The public consultation phase of the latest draft of the European Strategy for Genetic Resources has started and is running until April 18. The strategy is open for public consultation for the first time and is made available as part of an online survey.

The involvement of a broad range of stakeholders involved in the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources in forestry and agriculture is central to the development of the European Strategy to ensure a bottom-up approach and subsequent implementation. In this context, BLE's "Information and Coordination Centre for Biodiversity" (IBV) is leading the work package for the development of the strategy as part of the EU project "GenresBridge".

What has been done?

The individual chapters of the current draft strategy were complemented with key commitments for 2030, which will be decisive for the development of future measures for the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources. The key commitments were developed in the previous feedback workshop in November 2020 and discussed in detail by participants from the animal, plant and forest genetic resources sectors.

Why do we need a strategy?

The strategy aims to outline a European policy framework and also a vision for the future on how forest, plant and animal genetic resources can be conserved and sustainably used in Europe. The strategy should also identify linkages to existing European strategies, programs, infrastructures, and gaps which need to be further developed. The decisive factor is, that the strategy will raise awareness of the importance of genetic resources for sustainable and resilient agriculture and forestry in Europe, as well as of the urgent need for appropriate and long-term management and funding.

For more information, please visit the GenresBridge project website.