Workshop 5: Genetic erosion and pollution assessment methodologies Brian Ford-Lloyd and Sónia Ricardo Dias

Objective: agree genetic erosion and pollution assessment methodologies for CWR How to assess and predict genetic erosion? –Examine existing methodologies How to assess and predict genetic pollution (transgenic crops, conventional crops and introduced exotic species or aliens)? –Few existing methodologies?

Assessing taxa on the CWR list There are currently around 20,000 species on the list It will be impossible to assess all of them in terms of erosion/pollution Also it will not be necessary Prioritisation for erosion/pollution assessment is therefore necessary Simple methodologies, and in some cases, molecular profiling, are required A hierarchy?

Workshop 2: Assessment of threat of plant diversity loss and conservation status for European wild crop relatives “...plant diversity loss...” is in effect genetic erosion Workshops 2 and 5 are closely interlinked The outcomes of WS 5 should directly/indirectly inform the work of WS 2, namely the “...potential threat category for each of the CWR taxa...”

A chicken and egg situation What to do first? WS2 prioritisation and then more detailed assessment of erosion/pollution OR WS5 erosion and pollution assessment: methodologies for prioritising in WS2

Prioritisation - which taxa do we assess in detail? Completion of WS 2 will highlight taxa where more detailed assessment of genetic erosion/pollution and subsequent monitoring is needed The Red List threat category could be a determining factor in choosing the level of assessment of genetic erosion/pollution

Simple assessments of genetic diversity? When we have determined taxa of greatest importance and threat: –ecogeography? –Red listing? –Indicators?....(2010) –taxonomy? –population biology/breeding systems?

Most precise methodologies? Molecular profiling –which techniques? Changes in allele frequencies –population genetics?

Session 1 presentations and discussions: Political and legal issues Genetic erosion –what do we mean by it? can we tolerate it? etc Genetic pollution –what is it? are there advantages? etc

Session 2: Monitoring at the taxonomic level –simple methods? Red data listing? place in hierarchy? Monitoring at the population level –simple techniques? habitat enforced changes in population size? GIS? Red data listing? reproductive biology? Monitoring at the gene level –Techniques? Red data listing? what is feasible?

Session 3 Case studies: Agricultural crops Horticultural crops Forestry any special cases to consider? any specific examples? any special needs? any special cases to consider? any specific examples? any special needs?

Session 4: the way forward The CWR species list prioritisation –how to prioritise the CWR list in relation to erosion and pollution? recommendations? The hierarchy of methodologies –what are the methodologies? are they hierarchical? The future –demands, prospects, opportunities? ?...

2010 Biodiversity Target - Focal Areas “reducing the rate of loss of the components of biodiversity, including: –biomes, habitats and ecosystems –species and populations –genetic diversity” “Loss” is genetic erosion PGR forum can contribute to the 2010 CBD goals (2 & 3)