The first-ever edition of The State of the World's Forest Genetic Resources report has found that half of all the world’s utilized forest species are under threat.

In releasing the report, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has called on countries to improve data gathering and research to promote the conservation and sustainable management of the world's forest genetic resources.

The report, to which the World Agroforestry Centre was a major contributor, shows how the conversion of forests to pastures and farmland, overexploitation, and climate change are all impacting on the food, goods and services that forests provide for the survival and wellbeing of humanity.

“The contribution of forests and trees to boosting food security, reducing poverty, and promoting sustainable development depends on the availability of a rich diversity of tree species,” says the FAO.

This diversity is especially critically in agroforestry as it enables breeders to select for desirable traits in domesticating improved tree species. It also ensures forests can adapt to changing environmental conditions or survive pests and diseases.

In agroforestry, a diversity of tree varieties can “reduce farmers' production risks and provide nutrients to consumers all year round,” says the report.

The report highlights how agroforestry systems which integrate traditional knowledge and scientific advances and are based on diverse, adapted tree germplasm offer one of the most promising solutions for addressing problems of overpopulation and limited land base. The World Bank estimates that 1.2 billion people use trees on farms to generate food and cash, and a study by the Centre has found that almost half of the agricultural land in the world has a tree cover of more than 10 percent.

Attention is drawn to work by the World Agroforestry Centre in generating knowledge on forest genetic resources and developing principles and methods for agroforestry domestication. The Agroforestree database - which provides storage information for 670 agroforestry tree species - and the development of a series of seed leaflets in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen are 2 major contributions to addressing knowledge gaps.

The report notes that indigenous tree flora have been poorly investigated for their economic and productive potential but states that this is “partly being rectified by ICRAF and its national partners”.

The approach being taken by the Centre in participatory domestication, which aims to combine local and scientific knowledge, is helping to generate knowledge about a range of indigenous multipurpose tree species that meet the needs of local communities such as for charcoal, fodder, fruits and nuts, oils and medicines. According to this report, “this type of approach is especially advantageous where markets are lacking, poorly developed or poorly functioning”.

The report calls for urgent action to better manage forests and their genetic resources to ensure rural people who depend on them for their nutrition, livelihoods and resilience will be able to rely on their benefits over the long term.

In compiling data from 86 countries, the report authors found that national policies relating to forest genetic resources are often partial, ineffective, or non-existent. It estimates that less than 1 percent of all existing tree species are being assessed for improved production and adaptability in different planting site conditions or under selection or breeding programs.

Read a story about the report on the FAO website: Action needed to safeguard genetic diversity of the world's forests

Find out more about The State of the World's Forest Genetic Resources report

Photo: Alain Tsobeng, a scientist with the World Agroforestry holds a superior variety of njansang, one of the indigenous tree species being domesticated in Cameroon: Charlie Pye-Smith.