This document discusses biodiversity and the importance of conserving plant genetic resources. It notes that biodiversity is being lost rapidly due to factors like habitat destruction, and that this threatens global food security since a small number of major crops provide over 60% of our food. Conserving crop diversity is crucial as it contains valuable traits for adapting to climate change, disease, and other challenges. The document outlines international efforts to promote biodiversity conservation through activities like plant exploration, establishing gene banks, and facilitating access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources.

1.  Biodiversity : wilson (1988) by shortening
biological diversity
 Banham (1993) the degree of variety in nature. It
is variability among living organisms. Is the basic
biotic resource to sustain life
 Food and environmental security is dependent on
biodiversity
 May provide valuable traits to meet future
challenges such as
a) Changing climate conditions
b) Reduction in supply of water and nutrients
c) Combating disease outbreaks

2.  Even the wild botanical relatives of food crops
found usually around the cultivated crops can
be important sources of genes to grow in
stressful conditions

3.  Variation of genes among the same species
 Generates distinct populations of the same
species

4.  Refers to the variety of species in a region
 Can be measured simply on the basis of
number of species in a region

5.  Variety of communities living in an ecosystem
 In an ecosystem, there may exist different
landforms each supporting distinct
vegetation and life forms

6. Include all our agricultural crops and their
wild relatives
The objective of this study includes to
understand how we can acquire, maintain,
distribute plant genetic resources

7.  The idea goes 1200 years back
 Hunters realised that plants could be saved
and seeds can be planted season to season
 Then they used to save seeds/crops
a) which were easiest to save/process
b) Those which most likely survived till
growing season
c) Those which simply tasted best

8.  Resultantly, > 7000species were collected
 Many remain localized to isolated
communities
 Exploiting their potential is crucial to achieve
food security

9.  It is estimated that about 30 crops provide
95% food and energy requirements
 Rice, wheat, maize and potatoes>60%
 A potential role of a very small number of
crops for global food security,
 Pivotal to conserve diversity among these
major crops

10.  The diversity is often immense
 The number of distinct rice varieties: Oryza
sativa is >100000
 Only in Andes, the farmers cultivate <175
locally known tomato varieties
 Intra species diversity in the crops favours its
cultivation in
 Different regions
 Different situation
 Weather and soil conditions

11.  Rapid increase in human population
 Industrialization and economic growth
 Many plant and animal species are being
destroyed rapidly
a) Indiscriminate deforesting
b) Acquisition of agricultural lands for
residential purposes
Results in
a) elimination of plant species
b) Other life forms dependent on plants in that
region

12.  Estimated 5-30M species of living forms exist
 Only 1.5M have been identified
These include
a) 300K green plants and fungi
b) 800K species of insects
c) 40K species of vertebrates
d) 360K species of microorganisms

13.  International union for conservation of nature
and natural resources reported that , 11% of
known bird species are endangered.
 survey by centre for plant conservation
reported that 680 plant species will become
extinct in USA soon
 20% of known freshwater fish species are
seriously threatened

14.  Biodiversity loss is undue human interference
with other life forms
 It looks human race is head to battle against
all other life forms
 Arrogant role of human beings as Homo
sapiens is the only species and others donot
matter
 Nearly 2000 species of higher plants will be
endangered, rare and threated with extinction
soon (Bajaj, 1995)

15.  Human beings put great effort on selection
of superior varieties
 Selective breeding resulting in promotion of
superior qualities
 Ignoring inferior qualities
 In this way some novel qualities may be
depleted from the population
 e.g desirable characters in plants

16.  High yield
 Easy to cultivate
 Salt tolerance
 Drought resistance
 Resistance to insects

17.  Loss of individual genes and gene
combinations from a species by
a) The replacement of local varieties by the
modern varieties
b) The emergence of new pests
c) The resistance in pests to pesticides
d) Environmental changes

18.  The problem is how to conserve what remains
of natural biodiversity for future generations
 Genetic resources are renewable if
used/managed properly
 No region/country is self sufficient in genetic
resources
 Some crops/varities introduced from other
countries become major crops of adoption
countries

19.  Conservation of biodiversity
 The sustainable use of components of genetic
diversity
 Sharing of benefits of genetic resources

20.  Conservation of microorganisms which help
in
a) Revival of biological potential of land
b) reclamation of wastelands and
 Protection to domesticated plant and animal
species
 Breeding of threatened species through
modern techniques of tissue culture and
biotechnology

21.  Control of over exploitation of agricultural
lands for industrial or domestic use
 Introduction of exotic species after
appropriate investigation

22.  UNO Food and agriculture organization (FAO)
(1961)
 Put a formal footing on plant exploration in
1965
 A panel on forest gene resources was
established in 1968
 Held many meetings under FAO and
international biological programme (IBP)

23.  The real work began by the establishment of
International board for plant genetic
resources (IBPGR) by
 Consultative group on international
agriculture research (CGIAR)

24.  Their tasks include
a) Promotion, collection, conservation and
evaluation of plant genetic resources of
economic concern
b) Defined about 50 priority crops and their
wild relatives needing urgent action
c) Located priority regions/areas to be
surveyed

25.  Raising awareness in the international
community of rapid gene erosion
 Developed the gene bank standards
 Code of conduct for plant germplasm
collection and transfer

26.  In the 1990s, the Commission coordinated
efforts in more than 100 countries to assess
and report on the State of the World’s Plant
Genetic Resources for Food and agriculture
 1996, 50 countries adopted the Global Plan
of Action for the conservation and
sustainable utilization of plant genetic
resources for Food and Agriculture.

27. International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources
for Food and Agriculture (2004)
 120 countries agreed to facilitate access to
genetic resources of 64 important crops
 Sharing the benefits of using plant genetic
resources
 Funding to developing countries

28.  The Global Crop Diversity Trust
 Supports the ex situ conservation of crop
genetic diversity