COUNTRY REPORTS THE STATE OF GERMANY’S BIODIVERSITY FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE This country report has been prepared by the national authorities as a contribution to the FAO publication, The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture. The report is being made available by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as requested by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The information in this report has not been verified by FAO, and the content of this document is entirely the responsibility of the authors, and does not necessarily represent the views of FAO, or its Members. The designations employed and the presentation of material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Country Report Germany The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture 28.10.2015 Guidelines for the preparation of the Country Reports for The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture TABLE OF CONTENT List of abbreviations and acronyms AbL German Small Farmers' Association ADT German Animal Breeders Federation AECM Agri-environment-climate measures AEM Agri-environment measures AGRDEU Database for aquatic genetic resources AnGR Animal genetic resources AqGR Aquatic genetic resources ATB Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam- Bornim BArtSchV Federal Species Protection Ordinance Basis-DLM Basis Digital Landscape Model BBSR Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development BDP Federal Association of German Plant Breeders BDRG German Association of Poultry Breeders BEKO Advisory and Co-ordinating Committee for Agricultural and Horticultural Crops of the BMEL BfN Federal Agency for Nature Conservation BGBl. Federal Law Gazette BLAG-FGR Federal-Länder working group Forest Genetic Resources and Forest Seed Legislation BLE Federal Office for Agriculture and Food BMBF Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMEL Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, since 2014 BMELV Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, until 2013 BMJ Federal Ministry of Justice BMU Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, until 2013 BMUB Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, since 2014 BMZ Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development BNatSchG Federal Nature Conservation Act BÖLN Federal Organic Farming Scheme and other forms of sustainable agriculture BÖLW German Organic Food Industry Federation BUND Friends of the Earth Germany BWaldG Forest Preservation and Forestry Promotion Act BZE The National Forest Soil Inventory CAP Common Agricultural Policy CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CGRFA Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture CWR Crop wild relatives DAFV German Recreational Fishing Association DBV German Farmers' Association DFA German Research Centre for Food Chemistry DFV German Fishing Association DGfZ German Society for Animal Production DIB German Beekeepers Association DIL German Institute of Food Technologies DJV German Hunting Association DLV German Agricultural Publishing House DSMZ German Collection of Micro-organisms and Cell Cultures DVL German Association for Landcare EAFRD European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development ECPGR European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources EFA Ecological Focal Areas EFI European Forest Institute e.g. For example EEZ Exclusive economic zone ELF Food, Agriculture and Forest EPGRIS European Plant Genetic Resources Information Infrastructure EU European Union EURISCO European Search Catalogue for plant genetic resources EVA National Evaluation Programme for Plant Genetic Resources FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations FBN Leibniz Institute for farm animal biology FFH Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) FGR Forest genetic resource FGRDEU National Database for Forest Genetic Resources in Germany FNR Agency for Renewable Resources GAK Joint Task for the Improvement of Agricultural Structures and Coastal Protection GBIF Global Biodiversity Information Facility GBIS Genebank Information System of IPK Gatersleben GCDT Global Crop Diversity Trust GEH Society for the Conservation of Old and Endangered Livestock Breeds GENRES Information System on Genetic Resources GFP Common Fisheries Policy GFU Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species ha hectares HNV high nature value IACS Integrated Administration and Control System IAMO Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies IBV Information and Coordination Centre for Biological Diversity of the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food ICZ Integrated Coastal Zone ICZM Integrated Coastal Zone Management IGZ Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Großbeeren IKZM Integrated development of coastal zones and islands IMA Inter-ministerial working group IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPEN International Plant Exchange Network IPK Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research IPGRI International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, now Bioversity International IPPC International Plant Protection Convention IRZ Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof of the Federal Centre for Breeding Research on Cultivated Plants (BAZ) (since 1 January 2008 Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof of the Julius Kühn Institute) ITPGRFA International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources JKI-ZO Institute for Breeding Research on Fruit Crops of the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) KULAP Programme for agricultural landscape Länder Federal states of the Federal Republic of Germany LTZ Agricultural Technology Centre Augustenberg MAB Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO MCPD Multi-Crop Passport Descriptors MGR Genetic resources of microorganisms and invertebrates MLS Multilateral System of the ITPGRFA MSRL European Marine Strategy Framework Directive MSY Maximum Sustainable Yield NABU German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union NAMA Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action NAP National Adaptation Plan NAPA National Adaptation Programmes of Action NBS National Biodiversity Strategy NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NRW North Rhine-Westphalia OJ Official Journal PGR Plant genetic resources PGRDEU German National Inventory of Plant Genetic Resources PGRFA Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture SAVE Safeguard for Agricultural Varieties in Europe SDW German Association for the Protection of Forests and Woodlands SMTA Standard Material Transfer Agreement of the ITPGRFA SysTax Botanical Garden Information System TEEB The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity TGRDEU German National Inventory of Animal Genetic Resources TI Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries UAA Utilised Agricultural Area UBA Federal Environment Agency UNCLOS United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UPOV International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants VAAM Association for General and Applied Microbiology VEN German Association for the Conservation of Crop Diversity VERN Association for the Conservation and Recultivation of Crop Diversity in Brandenburg WEL Wild plants for food and agriculture WHG Federal Water Act WIEWS World Information and Early Warning System of FAO WSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development WRRL Water Framework Directive ZADI Former German Centre for Documentation and Information in Agriculture (today cf. IBV) ZALF Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research ZDRK Central Association of German Rabbit Breeders ZEFOD Inventory of Biological Research Collections in Germany ZVG German Central Horticultural Association THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF COUNTRY REPORTS The preparation of Country Reports is one of the most important steps in the process for preparing the first report on The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture (the SoWBFA Report), and will be critical in filling in gaps to existing information and establishing baseline information on biodiversity for food and agriculture, and on its role in providing multiple ecosystem services. The preparatory process of Country Reports should also be considered a strategic planning exercise and the report generated an overview of the country’s sustainable management practices of biodiversity for food and agriculture and a tool for the assessment of national priorities and future needs to be addressed. Country Reports should also be seen as an opportunity to engage and stimulate the interests of a wide range of stakeholders from different sectors, and including smallholders. The present Guidelines for Country Reports (Guidelines) aim to help countries to assemble baseline information and highlight the importance of a collaborative process, bringing together experts (including those stakeholders with experiential