Forest Genetic Resources Management in India

About this book

Language: English

From the preface:

"Forests are the World’s most important and most valuable renewable natural resource, evolved and conserved over millennia in their natural habitats. Forest Genetic Resources (FGRs) has been understood as genetic variation in trees of potential or
present benefit to humans. The forest genetic resources directly or indirectly support the livelihoods of humans and also cater to the raw material needs of numerous forest based industries. In addition, FGRs are the source material for the development of improved varieties, and their conservation is of critical importance for sustaining the tree improvement programme. These genetic resources face several threats due to adverse abiotic and biotic stresses, habitat degradation, destruction, forest fires, climate change and invasive weeds resulting in damage to the forest ecosystem. Forest Genetic Resources are indispensible elements for effective and long term conservation for the betterment of society, sustainable utilization and conservation. Unlike the agricultural and horticultural crops, the conservation of Forest Genetic Resources in India has been carried out through scattered efforts by various Research Institutes, State Forest Departments, Universities and NGOs across the country. No systematic attempt has been made so far for the conservation and management of forest genetic resources in our country. The FGRs are not documented properly and there is no mechanism to access and utilize it effectively.

In this scenario, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, has identified the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) as the nodal centre for establishing the Forest Genetic Resources Management Network (FGRMN), and the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore, has been entrusted with the responsibility of functioning as a nodal agency for implementing FGRMN. The FGRMN will act as a nodal agency at national level for collection, characterization, conservation, documentation and exchange of information on FGRs. The Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding has organized the Consultative Workshop on Strategies for Formulation of Forest Genetic Resources Management Network on the 9^th and 10^th March, 2011. This book presents the outcomes of that workshop"

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