The overall goal of EUFORGEN is to promote conservation and sustainable use of forest genetic resources (FGR) in Europe as an integral part of sustainable forest management, and to serve as a platform for pan‐European collaboration in this area.
The specific objectives for Phase VII of the Programme are to:
1. Facilitate knowledge sharing and communicate with key stakeholders on FGR in Europe. EUFORGEN will conduct regular training of EUFGIS focal points on the use of the platform and the curation of data, promoting its use to a broad group of stakeholders. This contributes to monitoring the progress of in situ and ex situ conservation, and use of forest reproductive materials (FRM) for the FOREST EUROPE Process (Indicator 4.6).
EUFORGEN will also facilitate knowledge sharing and learning among relevant actors and communicate the importance of genetic diversity and outputs of EUFORGEN to policymakers, forestry professionals and practitioners on the ground, wider scientific community and society.
2. Coordinate and monitor the conservation of FGR in Europe. EUFORGEN will characterise FGR in Europe and identify gaps to prioritise FGR for conservation. EUFORGEN will develop criteria to assess the threat status of GCUs, alongside strategies for quality management and monitoring for long-term conservation of forest genetic resources. Efforts will focus on integrating in situ and ex situ conservation, including the creation of a platform to store static ex situ data. The work under this objective will support the national implementation of the FGR Strategy.
3. Promote the sustainable use of FGR in European forests. EUFORGEN will advocate for the appropriate use of FGR in Sustainable Forest Management and planting operations. The work also entails analysis of the impact of policies on the appropriate use of FGR.
The objectives will be achieved through the detailed work plans developed by the EUFORGEN Steering Committee, which will also monitor progress and update workplans when needed.
