Conservation and Management of Forest

Journal of Tropical Forest Science 11(1):286-302 (1999) CONSERVATIO MANAGEMEND NAN FORESF TO T GENETIC RESOURCES Christel Palmberg-Lerche Forest Resources Development Service, Forest Resources Division, FAO, Rome, Italy Received June 1998___________________________________________________ PALMBERG-LERCHE, C. 1999. Conservation and management of forest genetic resources papee .Th r reviews available strategie conservatione th r sfo , management, enhancemen sustainabld an t e utilisatio foresf no t genetic resources linkagee th d ,an s of genetic conservation with the management of forests, tree improvement and breeding. International co-operation, co-ordination of efforts and possible future strategies of action are briefly mentioned. The paper concludes that efforts to conserv enhancd ean e forest genetic resource present-dar sfo futurd yan e uses must e "tripod basee th b n f do managemeno " protectef o t d areas managemene th , f o t productive forests, and the management of breeding populations. It stresses that the key to success will lie in the development of programmes which harmonise conservatio sustainabld nan e utilisatio foresf no t genetic resources withi mosaina f co lan optionse dus , includin gstrona g elemen activf to e gene management. Key words: Forest biological diversit y- fores t genetic resource - sconservatio f no forest genetic resources - tree improvement - forest seed procurement - sustainable forest management PALMBERG-LERCHE, C. 1999. Pemuliharaan dan pengurusan sumber-sumber genetik hutan. Artike mengulai lin s mengenai strategi yan baga gad i pemuliharaan, pengurusan, peningkatan dan penggunaan secara berkekalan sumber-sumber genetik hutan, serta kaitan pemuliharaan genetik dengan pengurusan hutan, pembaikan pokok dan pembiakbaikan pokok. Kerjasama antarabangsa, penyelarasan usaha dan strategi tindakan pada masa hadapan juga dinyatakan secara ringkas. Artikel ini juga membuat kesimpulan bahawa usaha-usaha untuk memulihar n meningkatkaada n sumber-sumber genetik hutan untuk kegunaan masa kini dan akan datang mestilah berdasarkan kepada pengurusan "tripod" iaitu kawasan perlindungan, pengurusan hutan yang produktif pengurusan ,da n pembiakbaikan populasi pokok menekankaa l . n bahawa kunci kejayaan adalah bergantung kepada perkembangan program yang menyesuaikan penggunaan pemuliharaa pengekalan nda n sumber-sumber genetik hutan dalam pengalihan kegunaan tanah, termasuk unsur-unsur yang kuat dalam pengurusan baka yang aktif. Introduction Most organisms in nature are, inherently, variable. Conservation of biological diversit genetid yan c resources essencen i , , means ensuring that variation wile b l kept availabl allowed ean develoo dt evolvd pan e through both natural processes direce th indirecr d to an t interventio influencr no many eb . 286 Journal of7 Tropical28 Forest Science 11(1):286-302 (1999) s acknowledgedi t I t technicaa , scientifid an l c levels, tha valuee th t s derived from biological diversity are associated with the different levels of organisation of diversity in plants and animals. These levels include the main components of ecosystems, species, populations, individuals and genes. It is also acknowledged that varyin compled gan x interactions exist between these levels. As managers, technician scientistd san knoe sw w that considerinn i , g action ni any field, the first step is always to clearly specify objectives aimed at. In the case of genetic conservation levele th , diversitf so y targete conservatior dfo n muse b t clearly specified fro outsete mth . utmosf Thio s i s t importance possibls i t i s a , o et conserv n ecosystea e stild an lm lose specifi possibls i c t i species s a o et d an ; conserv specieea d losan se genetically distinct populations gener o , s whicy hma be of value for the adaptation and future survival of a species, or genes which will facilitate the genetic improvement of the species in breeding programmes benefitting mankind. Conservation must be accompanied by regular monitoring ensuro t e that progres s beini s g achieve n dreachini g stated objectives either through active managemen r througto h non-intervention regarn I . monitoringo dt , it should be noted that there may be no single objective measure of biological diversity, only complementary measures appropriate for specified and, by neces- sity, restricted purposes (Williams et al. 1994). Debate on conservation at both policy and popular levels has been greatly intensified over recent years in the light of actual and perceived losses of diversity. currene Inth t discussions oftes i t ,i n incorrectly assumed that diversit plann yi d tan animal communities, by definition, confers resilience (Holdgate 1996); that strong functional relationships exist among all organisms and among all levels of diversity; thad an t ther e relativelear ultimatw yfe e cause f threaso diversityo t t alss i t oI . frequently assumed thainterventioy an t willn ma , withouy nb t fail, cause unwel- come influences and destructive, or at least highly disruptive and negative, effects. If