EXCHANGING AND CONSERVING TREE BREEDING MATERIALS 283 



internal: i oval organ i :at i cms 



As one might expect, international organizations often are in the 

 best position to solve international problems. The United Nations, the 

 International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) , and other 

 international and multinational organizations are providing leadership 

 and assistance. With their help and sponsorship the exchange and con- 

 servation of forest tree breeding materials are moving ahead. 



FAO 



The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations 

 has numerous activities and gives strong leadership in this area. This 

 organization serves its member Nations, but all other members of the 

 United Nations may participate in and benefit from its activities as 

 observers. Recently FAO, in cooperation with the International Biological 

 Program (IBP), held a Technical Conference on the Exploration, Utiliza- 

 tion, and Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources. 



This Conference was concerned over the fact that the genetic 

 resources of the plants by which we live are dwindling rapidly and 

 disastrously. Attention was called to the fact that, 



"reserves of genetic variation ... in the primeval forest equipped 

 with a seemingly inexhaustable range of variation, have been or 

 are being displaced by high-producing and uniform cultivars, 

 and by forest plantations .. .This 'erosion' of our biological 

 resources may gravely affect future generations which will, 

 rightly blame ours for lack of responsibility and foresight." 



The Conference recognized the urgent need for rapid and widespread action 

 to stem the growing loss of irreplaceable germ plasm. The proceedings of 

 this Conference will soon be published by Blackwell Scientific Publica- 

 tions, Ltd., Oxford. It brings together and examines critically what is 

 known about the methodology of exploration, utilization, and conservation 

 of plant germ plasm. More important, the Conference made a series of 

 recommendations to FAO and to member governments. Hopefully these will 

 strengthen efforts to prevent erosion of genetic resources and to 

 accelerate efforts to find, use, and save critical gene resources. 



Following one recommendation of the Conference, FAO established a 

 Panel of Experts on Forest Gene Resources. The panel has 10 members, 

 representing 9 nations or regional organizations. Its first meeting was 

 held in Rome on October 21-25, 1968. I had the honor to be elected 

 chairman of this panel. We hope that our efforts will help in planning 

 and coordinating international efforts to explore, utilize, and conserve 

 the gene resources of forest trees. 



To this end the panel's report 1 summarizes recent and current acti- 

 vities and recommends both short- and long-term programs for FAO. For 

 the 1970/71 biennium, we recommended that $40,000 should be made available 

 under FAO's regular program for seed procurement. It would be used to 



1 "Report of the First Session of the FAO Panel of Experts on 

 Forest Gene Resources , " Food and Agriculture Organization of the United 

 Nations , Rome, 1969 3 44 p. 



