Trees for Seeds
Resilient forest and landscape restoration
Cover photo: Village chief Ngoutsimi Onana holding a Gnetum tree seedling, Minwoho, LekiĂŠ, Centre Region, Cameroon. Credit: CIFOR/O.Girard Back cover photo: Farmers' variety of durum wheat at the community genebank Seeds for Needs project in Ethiopia. Credit: Bioversity International/T.Wolday
Š Bioversity International, 2019 Bioversity International Via dei Tre Denari 472/a 00054 Maccarese Rome, ITALY Bioversity International is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the US and as a registered charity in the UK (no. 1131854).
Bioversity International is a CGIAR Research Centre. CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. www.cgiar.orgBioversity International is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the US. Bioversity International (UK) is a Registered UK Charity No. 1131854.
BACKGROUND Around 12% of the Earth's terrestrial surface (2 billion hectares) is degraded. Restoring degraded forest landscapes is recognized as one of the strategies for tackling some of the major global challenges of our time, notably climate change, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, desertification and migration driven by environmental degradation. The latest strategy of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (2011–2020) sets the bold goal of restoring at least 15% of the world’s degraded ecosystems by 2020. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021 –2030) provides a renewed impetus for a focus on massively scaling up the restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems as a proven measure to contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The restoration of vast areas of wastelands that currently provide minimal economic or ecological value offers some of the greatest returns on investment in terms of providing ecosystem services such as clean water, provision of food, fodder and construction materials, and storing carbon to mitigate climate change. Given that the degradation of land ecosystems costs about 10% of the annual GDP in loss of species and ecosystems services, restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded land between now and 2030 could generate US$9 trillion in ecosystem services. Furthermore, it could remove up to 26 gigatons of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. However, creating these transformations requires overcoming the risks associated with the poor quality and composition of planting materials, as well as with the processes needed to restore a self-sustaining ecosystem. Using planting material that contains sufficient genetic diversity to adapt to the changing environmental conditions of a restoration site is fundamental to ensure that the trees planted today will become the healthy forests and ecosystems of tomorrow. However, obtaining seed from the appropriate sources of the right mixtures of tree species to achieve restoration objectives presents an enormous challenge. Seeds of most native tree species are currently not available in nurseries or national tree seed centres, at least not in the necessary quantities. In fact, poor consideration of diversity and quality is a major constraint to forest restoration efforts. To address these challenges, Bioversity International launched the 'Trees for Seeds' initiative. The objective is to provide evidence, tools and capacity building for resilient forest restoration.
What is needed? Tree populations need genetic diversity for survival, good growth and viability in the long term. Genetic variaibility in a population is also key to its ability to resist and adapt to acute and chronic stressors, such as pests and diseases, and the effects of global warming. Consequently, the adoption of collection and propagation protocols that ensure the maintenance of broad genetic variation in planting material needs to become mainstream practice. Inadequate consideration of the source of planting material has led
many restoration projects to fail. Plant nurseries are key to a successful restoration, but are often considered as simple service providers rather than as fundamental partners responsible for ensuring the genetic quality of planting material. Inappropriate nursery management can result in a drastic loss of genetic diversity, which compromises the potential for the future survival of trees. Monitoring tools and protocols that take into account indicators of genetic diversity when evaluating the success of ecosystem restoration need to be developed.
Traditionally, restoration success has been measured by the number of hectares planted or percentage of seedlings that survived up to a certain age. Neither of these is an indicator of successful restoration in the long term. A more holistic approach is needed to evaluate the success of restoration projects in establishing tree populations that are genetically diverse and appropriate to the restoration site.
The solution Bioversity International works with partners in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe to sustain trees, forests and woodlands through research, capacity strengthening and advocacy in the policy arena. Through the 'Trees for Seeds' initiative, Bioversity International's scientists generate information worldwide about the intraspecific diversity of tree species, its importance and the benefits that can be obtained by managing this variation. They document and analyse the threats to trees and their genetic diversity in several countries, and develop global networks, tools and capacity for resilient restoration and sustainable use. Bioversity International also helps practitioners to identify and collect appropriate seed and planting material to meet multiple restoration objectives and informs the development of policy and regulations to ensure that seed supply meets demand. The following sections provide an overview of different activities carried out in the framework of 'Trees for Seeds.'
