utilization of PGR
  
• To increase efficiencies especially on the International scale or level.

Goals for the Global Action Plan

• to ensure conservation of PGR-leading towards food security.
  

• to promote sustainable utilization of PGR.
  
• to promote sharing of benefits from PGR.
  
• to provide assistance in conserving PGR.
  
• to help recognize and strengthen policies and programmes concerning PGR.

Organization of the Global Action Plan

• In situ Conservation
  

• Ex situ Conservation
  
• Utilization
  
• Capacity building

(There are a total of 20 priority activity areas in the structure.)

Role of Botanical Gardens (BG) as examined by the Global Action Plan. Main emphasis is on ex situ conservation activities.

• many local crop plants have been neglected in traditional gene banks
  

• potential to expand plant material in collections
  
• encourage the conservation of PGR
  
• capacity building of BG's in developing countries is essential
  
• simple low cost centres to oversee collections
  
• associated with universities, schools or other institutions
  
• International linkages to examine key issues in relation to PGR of neglected crops

Some existing major international gene banks around the world

Some interesting facts about Botanical gardens in relation to gene banks
(extracted from the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources)

• approximately 1500 BG's around the world
  

• 700 have germplasm collections
  
• 115 conserve germplasm of cultivated species including landraces, wild food plants and other non cultivated species which are locally utilized.
  
• Linkages of BG's to gene banks are generally weak. Generally BG's are not integrated in to National collections policies or programs.

Some additional thoughts of where BG's may be in relation to traditional thoughts on PGR

• tend to have many species but relatively few representatives of each
  

• backup of collections is often minimal / unorganized
  
• seed collections are often limited
  
• funding vulnerability and variability
  
• living collections are expensive to manage
  
• independent of government- improved flexibility
  
• herbarium specimens and collections are very useful for systematic studies
  
• good knowledge of local flora and ethnobotany
  
• documentation-evaluation is often very good
  
• heritage collections - history of plant development in Canada / world
  
• excellent locations for heritage / historical studies
  
• excellent position for education delivery
  
• unique exchange programs around the world-Index Seminums
  
• generally restricted to adapted plant material (living collections)

Canada has or is:
           (extracted from the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources)

• on the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
  

• signed the Convention on Biodiversity
  
• has Plant quarantine legislation
  
• has Plant Breeder's Rights
  
• has some control on seed quality for economic crops
  
• has a National PGR program
  
• has a ex situ (seed and plants) conservation program ( 250,000 accessions)
  
• has public and private plant breeding programs

Do we need a gene bank for endangered species?

• Can we fund it, who should fund it or can we make money doing it?
  

• How do we enhance and protect what we already have before we go off on a tangent to protect the world
  
• Do we know how to collect and preserve Canadian species?

Plants - green cells = Life (Joy, diversity, wonder and beauty of plants: after P. Raven)
            So much air
            So much water
            So much land
            So many people
            250,000 plants in the world (estimate)
            100 kinds provide over 90% of our food
            2/3 of the people on the earth are directly dependant on plants

Are there economically important genetic resources (plants) in Canada?

• Symposium on Plant Genetic Resources, AIC meeting, 1993: Canadian wild plant germplasm of economic significance. C. G. Davidson: Can. J. Of Plant Sci. 75: 23-32
  

• Of the rich and diverse flora of the world, people have selected a relatively small number to domesticate as food crops
  
• Over 200 genera (around 370 species) or 30% of the genera in Canada are related to economic crop plants - excluding landscape plants (approximately 137 genera of woody plants alone):
  
• fruit - 111 species (many are world resources)
  
• forage and turf grasses - 138 species
  
• nut crops - 11 species
  
• cereals, oilseed and other field crops -18 species
  
• special and minor acreage crops - 86 species
  
• trees - over 70 species

Endless collections or meaningful preserves?

• Linkages to other collections
  

• One garden can not do it all - Networking
  
• In situ vs ex situ conservation
  
• Common strategies - Enlightened self interest

Potential questions proposed by David Galbraith

• What is the status of gene banks in Canadian botanical gardens and arboreta at the present?
  

• How do living gene banks compare with seed gene banks?
  
• How do orthodox and recalcitrant species compare in Canada and what is the scope of potential gene bank needs?
  
• Can gene banks really preserve natural genetic variation or are they by definition regimes of natural selection?
  
• Gene banks and the landscape of botanical gardens: can useful be pretty too?
  
• Is there a need for a national native plant gene bank in Canada?

Food for thought

• Linkages- how does the CBCN (read Botanical Gardens) play a role in the established field of genetic resource conservation in Canada and do so in a strong meaningful way, with limited duplication, solve funding problems, etc?????
  

• We need a focal point for initial efforts - Native plant relatives of economic plants - is this a good starting point??
  
• Resolving ex situ and in situ conservation issues - who, what and where? The interrelationships can be complex with many levels of agencies and private interest groups.

Return to Workshop Agenda