Dr. Ahmed Amri COP22 Session - 8th November 2016, Marrakech Genetic Resources Regional Strategy: A strategic framework for genetic conservation and sustainable use in MENA .

1. Assessment of genetic resources
conservation and use in Near
East and North Africa region
Ahmed Amri
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)

2. Trends in degradation of natural resources in NENA region
• 70% of arable land in the world and 90% in the NENA region
affected by desertification;
• Expected decreases by 2020: rangeland by 22%, cropped areas by
21% and forest land by 30%;
• Soil loss estimates: normal vegetation cover (10-60 kg/ha); burned
forest (200-550 kg/ha); cultivated areas (3280 kg/ha) (Jaloul and
Kbabo 1993 Syria);
• Per capita holdings: 0.34 ha (1975), 0.19 (1997);
• Depletion of ground water due to over-exploitation;
• Alarming loss of biodiversity in general and agrobiodiversity.

3. Flora and endemism in Arab countries
(World conservation center, 1992)
Countries Total species N. Endemic species N. Threatened species
Algeria 3200 250 145
Egypt 2112 70 91
Jordan 2500 - 752
Lebanon* 3050 305 5
Libya 1900 134 58
Mauritania 1100 - 3
Morocco 4500 600 194
Palestine 3000 - 980
Syria* 3050 305 11
Tunisia 2150 170 26
Bahrain 196 0 -
Iraq 2921 190 -
Kuwait 235 0 1
Oman 1021 74 2
Qatar 221 0 -
Saudi Arabia 1737 34 2
Sudan 3000 - -
United Emirates 342 0 -
Yemen 2336 135 134

4. Middle East and North Africa region encompasses four major centers of diversity and the
Mediterranean hot spots of endemic flora

5. • Agrobiodiversity continues to support
the livelihoods of rural poor in
drylands and mountainous areas;
• Reservoir of valuable traits for
breeding programs around the world
including genes for adaptation to
climate change adverse effects;
• Source of material for rehabilitation of
degraded eco- and farming systems;
• Several other social and
environmental benefits/services.
Importance of dryland agrobiodiversity
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Apricot
Almond
Grape
Apple
Olive
Fig
Wheat
BarleyChickpea
Lentil
Lebanon
Syria
Jordan
Palestine
Lowest
25%
25%-50% 50%-75% Highest
25%
Wealth quartiles
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
Mean(JD/Year)
Selling crop
production
Selling
livestock
products
Value of
selling live
animals
Off-farm labor
wage from
agriculture
Off-farm labor
wage out side
agriculture
Government
employee
Remittance
from members
working out
side the
country
Lowest
25%
25 - 50% 50 - 75% Highest
25%
Wealth quartilies
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
MeanSL/Year
Selling crop
production
Selling
livestock
products
Selling live
animals
Off-farm labor
wage from
agriculture
Off-farm labor
wage out side
agriculture
Government
employee
Remittance
from members
working out
side the
country
Other income

6. Aegilops, Avena, Hordeum,
Secale and Triticum species
Sources: Katherine Whitehouse, Holly Vincent, Ahmed Amri and Nigel Maxted (2012) and Maxted et al (2010)
Cicer, Lathyrus, Lens,
Medicago, Pisum and Vicia
species
Mapping of species richness for priority species

7. Location of
complementarity analysis
for all priority Cicer,
Lathyrus, Lens, Medicago,
Pisum and Vicia species
diversity hotspots
Source: Maxted et al. (2010)
Complementary analysis for in situ conservation of
wild relatives of cereals and legumes
Location of
complementarity analysis
for priority Aegilops,
Avena, Hordeum, Secale
and Triticum species
diversity hotspots

8. -1 1 3 5 7
Grazing pressure
New varieties
New species
Overuse
Urbanization
Drought
Decreased farming
Cutting
Quarries
Fire
Land reclamation
2004
2000
Severity score
Major factors affecting agrobiodiversity in NENA region

9. 0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
EnhancedVegetationIndex(EVI)
8-days interval from 2000-2013
MODIS Time Series
Spectral Profiles
rangelands
(Muwaqqar, Jordan
2000-13)
Water deficit years (droughts)Water surplus years (good years)
Source: P. Patil, C. Biradar and A. Amri (CRP Drylands Systems 2013)
Major LULC Type 1985 2002 2013
Croplands 7756.85 8177.69 8499.92
Non-Woody/Grassland 44512.65 33412.05 36507.21
Barren and Sparsely Vegetated 47586.31 58127.76 54251.20
Urban and built-up areas 21.87 124.51 691.28
Woody Vegetation 98.70 158.33 50.73
Waterbody 23.96 0.00 0.00

10. Requirements for building efficient, effective, rational
national and global systems for PGRFA conservation
Conservation
Use
Svalbard
Safety backup
Base collection
Active collection
Breeder
collection
Farmers
Traditional
genebank
networks
Making
genebanks
moreuseful
• National commitment (strategy,
policy, institutional arrangements);
• Better coordination at the national
level;
• Combining both ex situ and in situ
conservation approaches;
• Establishment of reliable
genebanks;
• Safety duplication of collections
and related databases;
• Linking conservation to utilization
(gene mining and evaluation);
• International collaboration with fair
and equitable benefit sharing.

