Assessment of genetic resources conservation and use in Near East and North

Africa regionAhmed Amri

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)

Trends in degradation of natural resources in NENA region

• 70% of arable land in the world and 90% in the NENA region affected by desertification;

• Expected decreases by 2020: rangeland by 22%, cropped areas by 21% and forest land by 30%;

• Soil loss estimates: normal vegetation cover (10-60 kg/ha); burned forest (200-550 kg/ha); cultivated areas (3280 kg/ha) (Jaloul and Kbabo 1993 Syria);

• Per capita holdings: 0.34 ha (1975), 0.19 (1997);• Depletion of ground water due to over-exploitation;• Alarming loss of biodiversity in general and agrobiodiversity.

Flora and endemism in Arab countries (World conservation center, 1992)

Countries Total species N. Endemic species N. Threatened species

Algeria 3200 250 145

Egypt 2112 70 91

Jordan 2500 - 752

Lebanon* 3050 305 5

Libya 1900 134 58

Mauritania 1100 - 3

Morocco 4500 600 194

Palestine 3000 - 980

Syria* 3050 305 11

Tunisia 2150 170 26

Bahrain 196 0 -

Iraq 2921 190 -

Kuwait 235 0 1

Oman 1021 74 2

Qatar 221 0 -

Saudi Arabia 1737 34 2

Sudan 3000 - -

United Emirates 342 0 -

Yemen 2336 135 134

Middle East and North Africa region encompasses four major centers of diversity and the Mediterranean hot spots of endemic flora

• Agrobiodiversity continues to support the livelihoods of rural poor in drylands and mountainous areas;

• Reservoir of valuable traits for breeding programs around the world including genes for adaptation to climate change adverse effects;

• Source of material for rehabilitation of degraded eco- and farming systems;

• Several other social and environmental benefits/services.

Importance of dryland agrobiodiversity

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Lebanon

SyriaJordan

Palestine

Lowest 25%

25%-50% 50%-75% Highest 25%

Wealth quartiles

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Mea

n (J

D/Y

ear)

Selling c rop produc tionSelling livestock produc tsValue of selling live animalsOff-farm labor wage from agricultureOff-farm labor wage out side agricultureGovernment employeeRemittance from members working out side the country

Lowest 25%

25 - 50% 50 - 75% Highest 25%

Wealth quartilies

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

Mea

n SL

/Yea

r

Selling c rop produc tionSelling livestock produc tsSelling live animalsOff-farm labor wage from agricultureOff-farm labor wage out side agricultureGovernment employeeRemittance from members working out side the countryOther income

Aegilops, Avena, Hordeum, Secale and Triticum species

Sources: Katherine Whitehouse, Holly Vincent, Ahmed Amri and Nigel Maxted (2012) and Maxted et al (2010)

Cicer, Lathyrus, Lens, Medicago, Pisum and Vicia

species

Mapping of species richness for priority species

Location of complementarity analysis for all priority Cicer, Lathyrus, Lens, Medicago, Pisum and Vicia species diversity hotspotsSource: Maxted et al. (2010)

Complementary analysis for in situ conservation of wild relatives of cereals and legumes

Location of complementarity analysis for priority Aegilops, Avena, Hordeum, Secale and Triticum species diversity hotspots

Grazing pressure

New varieties

New species

Overuse

Urbanization

Drought

Decreased farming

Cutting

Quarries

Fire

Land reclamation

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

20042000

Severity score

Major factors affecting agrobiodiversity in NENA region

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

8-days interval from 2000-2013

Enha

nced

Veg

etati

on In

dex (

EVI)

MODIS Time Series Spectral Profiles

rangelands (Muwaqqar, Jordan

2000-13)Water deficit years (droughts)Water surplus years (good years)

Declining vegetation trend

Source: P. Patil, C. Biradar and A. Amri (CRP Drylands Systems 2013)

Major LULC Type 1985 2002 2013Croplands 7756.85 8177.69 8499.92Non-Woody/Grassland 44512.65 33412.05 36507.21Barren and Sparsely Vegetated 47586.31 58127.76 54251.20Urban and built-up areas 21.87 124.51 691.28Woody Vegetation 98.70 158.33 50.73Waterbody 23.96 0.00 0.00

Requirements for building efficient, effective, rational national and global systems for PGRFA conservation

Conservation

Use

Svalbard

Safety backup

Base collection

Active collection

Breeder collection

Farmers

Trad

ition

al

gene

bank

ne

twor

ks

Mak

ing

gene

bank

s m

ore

usef

ul

• National commitment (strategy, policy, institutional arrangements);

• Better coordination at the national level;

• Combining both ex situ and in situ conservation approaches;

• Establishment of reliable genebanks;

• Safety duplication of collections and related databases;

• Linking conservation to utilization (gene mining and evaluation);

• International collaboration with fair and equitable benefit sharing.