Photo credit: Bioversity International/C. Zanzanaini
AFRICA
WHERE Burkina Faso
WHAT Approach to favour natural regeneration of threatened tree species
Photo credit: John Torres
Land restoration to enhance gender equality Amid a landscape of natural resource degradation, an agroforestry initiative is helping farming families in Burkina Faso’s Oubritenga province to realize the myriad benefits of nurturing trees in fenced plots. The initiative is cosupervised by Bioversity International and guided by Association Tiipaalga, an NGO that has been supporting restoration in the country since 2006. Common tree species are now rare or absent from many regions. Drought, deforestation and overgrazing have degraded vast tracts of land in Burkina Faso. Soils in many areas are exposed to erosion from wind and rain. In this context, Tiipaalga supplies durable fencing materials, saplings and longerterm support to help families establish and manage their plots and trees. The fences protect the growing trees from woodcutters as well as grazing animals. The approach favours natural regeneration but can also include enrichment planting with particularly valuable species.
The benefits include harvests of fruit, fodder and firewood, soil regeneration and the cultivation of tree species used in traditional medicine. Wider benefits include improved resilience in the face of a changing climate, enhanced biodiversity and the protection of rare and endangered tree species. So far, several hundred hectares of land have been fenced and restored in this way. As part of its efforts to enhance the adaptive capacity of rural communities in Burkina Faso, Bioversity International is studying the approach of Tiipaalga and its impact, focusing on the identification of scaling up strategies. Bioversity International's work in the country places special emphasis on the identification of best practices to guarantee that women and men are able to adopt or benefit from landscape restoration practices equally.
ASIA AFRICA
WHERE South East Asia
WHAT Strengthening knowledge to safeguard genetic tree diversity
www.apforgen.org
Photo credit: Bioversity International/P. Bordoni
Building knowledge and capacity Thousands of ecologically and socio-economically important tree species in Asia are threatened, yet very little information is available on their distribution, patterns of genetic diversity, intensity of threats or availability of seed sources to support restoration. Effective conservation strategies for these species cannot be identified without improving knowledge on their distributions and the threats they are facing. APFORGIS is a regional initiative aimed at addressing these knowledge gaps in South East Asia. The two-year project was launched in December 2017 and is implemented by Bioversity International and APFORGEN, with funding from the Government of Germany. APFORGIS focuses on 50 socioeconomically important pilot species which differ in their characteristics, uses and conservation status. Methods, tools and capacities developed can then be used by forest departments, research institutions and conservation
organizations for other species of interest. The project uses existing information about the species occurrences and threats to them for developing species distribution models. The models give an estimate of historical, current and potential future distributions. The resulting maps are validated by experts and used for identifying conservation priorities or to design and target field studies. The initiative also develops guidelines for conservation units that maintain genetic diversity vital for species survival, productivity and adaptive capacity. To be feasible and actionable, the guidelines build on existing conservation approaches and initiatives in Asian countries. The regional collaboration established in the framework of the initiative allows countries to share information and responsibilities in establishing and managing genetic conservation units.
ASIA AFRICA
WHERE Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Uzbekistan
WHAT Improved management practices of fruit tree genetic diversity
Photo credit: NationalAcademyofSciencesofthe Kyrgyz Republic/K. Musuraliev
Fruit tree genetic diversity: Increasing value, managing threats Central Asia provides many biodiverse species of global importance, including fruit and nut trees. Wild populations of walnut, apple and apricot are under serious threat from global factors, such as climate change, and issues associated with rural poverty, like livestock grazing pressure. Overgrazing in fruit and nut forests is a result of farmers having insufficient land, resources and knowledge to manage their livestock in a sustainable way. Bioversity International’s work in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan focuses on genetic and nutritional diversity of wild and semi-domesticated apple, apricot and walnut. Through molecular and biochemical analyses, Bioversity International is identifying patterns of diversity and gene flow among wild and home garden populations of each species. The aim is to improve management practices of fruit and nut tree species to secure long-term livelihood options for rural communities, safeguarding commercially valuable resources.
