Major policy issues related to genetic diversity in terrestrial ecosystems in Europe

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Major policy issues related to genetic
diversity in terrestrial ecosystems in Europe
Jozef Turok International Plant Genetic Resources
Institute
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Biodiversity a policy issue

• Key issue of social and development concern
• Convention on Biological Diversity (1992)
  global, legally binding agreement, now ratified
  by 168 countries
• Conservation and use of biological diversity in
  its broadest sense
• Developing appropriate policies is complex
  heterogeneity, interdependence, inadequate
  knowledge, multiple interests

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Biodiversity a public good

• Property rights to the good are not exclusive and
  use of the good is not rival
• Sovereignty and responsibility of states (CBD)
• Biological resources are essentially non-rival,
  but the products derived from genetic information
  can be turned into marketable goods in this
  case benefits easily recognizable

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Biodiversity a public good

• Markets fail to reflect the total value of
  biodiversity to society
• Less tangible values provision of ecosystem
  services, clean air, genetic resources, existence
  of biodiversity
• Not privately appropriable values require more
  substantial incentives and a more active public
  policy for their realization
• Policy interventions necessary to correct market
  failures

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Policy instruments for realizing public values

• Regulations aiming at the conservation and
  sustainable use of biodiversity
• Reflect the will of the society to ensure
  positive and avoid negative externalities of
  management of natural resources
• Legally-binding instruments (laws) and
  non-legally binding instruments
• Various levels Global, European, National,
  negotiated at different fora

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Major policy issues related to forest biodiversity

• Genetic diversity (maintenance of the variability
  within a species in a natural or an artificially
  regenerated stand)
• Quality (of genetic material)
• Adaptation (the ability of trees to grow in local
  environmental conditions)
• Availability (the conditions of access to and
  exchange of reproductive material)
• Use of genetically modified material

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Genetic diversity

• Nature conservancy ecosystem, species
• Nature protection policies and laws
• Natural and semi-natural ecosystems the primary
  reservoir of biodiversity
• Regulations size and location of conservation
  areas, management plans
• Protected areas
• Several constraints

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EU legislation

• Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC to establish a
  network of protected areas throughout the
  Community to maintain the distribution and the
  abundance of threatened species and habitats
• Network Natura 2000
• European Biodiversity Strategy (1998)
• Sectoral Biodiversity Action Plans
• Forestry Strategy for the European Union

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Adaptation and quality

• Movement of forest reproductive material in
  international trade
• Use of proper material for afforestation and
  reforestation purposes
• Measures approval of a sufficient number of
  seed sources, guidelines for collection from a
  minimum population size, rules for seed orchards,
  restrictions on exotic species
• Rules based on environmental similarities
• Importance in view of climate change

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Directive 1999/105/EC

• Implementation by EU Member States as of 1
  January 2003 (1 May 2004)
• Requirements for marketing (labeling) of
  reproductive material with implications for seed
  collecting and plant production
• Requires that material is documented and
  encourages appropriate use
• Wider range of eco-geographic conditions,
  species, regions based on research

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Availability

• Access and benefit sharing
• Increasing appreciation of the values of genetic
  resources
• Access shall be on mutually agreed terms and
  subject to prior informed consent (CBD)
• Each Party shall take measures with the aim of
  sharing in a fair and equitable way the results
  of r d and the benefits arising from the
  commercial and other utilization
• Implies a bilateral transaction

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Availability through a multilateral system

• Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture
  high interdependence
• International Treaty global, comprehensive,
  legally binding agreement, tailored to the needs
  of agriculture (FAO)
• Adopted in 2001, entered into force in 2004
• Framework for action in support of sound
  management of and access to plant genetic
  resources, related knowledge and technologies

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Multilateral System

• Standard terms of facilitated access for
  research, breeding and training
• No IPR on materials that limit access to them, or
  their genetic parts or components
• A share of royalties to be paid into a common
  fund upon commercializing new varieties that are
  protected by IPR, and where the product is not
  freely available for further research and breeding

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Use of genetically modified trees

• Strong labeling requirement for genetically
  modified basic material (EC Directive
  1999/105/EC)
• EC Directive on Genetically Modified Organisms
  2001/18/EC

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Certification schemes

• Another way to realize privately appropriable
  values of biodiversity
• Products (timber, farm produce) are certified to
  have been produced in such a fashion as to
  minimize biodiversity loss
• Creation of a market for the goods that are
  certified according to criteria
• Direct involvement of private sector, consumers,
  awareness raising
• Constraint market potential is uncertain

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Certification of forests

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) 50 million ha
  worldwide
• Programme for the Endorsement of Forest
  Certification (PEFC) 123 million
• 93 in developed temperate countries, 7 in the
  tropics

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Policy process forests

• Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of
  Forests in Europe (MCPFE) since 1990
• Address common opportunities, threats
• A consistent forum for policy dialogue
• Agreement on a series of instruments
• Sustainable Forest Management, Criteria
  Indicators, National Forest Programmes
• Forest Biodiversity Vienna Resolution 4

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Policy process environment

• Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity
  Strategy (PEBLDS)
• European response to support implementation of
  CBD
• All social and economic sectors
• Mobilize the research community, information/
  dissemination organizations
• Joint Work Programme with the MCPFE
• Streamlining European Biodiversity Indicators 2010

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Contributions of Evoltree

• Suggest designs of nature protected areas (size,
  location, distribution)
• Establish guidelines for restoration
• Establish validate technical guidelines for
  genetically sustainable forest management
• Recommend adaptations in current regulations for
  transfer of forest reproductive material
  including regions of provenance
• Enable assessment of origin and identity
• Enable tracking of wood products

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Outlook

• Various laws and policy initiatives
• Implementation of national instruments
• Biodiversity is often a political catchword
• Creating and disseminating scientific knowledge
  demonstrated impact on policy
• Recognized need to improve standards on genetics
  (certification schemes, c i)
• Sectoral integration of biodiversity policies
• Participation of stakeholder groups