this were true, then manager policd san y makers woul neet d no kno o dt w much abou e structurth t dynamicd ean f diversityo s , since single actions would have largely predictable effects. Wit perceptioe hth broada f no , common threat with largely foreseeable overall consequences, ther naturaa s ei l hop belied ean f that simple solutions, suc s withdrawina h l humaal g n intervention segregatinr o , g land uses into strict, separable compartments, will solve the problem (Namkoong 1996). Unfortunately face thas th ,ti simpleta , uniform answe singla d rean strategr yfo genetic conservation is not available. Especially whe populae nth r term, "biodiversity" uses i , calln d i actionr sfo s i t i , frequently not specified which level of diversity is discussed, nor what the ultimate aim or aims of conservation of dynamically changing natural systems will be. This will mak difficultt ei impossiblet no f i , respono ,t scientificalla n di technicalld yan y sound manner. e concludeb n ca t I d that, from technicala scientificd an point of view, thern a s ei urgent need to gain more information on ecosystem dynamics, on genetic variation diversitavailably wa e spatialls y i th species n ei n o temporalld d yan ,an y organised within and among populations. Such information should form the basis for 288 Journal of Tropical Forest Science 11 (1):286-302 (1999) decisions on how to conserve, manage, sustainably utilise and enhance existing diversity. More generally, there is an urgent need to inform politicians, decision- makers and the public at large of the strategies and methodologies available to respond to the challenge, and of the steps needed to carry out well-targeted and efficient conservation programmes message .Th e mus cleare tb , convincing, infor- mative and technically sound. Its aim must be to help dispel the misinformation prevailin mucpublige n i th f ho c debat todayf eo , whic sourca s hi pressuref eo d san hasty policy decision st alway whicno e s har base e factsn b do whicd y an , hma damaging rather than constructive. Among the myths to be dispelled soonest are those related to the belief that nature is static and that lack of human intervention r managemeno t will ensur ecosystemsn estatusa i o qu ; thae presenth t t statf eo diversit ideae th s yli one thad an ;t human actio onln nca y diminish, never help maintain, or enhance, genetic diversity (Eriksson et al. 1993, Palmberg-Lerche 1993b). presene Th t paper reviews available strategie conservatione th r sfo , management, enhancement and sustainable use of forest genetic resources, and the linkage f genetio s c conservation wite managementh h e on e f forestto th n o s hand, and with tree improvement and breeding, on the other. It is focused on the conservation of genetic resources of trees and shrubs found in forest ecosystems. Such ecosystems also house a range of other plant and animal species, and great numbers of insects, microbes and other organisms. This complexity adds to their overall valu importanced an e , which maintaineneee b o dt enhanced dan d benefifoe rth present-daf o t futurd yan e generations. International co-operation, co-ordination of efforts and possible future strategies for concerted action are briefly touched upon in concluding the overall review. presene th n I t paper concepe ,th geneticf to resources referenvironmentale th o st , social, economic and scientific values of the heritable materials contained within and among species. Conservation is defined as the actions and policies that assure the continued availability and existence of these resources (FAO 1989). Basic consideration conservatioe th n si foresf no t genetic resources Forest trees are long-lived, outbreeding and generally highly heterozygous organisms, which have developed a number of natural mechanisms to maintain intra- specific variation. These mechanisms, combined with the often variable environ- ment (in time and space) in which forest trees occur, have contributed to the fact that exceptions, witw fe ha , forest tree amone sar mose gth t genetically variablf eo all living organisms studie dato dt e (Libby 1987). A large number of genera and species can provide the goods and services generally sought from forest d treesan s , suc s timbera h , wood, food, fodder, shade, shelter, environmental stabilisation, and amenity, cultural and spiritual values. Although it is true that less than 500 tree species have been systematically teste r theidfo r present-day utilit r man d yfo les an beinse , thaar 0 gn4 actively bred (FAO 1990, Anonymous 1991) alss i t thaoy i , tru sa rangta o et differenf eo t species are used in different countries and regions to provide the same goods and Journal of Tropical Forest Science 11(1) :286-302 (1999) 289 services, even in the case of programmes focused on intensive forestry production. In contrast to crop breeders (see e.g. Frankel 1976, Holden & Williams 1984), forester t generallno o d s y attemp chango t environmene eth suio t t specifia t c species or variety.

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