european forest genetic resources programme
Related Information
Mandate
As part of the Warsaw Declaration (2007), European countries and the European Community committed themselves to “maintain, conserve, restore and enhance the biological diversity of forests, including their genetic resources, through sustainable forest management”. EUFORGEN is included in the MCPFE Work Programme (2008) as one of the specific actions that support the follow-up of the Warsaw Conference. In Warsaw, the countries also agreed to reinforce implementation of the previous commitments, including Strasbourg Resolution 2 (Conservation of forest genetic resources) (1990) and Vienna Resolution 4 (Conserving and enhancing forest biological diversity in Europe) (2003).
Most European countries have committed themselves to the implementation of decisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In 2002, the sixth meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the CBD adopted the Expanded Programme of Work on Forest Biological Diversity. Among other objectives, the CBD Programme of Work specifically encourages development of information systems and strategies for in situ and ex situ conservation to promote sustainable use of forest genetic diversity (Goal 4; Objective 4).
In 2008, COP 9 Decision IX/5 urged Parties to “promote and implement sustainable forest management and the ecosystem approach to maintain forest biodiversity and ecosystem functions, in all types of forests, promote forest restoration and minimise deforestation and forest degradation so as to achieve the goals and objectives of the programme of work including addressing climate change”. Furthermore, COP 9 invited Parties, other governments and international organizations to “recognize and increase understanding of the potential of forest genetic diversity to address climate change, maintain forest ecosystems resilience and lead to the discovery of new timber and non-timber forest resources”.