NETWORKING AGROBIODIVERSITY SAVE

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NETWORKING AGROBIODIVERSITYSAVE ELBARN,
Web-based Portals to promote Agrobiodiversity
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Structure

• Overview of the SAVE Network, online Database
  Arca-Net, Monitoring, Agrobiodiversity Net
• Needs, sustainability and ICT tools while
  networking agrobiodiversity
• Introducing into ELBARN (European Livestock
  Breeds Ark Rescue Net)

• Problems encountered, sharing the load, claims to
  the EU

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The SAVE Foundation

• SAVE is based in Konstanz/Germany
• SAVE was established in 1993 as an NGO-Umbrella
  organisation for the conservation of endangered
  breeds of domestic animals and cultivated plants
• SAVE is an European I-NGO (e.g. representative
  to the EU-COMM in Brussels, specialised
  consultative status at the FAO, member of the
  IUCN, working relationship with ERFP)
• SAVE is widely anchored The Board of Directors
  consists of 15 directors from 12 countries

• SAVE Project Commission 14 members from 10
  countries meets annually to discuss, approve and
  make suggestions
• SAVEs scientific work is done by Monitoring
  Institute for Rare Breeds and Seeds

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SAVE Network

• SAVE has 17 partners in 15
• countries in the network.
• Other interested organisations, societies and
  private persons can work together with SAVE and
  use
• the information available.
• SAVE runs projects together with partner
  organisations and with local stakeholders.
• SAVE motivates action in countries where there is
  no formal organisation

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• Arca-Net is a network of institutions that keep
  endangered livestock breeds or rare cultivated
  plants.The internet-directory is in form of a
  searchable database

• Arca-Net is designed for a broader public and, in
  form of a virtual guide, at any time available
  via Internet.
• Descriptions of the institutions, directions on
  getting there, offers and information on the
  livestock breeds kept and plants cultivated,
  their distribution, status of endangering and
  their history are available from Arca-Net.

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Agrobiodiversity-Net

• Alpine-Net
• Balkan-Net
• National Networks

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Monitoring

• Risk evaluation in cross border situations
• Establishment of coordination programmes

• Alarming and rescue actions

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What are the main needs for networking
agrobiodiversity on European level?

• well tended contact panel (SAVE has about 6000
  expert contacts)
• political influence (e.g. Greenbook, FAO, IUCN),
  networking between experts at all levels from
  farmers to international associations, build
  trust among stakeholders, set clear policy goals
• regional initiatives, SAVE has 17 partners in 15
  countries
• communication platform (network portals)

• data standardisation and harmonisation (herd
  book, monitoring recording)
• involvement of the wider public in conservation
  activities, shared responsibility between
  producer and consumer
• need of subsidies for certain mechanisms to
  support traditional animal breeds, herd books and
  other methods of breed management

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How to sustain agrobiodiversity?

• transfer of knowledge (SAVE is mediator between
  grassroot-stakeholder-state/science)
• share information
• find rare breeds, identify and declare them
• setting standards (herd book, traceability
  systems)
• network breeding organisations (avoid genetic
  bottle neck while breeding)

• awareness rising in public (politics have set out
  the Global Plan of Action, ELBARN will produce
  regional plan of actions before nationwide
  transformations)
• marketing of rare breeds (farm to fork, slow
  food, etc.)

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How is ICT a key tool in maintaining agricultural
biodiversity in our projects?

• ELBARN
• Pan-European project for in-situ conservation of
  animal genetic resources
• creating a network of existing Ark Farms
• give the system the missing element (e.g. Online
  Marketing portals)
• Scientific tool online questionnaire, breed
  descriptions (mid 2009)
• Visualisation finding and visualising the Ark
  Stations through Google Map
• SAVE Projects
• Arca-Net, Fruit-Net Online Databases
• Agrobiodiversity-Net, Online platform for
  exchange
• of information on European, Regional, National
  level
• Projects in pipeline
• ALPs Wiki of traditional knowledge
• Marketing of Ark Stations via Agroserver

