Gene conservation, defined as the policy and management actions taken to assure the continued availability and existence of genetic variation, is an essential component of sustainable forestry.

1. “Gene Conservation”
I
By
PRITAM KUMAR BARMAN

2. CONTENTS
1. Gene Conservation
2. Factors Affecting Forest Genetic
Resources
3. Programs Concerned With Gene
Conservation of
Forest Trees
4. Management of Genetic Resources
of Forest Trees
5. In-Situ Conservation
6. Ex-Situ Conservation
7. Applications of Molecular Markers
to Gene Conservation
8. Conclusion

3. Gene Conservation
 Gene conservation, defined as the policy and management
actions taken to assure the continued availability and
existence of genetic variation (FAO, 2001), is an essential
component of sustainable forestry.
 Genetic variation is at the core of a species adaptive value;
it allows them to develop their unique adaptations and
assures their survival in changing circumstances.
 The conservation of Forest Genetic Resources has
received potential attraction both nationally and globally
due to their productive, economic, environmental and
other service roles. The conservation of Forest Genetic
Resources is approached by two methods viz., In-Situ and
Ex-Situ conservation.

4. Factors Affecting Forest Genetic Resources
Forest Genetic Resources are the heritable materials that are
maintained within and among trees and other woody plants which
are of actual or potential, economic, environmental, scientific and
societal values.
FAO (2014) has identified the major factors that are responsible
for loss of Forest Genetic Resources, they are:
I. Conversion of forest for agriculture and allied activities.
II. Conversion of forest for industrial plantations.
III. Increasing demand for energy.
IV. Unsustainable harvest and utilization.
V. Growing cattle population.
VI. Climate change.
VII. Climate impact on species and ecosystem.
VIII. Epidemic status of pest and diseases.
IX. Change in fire regimes.
X. Invasive species.
XI. Genetic pollution.

5. Programs Concerned With Gene Conservation of
Forest Trees
 CAMCORE: International Tree Conservation and Domestication,
established in 1980.
 CGIAR: The Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research is a large research organization created in 1971.
 DFSC: The DANIDA (Danish International Development
Agency) Forest Seed Center, in operation since 1969.
 EUFROGEN: The European Forest Genetic Resources
Programme, established in 1995.
 FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization provides technical and
scientific support to countries on all aspects of forest gene
conservation.
 ICRAF:

6. (Source: FAO.org, Palmberg-Lerche 1998)
Management of Genetic Resources of Forest Trees

7. In-Situ Conservation
 In-Situ is the conservation in natural, original
place or position. It includes conservation of
plants and animals in their native ecosystem
where they naturally occur. This is commonly
practiced for wild flora and fauna and not to the
domesticated plants and animals. This type of
conservation is aimed at protection and
preservation of land races, wild relatives, wild
forms etc.

8. Strategies for In-Situ Conservation
National Park
National Monument
Wildlife Sanctuary
Cultural Landscape
Biosphere Reserve

9.  The species will have all the resources that it is
adapted to.
 The species will continue to evolve in their
environment.
 Applicable to species with orthodox and
recalcitrant seeds, and to vegetatively
propagated species.
 The species have more space.
 Bigger breeding populations can be kept.
 It is cheaper to keep an organism in its natural
habitat.
Advantages of In-Situ Conservation

10. Ex-Situ Conservation
 Ex-Situ Conservation is the preservation of
components of biological diversity outside their
natural habitats. This involves conservation of
genetic resources, as well as wild and cultivated
or species, and draws on a diverse body of
techniques and facilities. Such strategies include
establishment of Botanical gardens, zoos,
conservation stands and gene, pollen, seed,
seedling, tissue culture and DNA banks.

11. Strategies for Ex-Situ Conservation
Seed Gene Bank
Gene Bank
Cryopreservation
Tissue Culture Bank
Long Term Captive Breeding
Botanical Gardens
Zoological Gardens
Animal Translocation

12.  It is useful for conserving the declining
population of species.
 Endangered animals on the verge of extinction
are successfully bred.
 Threatened species are bred in captivity and
then released in the natural habitats.
 Ex-situ centres offer the possibilities of
observing wild animals, which is otherwise not
possible.
 It is extremely useful for conducting research
and scientific work on different species.
Advantages of Ex-Situ Conservation

13. Applications of Molecular Markers to Gene Conservation
When it comes to forest tree gene
conservation, molecular markers
have a wide range of uses.
They can assist in the delimitation of
species and subspecies at the
broadest level.
 Molecular markers (especially
allozymes) have been frequently
used to define patterns of genetic
variation within species. When
assessing the proper number and
location of conservation populations,
the patterns are frequently used as a
baseline.
(Source: Dar, Aejaz & Mahajan, Reetika & Sharma, Susheel.
(2019). Molecular markers for characterization and
conservation of plant genetic resources. Indian Journal of
Agricultural Sciences. 89. 1755-1763.)

14. Conclusion
 The Forest Genetic Resources are valued for their economic,
environmental and ecosystem benefits. However they are under
tremendous pressure due to the rapid rate of deforestation, habitat
alteration and indiscriminate extraction of forest products. These
activities have endangered large number of species and some of them
have drive to a stage of extinction.
 Both in-situ and ex-situ gene conservation require long-term strategies to
ensure effective conservation efforts.
 One major issue with in-situ conservation is that it often saves the wrong
forest populations. The selection of stands for in situ conservation must
be done with extreme care.
 Ex-situ conservation can be expensive, but they are preferred when:
 The species is being domesticated through a tree improvement
program that can actively manage the gene conservation effort;
 In-situ gene conservation reserves would be difficult to protect from
threats.

15. REFERENCES
1) T.W. White, W.T.
Adams and D.B. Neale
(2007). Forest Genetics,
CAB International.
2) Zobel, B., and Talbert,
J. (1984). Applied Tree
Improvement, John
Wiley & Sons.