State of ratification of major PGRFA related international agreements by NENA countries

Agreements Number of countries Years of ratification Countries

CBD 25 1993-2015 AFG, ALG, BAH, DJI, EGY, IRN, IRQ, JOR, KWT, LEB, LBY, MAUR, MOR, OMA, PAL, PAK, QAT, SAR, SOM, SUD, SYR, TUN, TUR, UAE, YEM

Cartagena Protocol 22 2004-2015 AFG, ALG, BAH, DJI, IRN, IRQ, EGY, JOR, KWT, LBY, AUR, MOR, PAL, PAK, OMA, QAT, SAR, SYR, TUN, TUR, UAE, YEM

Nagoya Protocol 12 2011-2016 ALG, EGY, JOR, LEB, MAUR, MOR, PAK, SUD, SYR, TUN, UAE, YEM

CITES 21 1975-2001 BAH, DJI, EGY, IRN, IRQ, JOR, KWT, LEB, LBY, MAUR, MOR, OMA, PAK, QAT, SAR, SUD, SYR, TUN, TUR, UAE, YEM

ITPGRFA 22 2001-2014 AFG, ALG, DJI, EGY, IRN, IRQ, JOR, KWT, LEB, LBY, MAUR, MOR, OMA, PAK, QAT, SUD, SAR, SYR, TUN, TUR, UEA, YEM

UPOV 5 2003-2009 JOR, MOR, OMA, TUN , TUR

CountriesStrategy

Action PlanNumber

institutionsNational focal

institutionNational PGR

committeeMedium and long-term conservation Cryo-conservation

Field genebanks

Safety duplication

Iran Yes 5 Yes Yes Yes (M,L) Yes Yes +/-Turkey Yes 5 Yes Yes Yes (M,L) Yes Yes +/-Pakistan Yes 5 Yes Yes Yes (M,L) Yes Yes NoMorocco Yes 5 Yes Yes (1992) Yes (M,L) Yes Yes NoAlgeria Draft 4 INRAA (2007) No No No Yes NoTunisia Yes 6 NGBT (2007) Yes (2007) Yes (M,L) Yes Yes NoLibya No 1 No No Yes (M) No Yes NoEgypt Yes 9 NGB (2004) Yes (1994) Yes (M,L) Yes Yes NoSyria Yes 2 GCSAR (2001) Yes (2004) No No Yes NoSudan Yes 3 No Yes Yes (M,L) Yes Yes NoLebanon Yes 2 No No Yes (L) No Yes NoJordan Yes 3 NCARTT (2002) Yes (2001) Yes (M) No Yes NoIraq No 1 No No No No Yes NoQatar No 2 No No No No Yes NoKuwait No 2 No No No No Yes NoSaudi Arabia No 3 No No Yes (M) No Yes NoOman No 2 No No Yes (M) No Yes NoUAE No 2 No No No Yes Yes NoYemen Yes 2 No No Yes (M) No Yes No

Institutional arrangements for ex situ conservation in NENA countries

State of utilization of genetic resources in NENA countries

Countries Documentation Extent of distribution Characterization Evaluation Breeding activities

Inside Outside Agro-morphologic Molecular

Morocco Complete Shared Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive +++

Algeria No Shared Limited Extensive Limited Extensive ++

Tunisia No Limited Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive ++

Libya No Limited Limited Limited Limited Limited +

Egypt Complete Limited Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive +++

Sudan Partial Shared Limited Extensive Limited Extensive +++

Syria Complete Fair Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive ++

Lebanon No Shared Shared Limited Limited Limited +

Palestine No Limited Limited Limited Limited Limited -

Jordan Complete Shared Shared Extensive Extensive Extensive ++

Kuwait No Shared Shared Limited Extensive for date palm Fair -

Qatar No Shared Shared Limited Extensive for date palm Fair -

Saudi Arabia No Shared Limited Limited Extensive for date palm Fair +

Oman No Shared Shared Limited Limited Limited -

UAE No Shared Shared Limited Extensive for date palm Fair -

Yemen Partial Shared Shared Limited Limited Limited +

Iran Complete Shared Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive +++

Turkey Complete Shared Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive +++

Pakistan Complete Shared Limited Extensive Fair Extensive +++

Countries No. accessions 1996

No. accessions 2007

No. accessions at ICARDA

Morocco 3,115 23,000 4479Algeria 985 663 3733Tunisia 504 11,400 4236Libya 1,750 1934 69Egypt* 8,914 30,000 1201Sudan* 4,280 10,000 180Turkey 26,869 56,000 11,849Syria 8,750 11,500 9954Lebanon 0 1,142 1478Palestine 0 270 93Jordan 2,642 4,500 5043Iran 40,000 71,000 7397Iraq 6,400 1,400 1042Afghanistan 2,965 1,400 3396Pakistan 19,208 23,000 3202Kuwait 0 ? 0Qatar 0 ? 0Oman* 238 900 208Yemen 4,229 4,800 291Total 130,859 252,909 57,851

Status of ex situ conservation of PGRFA in the NENA countries

Regional and international collaboration and networking

• Large number of accessions from NENA countries are available in major global genebanks including at CGIAR;

• ACSAD, AOAD, ICBA and ICARDA play a crucial role in conserving genetic resources from NENA;

• NENA is represented in the FAO-CGRFA, ITPGRFA, with the establishment of the Regional Commission for Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in NENA region;

• NENA-PGRFA network established in 2009 and regional PGRFA strategy developed;

• Discussion of PGRFA Arab Initiative Creation of Arab Center for coordination and information

management on PGR. Creation of sub-regional genebanks. Establishment or upgrading of national genebanks.