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What is ELBARN?(European Livestock Breeds Ark
and Rescue Net)
A 3 year NGO-run project under Work Programme of
EC

• Aims
• To build up a network of existing establishments
  that do in-situ conservation of autochthonous
  breeds
• To record these in an online database containing
  information for both the public and the
  professional
• To establish breeding programmes and herdbooks
  where they do not already exist

• To motivate towards the establishment of Ark and
  Rescue Centres
• To secure the future of in-situ/on farm
  conservation
• linkage with EFABIS
• It brings together the EU States, NGOs, breeders,
  farmers and others

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ELBARN

• Database
• Google Map
• Online questionnaire

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Problems encountered

• NGOs are often excluded from EU politics
  (languages, bureaucracy)
• different initial situation (herd book,
  traceability systems)
• scientific definitions (what is are (rare)
  breed?)
• continuity of projects (monitoring is a long term
  task)
• very different level of individual skills with
  computer technology (only some countries have
  problems with internet access)
• highly sophisticated solutions are not
  appropriate for stakeholders
• motivation to participate on online forums is low

• information about rare breed stock numbers is
  dispersed over a geographically large area and,
  additionally, the holders of the information are
  often not aware of it's value
• general information quality is poor

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Sharing the Load

• NGO
• Monitoring of breeds and their conservation
  status
• Livestock transfers
• Advice to breeders/keepers
• Management of herd books
• Promotion of cultural heritage and products
• In situ/on farm conservation

• State
• Financial assistance incentive measures as
  mentioned in Art. 11 of the Convention on
  Biological Diversity (CBD)
• Cooperation with the private sector Art. 10 CBD
• Reassessing the legal framework
• Positive regulation

• Science
• Scientific documentation and verification
• Advice, recommendations and strategies
• Ex-situ conservation

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Claims to the Commission

• Establishment of an EU web Portal for small
  organisations (Public relation)
• Support (financial, logistical) with translations
  for EU wide organisations
• Reducement of bureaucracy in EU projects high
  administration efforts in project processing
  (disadvantage in competition for small NGOs)
• Creation of a label to identify products from
  rare breeds/cultivated plants
• Small-scale production
• With locally adapted, traditional livestock
  breeds and cultivated plants
• more see (http//www.save-foundation.net/english/
  actual.htm)

• Financial support for the establishment of Rescue
  Centers for case of diseases in every country
• Transparent Traceability of traditional products
  (farm to fork)
• Subsidies for continuous monitoring projects

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Thank you for your attention!
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Working together

• Without a planned strategy, loss of genetic
  diversity cannot be halted
• Cooperative goal setting is essential
• Means for achieving goals not just financial,
  they are also structural/legal
• NGOs need to be brought on board but also need
  the freedom to remain innovative and
  representative of their members
• Where no NGOs exist, space should be provided for
  them to emerge
• Success will only be found in the cooperation of
  all stakeholders!

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Global Plan of Action the Interlaken declaration

• Sustainable use, development and conservation of
  the worlds livestock genetic resources are of
  vital importance to agriculture, food production,
  rural development and the environment. GAP
  includes 23 strategic priorities for action to
  promote the wise management of these vital
  resources.
• GAP should ensure that the worlds livestock
  biodiversity is utilized to promote global food
  security and remains available to future
  generations.

Wilderswil declaration of NGOs

• Because the Global Plan of Action does not
  challenge industrial livestock production, we
  reinforce our commitment to organise ourselves,
  to save livestock diversity and to counter the
  negative forces bearing on us.

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Implementing the global plan of action (GAP)
How can NGOs and ELBARN contribute?

• ELBARN will set out Area Action Plans (after
  helding 4 Area Workshop in 2009) to support
  states to set out National Action Plans (NAP)

• Help develop national policies
• SAVE can negotiate dialogue between State
  agencies and the grassroots
• Networking of stakeholders to promote coordinated
  work
• Motivate interest groups to professionalise and
  keep herd books etc
• Dissemination of knowledge to other national
  organisations
• Crossborder occurring breeds harmonising of
  characterisation, inventory and monitoring
  standards