ENSCONET : The European Native Seed Conservation Network

La Red Europea para la conservación de semillas silvestres

Simon Linington

Seed Conservation Department, RBG Kew, Wakehurst Place, Sussex, UK

s.linington@rbgkew.org.uk

What is Seed Conservation?• Use of seed storage

for ex situ (off-site) plant genetic resource conservation

• Very efficient form of ex situ conservation

• Collections underpin in situ (on-site) conservation and act as a usable resource

Threatened European native vascular plants

• One of best studied floras – 12 000 species

• Among the world’s most threatened floras

• 21% species are threatened

• 50% endemics ‘in danger of extinction’

• Much genetic erosion at population level

ENSCONET Project Purpose

Improved quality, co-ordination and integration of European seed conservation practice, policy and research for native plant species - to assist EU conservation policy and its obligations to the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Global Strategy for Plant Conservation

Mejorar la calidad, la coordinación y la integración de las practicas de conservación de semillas en Europa, las legislaciones y la investigación sobre la plantas silvestres,

Participar en la política de conservación de la CE y sus obligaciones en respecto a la convención sobre la diversidad biológica y la estrategia global de conservación de plantas.

ENSCONET Project Purpose• 19 European institutions

• 16 with seed banks for native species; 3 with associated interest

• Seed banks range in experience:

2 months (Lombardy Seed Bank, Pavia)

40 years (Universidad Politecnica de Madrid)

• Local, national, regional remits

Disparate Co-ordinated

Dispar Coordinados

Bring together isolated activities and institutions to maximum effect

Basic ENSCONET information

• A Co-ordination Action funded under the Research Infrastructures Activity of EU Framework Programme 6 (comprises 18 Integrated Infrastructure Initiatives and 3 Co-ordination Actions)

• Grant of € 2.54 m plus significant institutional ‘in kind’ support

• November 2004 – November 2009

• Co-ordinated by RBG Kew

History

2001 Application for Thematic Network under EU Framework Programme 5 (unsuccessful)

2002 Preparation for application under FP 6

2003 Application for Co-ordination Action under FP 6 (successful)

2004 Preparation and signing of contract with Commission. November start

European native plant conservation context

• Berne Convention (Bern 1982)– Conservation of European wildlife and natural habitat

• Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio 1992)– Conservation of biological diversity– Sustainable use of biological resources– Equitable sharing of benefits National Biodiversity Action Plans – e.g. UK 1994

• EC Directive 92/43/EEC (Brussels 1992)– Habitat and species conservation directives

European native plant conservation context

• EU 6th Environment Action Programme (2001)– To 2010– Biodiversity Action Plans

• European Plant Conservation Strategy (Průhonice 2001)– Halt loss of wild plant diversity in Europe

• Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (Hague 2002)– 16 targets for 2010 including (viii) 60% of threatened plant species in

accessible ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and 10% of them included in recovery and restoration programmes

National reports e.g. Plant Diversity Challenge, UK 2004

European native plant conservation context

Recent European recognition of the importance and loss of biodiversity

– Gothenburg European Consul (2001)

– Kyiv Resolution (2003)– Killarney Declaration (2004)– Countdown 2010 (2004)

European native plant conservationSome key players

• National government agencies

• Planta Europa

• European Botanic Gardens Consortium

• National botanic garden networks

• BGCI

• IPGRI (crop wild relatives)

• National seed bank networks

• REDBAG – Spain

• RIBES - Italy

• Regional seed bank network - GENMEDOC

• Individual seed banks

• Organisations with interest in seed conservation

ENSCONET ParticipantsAustria

Belgium

Cyprus

France

Greece (2)

Hungary

Ireland

Italy (3)

Poland

Slovakia

Spain (5)

UK

New members (5)

