EUFORGEN’s original mandate, as set out in a 1990 resolution of Forest Europe, was to promote and coordinate:
Since then, the Signatory Countries of Forest Europe have embraced additional commitments to the conservation of FGR.
2003, 4th Ministerial Conference (Vienna): agreed to “promote the conservation of forest genetic resources as an integral part of sustainable forest management and continue the pan-European collaboration in this area”.
2007, 5th Ministerial Conference (Warsaw): committed to “maintain, conserve, restore and enhance the biological diversity of forests, including their genetic resources, through sustainable forest management”.
2015, 7th Ministerial Conference and the Extraordinary Ministerial Conference (Madrid): committed to “continue pan-European collaboration on forest genetic resources through the European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN)”. As well as to “promote national implementation of strategies and guidelines for dynamic conservation and appropriate use of forest genetic resources under changing climate conditions”.
2021, 8th Ministerial Conference (Bratislava): committed to “fully recognise the essential role of sustainably managed, genetically diverse and healthy forests in relation to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components”. As well as to: “recognise the need for dynamic conservation and utilization of forest tree genetic resources and management of forest tree species populations for production of forest reproductive material (As reflected in the updated pan-European indicator for sustainable forest management 4.6 Genetic Resource) and continue pan- European collaboration on forest genetic resources through the EUFORGEN to this end”
2024, 9th Ministerial Conference (Bonn): committed to “Promote research in the fields of protection and conservation of forest tree genetic diversity, including provenance trials and species selection suitable for future climatic and site conditions, and promote the regulated movement of forest reproductive material between countries and provenance regions to enable the use of adequate provenances, while monitoring and mitigating the risk of introducing and spreading invasive species, pests and diseases, when using naturalized and non-native species.”. As well as welcomed “the progress in implementing the “Forest Genetic Resources Strategy for Europe” launched by EUFORGEN to enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of European forests and STRESSING the need to identify gaps, to assess threats and set priorities for the conservation of forest genetic resources through the “Genetic Conservation Unit Network”, maintained by EUFORGEN”
The FAO Conference is also driving conservation and use of FGR, having adopted a Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Development of Forest Genetic Resources (GPA‐FGR) in 2013. One aim of the GPA-FGR is to “promote access to, and sharing of, information on forest genetic resources at regional and national levels”. The GPA-FGR also identifies several regional strategies relevant to Europe, and FAO has recognized that EUFORGEN can play a crucial role in the implementation of the GPA‐FGR.
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