Bioversity International has also developed a spatial model to predict, at the population level, where multiple threats - such as overexploitation and predicted climate change - are likely to have negative impact on important indigenous fruit and nut tree species in the three countries. The Organization is also conducting social studies and gender analyses to understand the differences in management activities, approaches, understanding and needs of women and men. In this context, a Model Forest Farm is being developed to provide examples of best practices that will reduce the impacts of threats. Capacity development is an integral part of these efforts. Bioversity International collaborates with national research partners and has organized multiple training sessions at different levels, ranging from high-tech molecular analysis to grafting walnuts in the communities. National partners have also ensured the creation of policy links in all three countries.
LATIN AMERICA AFRICA
WHERE Colombia
WHAT Map-based tool to support decision-making for effective forest restoration
www.diversityforrestoration.org
Photo credit: Rens Brouwer
A map-based tool for effective forest and landscape restoration Tropical dry forest is one of the most threatened ecosystems in Colombia, with only 7% of its original cover remaining. Its restoration is a priority for the country but presents challenges, not least due to seasonal rains and long dry seasons that can impact the survivorship of planted material. To address the issue, Bioversity International, in collaboration with Forestpa SAS, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the National University of Colombia, developed Diversity for Restoration (D4R), a map-based online tool to make decisions on the use of appropriate tree species and seed sources for treebased restoration. The tool helps guide scientists, restoration practitioners as well as public authorities, investors and donors to select species and seed sources that best respond to the restoration goals. D4R generates information on combinations of tree species that are likely to show adaptive capacity
to the environmental conditions at the restoration site indicated by the user. To select appropriate species combinations, the tool screens the functional traits of all the tree species that are predicted to be able to persist at the chosen site and ranks them according to the trait profiles that best correspond to the restoration objectives. D4R also takes into account climate change when choosing appropriate material and includes information about the propagation of more than 300 tree species. At present, Bioversity International is developing a similar tool for dry forest restoration in Peru and, in collaboration with its partners, is exploring opportunities for its application to other forest ecosystems across the world.
LATIN AMERICA AFRICA
WHERE Peru
WHAT Improved management and supply chains for non-timber forest products
www.sustain-forest.org
Photo credit: Rens Brouwer
Creating sustainable value chains The Brazil nut is a giant tropical rainforest tree found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. Harvested from the wild, the nutritious nuts are one of the most economically important non-timber forest products in the world. Annual exports of Brazil nuts are valued at tens of millions of US dollars, but only a small fraction is sourced ethically through certification. Brazil nut harvesting is a crucial part of rural livelihoods across the Amazon region. The rural communities also depend on timber harvesting from the same forests to keep them above the poverty line. Forest degradation, due to unplanned intensive timber harvesting, has potentially negative consequences for Brazil nut production and biodiversity conservation. To establish sustainable supply chains of Brazil nuts from Peru to Switzerland, Bioversity International, ETH Zurich and the Center for international Forestry
research (CIFOR) launched 'SUSTAIN', a research initiative supported by the World Food System Center. The initiative focuses on the Madre de Dios region of Peru, which contains 26,000 square kilometres of the most biologically diverse, carbon dense, Brazil nut-rich forest in South America. As part of these efforts, researchers are analysing the effect of forest degradation on the reproductive ecology of the Brazil nut tree, as well as the barriers harvesters face to adopt certification and export standards. The outcomes of the analyses are used to improve Brazil nut management and support the creation of a resilient and sustainable supply chain of Brazil nuts from Peru. Through these endeavours, the initiative is providing a novel and powerful contribution to the global sustainable food system.
Bioversity International is a global research-for-development organization. We deliver scientific evidence, management practices and policy options to use and safeguard agricultural and tree biodiversity to attain sustainable global food and nutrition security. We work with partners in lowincome countries where agricultural and tree biodiversity can contribute to improved nutrition, resilience, productivity and climate change adaptation. Bioversity International’s 'Trees for Seeds' initiative provides evidence, tools and capacity building for resilient forest restoration. Bioversity International is a CGIAR Research Centre. CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. Its science is carried out by 15 Research Centers in close collaboration with hundreds of partners across the globe. www.cgiar.org
Contact us Christopher Kettle c.kettle@cgiar.org
www.bioversityinternational.org 21/03/2019
www.bioversityinternational.org/trees-for-seeds