• Muscat Declaration and development of “Framework Action Plan for the Implementation of the Benefit-Sharing Fund in NENA Region”

Major observations from analysis of PGR conservation and use programs in NENA

countries• Most existing legislations are on protecting areas and research and

development efforts focusing on intensification of farming systems with little attention to management of agrobiodiversity in situ/on-farm;

• NPGR programs are at different stages of development and differ in the scope and organization and few have clear budget commitments. Several institutions are working on PGR conservation but with limited coordination;

• More breeding efforts needed and expanded to crops of regional importance;• Limited role of NGOs and little involvement of local communities.• Insufficient expertise in areas related to biodiversity;• Limited capacity building opportunities;• Limited public awareness actions

Emerging needs and priorities (policy and legislation)

• Developing and updating PGRFA National Strategies and Action Plans PGRFA involving all key stakeholders and to be in harmony with international agreements;

• Establishing an institutional mechanism officially recognized by national governments in NENA region for harmonization of views, policies and legislations to promote seed trade and enhance the regional exchange of PGRFA, information and technologies and allow effective contribution international agreements and conventions;

• Encouraging a better integrated cooperation between international instruments, international research centers and funding bodies for supporting PGRFA conservation and utilization initiatives;

• Assisting and encouraging governments to address farmers’ rights and benefit sharing issues;

• Developing national and regional expertise on policies and legislations

• In-depth assessment of genetic resources conservation and use programs (contribution to the 3rd Report SoWPGRFA and GAP);

• Undertake gap analysis to guide future collecting missions and establishment of protected areas;

• Enhance breeding and pre-breeding efforts; • Strengthening formal and informal seed production and delivery programs;• Expanding training and enhancing capacity in all facets of PGRFA

utilization, characterization, evaluation, breeding and seed production.• Encouraging partnerships, coordinated efforts, and sharing roles and tasks

for efficient conservation of genetic resources including arrangements for safety duplication, trans-boundary and complementary network of natural reserves based on excellency;

Emerging needs and priorities (Use of Genetic Resources )

Other needs and priorities in NENA region• Sharing data on plant genetic resources collections. Linkages with the

emerging global portal and exchanging know-how and experiences; • Rationalizing germplasm conservation activities at national and regional levels;• Effective communication and information sharing. • Assisting national programs to undertake impact assessments on the

contribution of PGRFA and farmers to sustain food security;• Diversifying farming systems through the use of new and adapted PGRFA and

promoting under-utilized species to sustain agricultural development;• Improving market access and opportunities for poor farmers; • Recognizing the role of International and Regional organizations and the

essential role played by ICARDA’s genebank in conserving the genetic resources from NENA region.

Decentralization of Genebank activities at ICARDATaxon Accessions

held in Syria

Morocco Lebanon Total unique accessions in

2016

Bread wheat 14,100 3487 5037 14639Durum wheat 19,635 4312 3655 20496Primitive wheat 912 459 124 954Aegilops 4057 120 3953 4774Wild Triticum 1584 116 2250 2079Barley 28,465 6007 5136 29981Wild Hordeum 1989 228 354 2324Chickpea 14,214 3326 2893 15195Wild Cicer 270   277 547Lentil 10,496 4618 335 13907Wild Lens 587   426 602Faba bean 9542   3397 10034Lathyrus 3996   1735 4277Pisum 6106   149 8893Medicago 8398   1321 5677Trifolium 4536   5088 6366Vicia 6144   637 6115Range and pasture 5802   2130 7166Others 219   211 225Total 141,052 22,673 39,108 154,251

Safety duplication

Syria: Active and base collections (250,000)

Second level Safety duplication at Svalbard

Safety duplication

Lebanon: Collections of faba bean, Lathyrus, forage and range species and crop wild relatives (45,000)

Morocco: Collections of cultivated species of barley, wheat, lentil and chickpea (75,000 acc.)

Potential areas for ICARDA contribution

• Undertake gap analysis for ex situ an in situ conservation efforts including joint collecting missions;

• Assess the status of national efforts for conservation of agrobiodiversity for improvement and for contribution to the State of the World third report PGRFA;

• Ensure for safety duplication of genetic resources;• Provide elite germplasm for releasing new varieties of cereals and legumes;• Encourage partnerships, coordinated efforts, and sharing roles and tasks for

efficient conservation of genetic resources including arrangements for safety duplication, trans-boundary and complementary network of natural reserves;

• Provide training and technical backstopping.

Indigenous Breeds of Small Ruminants are Highly Adaptable to

Changes in the Environment

Hessian Fly Resistant

Thank you