Strategic Goal C: Target 13 – Safeguarding genetic diversity 93
2 4
1 5
3
TARGET ELEMENTS
1. Genetic diversity of cultivated plants maintained
2. Genetic diversity of farmed and domesticated animals maintained 3. Genetic diversity of wild relatives maintained
4. Genetic diversity valuable species maintained 5. Strategies to minimizing genetic erosion in place
Figure 13.1. Conservation status of wild plants.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Plants conserved Ex situ
Low priority and sufficiently conserved Medium priority High priority
Plants conserved in situ
Animal food Bee plants Environmental use plants
Food additives Fuels Genetic sources
Human foods Materials Medicines Pesticides Socially relevant plants
Proportion of useful wild plant species with low, medium and high priority for further conservation work, both in situ and ex situ, shown across 11 use categories3.
Figure 13.2. Trends in status of local breeds according to risk categories.
1,000 0 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000
Number of breeds
Extinct At Risk Not at risk Unknown 2002
2001
2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
As indicated in the figure, the total number of breeds assessed has increased over time.4
Status
RELEVANT SDG TARGET
widely (transboundary breeds) are also at risk, but the numbers are stable and the relative proportion at risk is much lower than is the case for local breeds.5
The extinction risk of wild relatives of domesti-cated or farmed birds and mammals is increasing.
A Red List Index covering 55 wild mammal and 449 wild bird species, related to 30 domesticated mammals and birds that are sources of food, showed a decline of 2% from 1988 to 2016, suggesting that on average these species are moving closer to extinction. Fifteen of the wild relatives (seven mammals and eight birds) are currently Critically Endangered, indicating that the status of the wild relatives of farmed animals could deteriorate rapidly unless action is taken to reverse their decline.6
There are few studies of trends in genetic diversity of wild species more generally.7 However, one recent study found no evidence of consistent effects of humans on animal genetic diversity worldwide, and consistent temporal trends between 1980 and 2016.8
About three quarters of NBSAPs (74%) contain targets related to Aichi Biodiversity Target 13. Of
the Parties that have assessed progress towards their national targets, more than a third of the national targets are on track to be met (30%) or exceeded (5%). Fewer than half (49%) have made progress towards their targets but not at a rate that will allow them to be met. Fewer than a fifth of Parties (17%) report that they are making no progress towards the target. However, fewer than a fifth of national targets are similar to (18%) or exceed (1%) the scope and level of ambition of the Aichi Target. Most of the national targets refer to the conservation of genetic diversity generally.
Few of the targets refer to specific elements of the target. In particular, the issues of conserving the genetic diversity of wild relatives and socio-economically and culturally valuable species, and the development of strategies to minimize genetic erosion, are not generally reflected in the targets set by Parties. Only 8% of reporting Parties have national targets of similar scope and ambition to Aichi Biodiversity Target 13 and are on track to meet them (see bar chart).
Target 2.5 - By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species…and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge…
Marcos Castillo / Shutterstock
95 Strategic Goal C: Target 13 – Safeguarding genetic diversity
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
The colour bars show the percentage of Parties reporting a given level of progress towards their national targets. (Blue: exceeds target; Green: on track; Yellow: some progress; Red: no change;
Purple: moving away from target). The intensity of the colour indicates alignment of national targets with the Aichi Target (Darker colours indicate close alignment).
Assessment of progress towards national targets
Box 13.1. Examples of national experiences and progress
ɠ Australia: The Australian Seed Bank Partnership provided training on seed conservation techniques in Kakadu National Park. Experts from the Australian Grains Genebank, Australian National Botanic Gardens and George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens joined Kakadu National Park Rangers to deliver training to Kakadu’s traditional owners and scientists from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The project team collected seeds from crop wild relatives such as sorghum, cajanus and vigna and provided training on plant identification and seed collection, as well as techniques for cleaning, drying and storing seeds in the field. The Kakadu National Park is jointly managed by the Australian Government and traditional owners.9
ɠ Bosnia and Herzegovina: Various actions have been taken to protect the genetic diversity of cattle breeds, including the adoption of a law on livestock breeding which recognized several indigenous species, breeds and varieties. Further, horse breeders who breed Bosnian Mountain Horses and Lipizzaners, among others, are entitled to incentives.10
ɠ Guatemala: The Collaborative Programme on Participatory Plant Breeding in Mesoamerica (Programa colaborativo de Fitomejoramiento Participativo en Mesoamérica) and the Buena Milpa project, have developed maize descriptors, which are key tools for valuing, collecting and documenting the different local maize varieties used by farmers. Further, through the programme 400 accessions of corn, beans, potatoes and cucurbits have been made, and more than 1,500 farmers have been trained in plant breeding.11
ɠ Sweden: A national Gene Bank for vegetatively propagated plants was established in 2016.
Seeds are conserved in collaboration with the Nordic countries participating in the Nordic Genetic Resource Centre. Plants from both the national and the Nordic gene banks have been re-introduced to the market under the Green Cultural Heritage label.12
ɠ United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Genetic diversity provides trees with the potential to adapt to new environmental conditions, including climate change and novel pests and diseases. In 2013 the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew launched the UK National Tree Seed Project in order to conserve the genetic diversity of the United Kingdom’s forest genetic resources. In the first 5 years of the project, over 10 million seeds were conserved from approximately 7,623 maternal individuals across 60 native species of trees and shrubs. This represents approximately three-quarters of the United Kingdom’s native trees and shrubs. Through the project, 60 separate collections of ash trees have been made from all over the United Kingdom, comprising seed from 674 separate trees. Each tree is geo-referenced and the seed from individual trees is kept separately in the Millennium Seed Bank. Results suggest that over 90% of the United Kingdom’s genetic diversity of this species has been conserved by the project.13