ENSCONET Participants

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK (Co-ordinator)• University of Athens, Greece• Institute of Botany, Bratislava, Slovakia• Budapest Zoo & Botanic Garden, Hungary• Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, Greece• Jardin Botánico de Córdoba, Spain• Trinity College Dublin, Ireland• Jardin Botánico Viera y Clavijo, Gran Canaria, Spain• Agricultural Research Institute, Lefkosia, Cyprus• Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain• National Botanic Garden of Belgium, Meise, Belgium• Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France• Universita di Pavia, Italy• Universita di Pisa, Italy• Jardí Botànic de Sóller, Mallorca, Spain• Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, Trento, Italy• Universitat de Valencia, Spain• University of Vienna, Austria• Warsaw Botanical Garden, Poland

Organisation of ENSCONETManagement Team

Annual Network Meeting

External Arbiters

Collecting Activity Group

Curation Activity Group

Data Management Activity Group

Dissemination Activity Group

Progress reports

Proposals for future actions

Co-ordination of Activity Groups

Progress monitoring

Links to European conservation & research communities

Management Team 1st Meeting

Wellcome Trust Millennium Building, Wakehurst Place, Sussex, UK – 3 March 2005

Collecting Activity GroupOutput

Development of integrated seed collecting programmes (all European bio-geographical regions) for native plant species of conservation and sustainable use value

Bio-geographical regions

Atlantic

Continental

Alpine }

Boreal }

Macaronesian }

Mediterranean }

Collecting Activity GroupLeader / Deputy – Jardin Canario / Chania

Deliverables

• Baseline of species held in European banks

• Prioritised list of species for collection

• Prioritised seed collection programme developed for the 6 bio-geographical regions

• Common, high standard of seed collecting adopted - maximises genetic diversity / seed longevity

Curation Activity GroupOutput

Enhancement of quality and security of seed conservation for native species within Europe through improved curation achieved by sharing of expertise / facilities

Curation Activity GroupLeader / deputy – Warsaw / Trento

Deliverables

• Baseline documentation on facilities available

• Agreed common protocol - maintain genetic diversity / seed longevity and overcome dormancy

• Co-ordinated programme for

(1) sharing facilities

(2) dissemination of information / good practices among participants

(3) duplicate storage - enhance quality /security of seed conservation

• Regionally-based research programme established - improve quality and security of work

Data Management Activity Group

Outputs

A virtual European seed bank for wild-collected native species through integration of collection data held by ENSCONET partners

Easier access to seed collections by researchers across Europe and improved use of electronic data relevant to seed conservation

Data Management Activity Group

Leader / deputy – Dublin / Chania

Deliverables

• Common data exchange standards / tools adopted - facilitate data integration

• Protocol for recording seed germination data adopted

• Data management system with relational database structure to support consistent data entry / control in developing banks

• Virtual European native species seed bank

Dissemination Activity Group

Output

Provide seed conservation managers, researchers, policy makers and other relevant representative organisations with information and understanding of ENSCONET’s work and its results

Dissemination Activity Group

Leader / deputy – Valencia / Chania

Deliverables

• Dissemination policy and programme

• Website and e-forum

• Knowledge and technology from ENSCONET activities available in printed form

The Vision for ENSCONET• Plays a key role within European conservation activity and

particularly the delivery of the GSPC• Links well to related initiatives, groups and databases• Influences policy• Develops into a long-lasting and wider network

• Actuar un papel clave a dentro de las actividades de conservación Europeas y en particular en la entrega de la Estrategia Global de Conservación de Plantas (EGCP)

• Establecer buenas conexiones con las iniciativas, los grupos y las bases de datos relacionados

• Influir en las legislaciones

• Desarrollar una red mas amplia y durable

Acknowledgements

• The European Commission

• The ENSCONET participants

• Dr Monique Henry (Project Co-ordinator m.henry@rbgkew.org.uk)

• Roger Smith, Clare Tenner & Steve Alton

• The Fundación Areces

• Professor Esteban Hernández Bermejo