Launch of The Second Report on the State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources

The Second Report on the State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources (SOW Report on FGR) was launched at a side event during the Twentieth Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA 20). The event also marked the presentation of SilvaGRIS, a new global information system on FGR. The Second SOW on FGR was prepared based on  data and information from 77 countries representing more than three-quarters of the global forest area. Building on the First SoW Report on FGR published in 2014, the Second Report analyses the progress made by countries in implementing the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Development of FGR, since its adoption by the FAO Conference in 2013.

Manoela Pessoa de Miranda, Secretary, CGRFA, moderated the event. In opening remarks, Godfrey Magwenzi, Deputy-Director General, FAO, cited the recent celebration of the International Day of Forests on 21 March 2025, under the theme Forests and Foods, which highlighted the role that forests play in ensuring global food security, sustaining livelihoods, and promoting biodiversity. Magwenzi noted this theme aligns with both the Second Report’s messages on the importance of forest genetic resources and the FAO’s 80th anniversary theme on promotion of a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food future. 

Andreas von Brandt, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Germany to the UN, said diversity of species matters, and lauded the CGRFA’s promotion of diversity of food species alongside enhancing the role of biodiversity in food and agriculture. He called for long term funding for FGR management and cited his country’s commitment to the the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative, which aims at bringing 100 million hectares of land in Africa under restoration.

Presenting key findings of the report, Zhimin Wu, Director, Forestry Division, FAO, noted better information on the number of world’s tree and other woody plant species. He further reported a higher availability of information on species, although more than a third of the 77 countries that provided data and information lack national FGR inventories. While many countries reported both in situ and ex situ conservation systems for FGR, these only account for about 2% of all tree and woody plant species. In addition, several countries have advanced in strengthening institutional capacities for conservation and sustainable use of FGR, with 52% having national coordination mechanisms on FGR and 58% with national FGR strategies. The report also indicates increasing demand for seed and other forest reproductive material, despite consistent challenges such as limited financial and human resources for operating tree-seed programs.

Jarkko Koskela, Forestry Officer, FAO, presented the SilvaGRIS, a new global information system on FGR developed by FAO for monitoring the implementation of the Global Plan of Action. He also highlighted its utility in facilitating the development of country, regional, and global projects, and collaboration in managing FGR. He reported that the data in SilvaGRIS was collected based on targets, indicators and verifiers adopted by CGRFA.

A panel comprising forestry experts from countries and international research organizations  discussed key issues for improving the management of FGR and the way forward in implementing the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Development of FGR. The session was moderated by Thomas Hofer, Senior Forestry Officer, Forestry Division, FAO.

Presenting via video conferencing, Valderês Aparecida de Sousa, Researcher, EMBRAPA, Brazil, said collecting data on FGR is challenging due to the vastness and diversity of forests in Brazil. She also highlighted major constraints including forest fragmentation, land use change, and limited technological capacity.

Mari Rusanen, Senior Expert, Natural Resources Institute, Finland, reported on a dynamic in situ conservation programme aimed at conserving FGR within their natural habitat for tree species, in order to produce seeds for restoration. She noted challenges in producing seed for threatened tree species due to administrative and technical challenges.

Chris Kettle, Principal Scientist, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, lamented limited focus on populations of forest tree species.  He added that better management of FGR requires spatially explicit data, as well as information on population dynamics and ecological traits. He also noted that the demand for tree seed is enormous for global restoration efforts.

Presenting via video conferencing, Ramni Jamnadass, Senior Advisor, CIFOR-ICRAF, said with over 4 billion hectares of forests globally, managing FGR is a “logistical giant.” She said prioritization of high-risk areas is necessary for tackling threats. She emphasized the importance of increasing seed production in order to support restoration and called for inclusion of  Indigenous Knowledge in conservation programmes, financial incentives that reward conservation, and scaling up training and transborder cooperation.

Remarking on the national relevance of the Second Report, Mari Rusanen said the success stories in the report provide opportunities to learn from best practices. Valderês Aparecida de Sousa said the report will support prioritization of species for urgent conservation in Brazil, and flagged the need to identify gaps in conservation efforts.

Speaking on technical resources to support countries, Ramni Jamnadass, drew attention to CIFOR-ICRAF’s, “Right Tree, Right Place Seed Project,” which is working in Sub-Saharan Africa to support landscape restoration. Chris Kettle said his organization has developed, “My Farm Trees,” a citizen science platform to link information from seed collection to tree growth, thus building capacity of small-scale tree farmers.

In concluding remarks, Manoela Pessoa de Miranda emphasized the importance of Indigenous voices, noting that in some countries, forests in Indigenous Peoples’ territories are in better condition than those managed by others. CGRFA 20 is expected to consider the Second SOW Report on FGR on Thursday, 27 March.