11. State of ratification of major PGRFA related international
agreements by NENA countries
Agreements Number of countries Years of ratification Countries
CBD 25 1993-2015 AFG, ALG, BAH, DJI, EGY, IRN, IRQ, JOR, KWT,
LEB, LBY, MAUR, MOR, OMA, PAL, PAK, QAT,
SAR, SOM, SUD, SYR, TUN, TUR, UAE, YEM
Cartagena Protocol 22 2004-2015 AFG, ALG, BAH, DJI, IRN, IRQ, EGY, JOR, KWT,
LBY, AUR, MOR, PAL, PAK, OMA, QAT, SAR, SYR,
TUN, TUR, UAE, YEM
Nagoya Protocol 12 2011-2016 ALG, EGY, JOR, LEB, MAUR, MOR, PAK, SUD,
SYR, TUN, UAE, YEM
CITES 21 1975-2001 BAH, DJI, EGY, IRN, IRQ, JOR, KWT, LEB, LBY,
MAUR, MOR, OMA, PAK, QAT, SAR, SUD, SYR,
TUN, TUR, UAE, YEM
ITPGRFA 22 2001-2014 AFG, ALG, DJI, EGY, IRN, IRQ, JOR, KWT, LEB,
LBY, MAUR, MOR, OMA, PAK, QAT, SUD, SAR,
SYR, TUN, TUR, UEA, YEM
UPOV 5 2003-2009 JOR, MOR, OMA, TUN , TUR

12. Countries
Strategy
Action Plan
Number
institutions
National focal
institution
National PGR
committee
Medium and long-
term conservation Cryo-conservation
Field
genebanks
Safety
duplication
Iran Yes 5 Yes Yes Yes (M,L) Yes Yes +/-
Turkey Yes 5 Yes Yes Yes (M,L) Yes Yes +/-
Pakistan Yes 5 Yes Yes Yes (M,L) Yes Yes No
Morocco Yes 5 Yes Yes (1992) Yes (M,L) Yes Yes No
Algeria Draft 4 INRAA (2007) No No No Yes No
Tunisia Yes 6 NGBT (2007) Yes (2007) Yes (M,L) Yes Yes No
Libya No 1 No No Yes (M) No Yes No
Egypt Yes 9 NGB (2004) Yes (1994) Yes (M,L) Yes Yes No
Syria Yes 2 GCSAR (2001) Yes (2004) No No Yes No
Sudan Yes 3 No Yes Yes (M,L) Yes Yes No
Lebanon Yes 2 No No Yes (L) No Yes No
Jordan Yes 3 NCARTT (2002) Yes (2001) Yes (M) No Yes No
Iraq No 1 No No No No Yes No
Qatar No 2 No No No No Yes No
Kuwait No 2 No No No No Yes No
Saudi Arabia No 3 No No Yes (M) No Yes No
Oman No 2 No No Yes (M) No Yes No
UAE No 2 No No No Yes Yes No
Yemen Yes 2 No No Yes (M) No Yes No
Institutional arrangements for ex situ conservation in NENA countries

13. State of utilization of genetic resources in NENA countries
Countries Documentation Extent of distribution Characterization Evaluation Breeding
activities
Inside Outside Agro-morphologic Molecular
Morocco Complete Shared Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive +++
Algeria No Shared Limited Extensive Limited Extensive ++
Tunisia No Limited Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive ++
Libya No Limited Limited Limited Limited Limited +
Egypt Complete Limited Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive +++
Sudan Partial Shared Limited Extensive Limited Extensive +++
Syria Complete Fair Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive ++
Lebanon No Shared Shared Limited Limited Limited +
Palestine No Limited Limited Limited Limited Limited -
Jordan Complete Shared Shared Extensive Extensive Extensive ++
Kuwait No Shared Shared Limited Extensive for date palm Fair -
Qatar No Shared Shared Limited Extensive for date palm Fair -
Saudi Arabia No Shared Limited Limited Extensive for date palm Fair +
Oman No Shared Shared Limited Limited Limited -
UAE No Shared Shared Limited Extensive for date palm Fair -
Yemen Partial Shared Shared Limited Limited Limited +
Iran Complete Shared Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive +++
Turkey Complete Shared Limited Extensive Extensive Extensive +++
Pakistan Complete Shared Limited Extensive Fair Extensive +++

14. Countries No. accessions
1996
No. accessions
2007
No. accessions
at ICARDA
Morocco 3,115 23,000 4479
Algeria 985 663 3733
Tunisia 504 11,400 4236
Libya 1,750 1934 69
Egypt* 8,914 30,000 1201
Sudan* 4,280 10,000 180
Turkey 26,869 56,000 11,849
Syria 8,750 11,500 9954
Lebanon 0 1,142 1478
Palestine 0 270 93
Jordan 2,642 4,500 5043
Iran 40,000 71,000 7397
Iraq 6,400 1,400 1042
Afghanistan 2,965 1,400 3396
Pakistan 19,208 23,000 3202
Kuwait 0 ? 0
Qatar 0 ? 0
Oman* 238 900 208
Yemen 4,229 4,800 291
Total 130,859 252,909 57,851
Status of ex situ conservation of PGRFA in the NENA countries

15. Regional and international collaboration and networking
• Large number of accessions from NENA countries are
available in major global genebanks including at CGIAR;
• ACSAD, AOAD, ICBA and ICARDA play a crucial role in
conserving genetic resources from NENA;
• NENA is represented in the FAO-CGRFA, ITPGRFA, with
the establishment of the Regional Commission for
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in NENA
region;
• NENA-PGRFA network established in 2009 and regional
PGRFA strategy developed;
• Discussion of PGRFA Arab Initiative
 Creation of Arab Center for coordination and information
management on PGR.
 Creation of sub-regional genebanks.
 Establishment or upgrading of national genebanks.
• Muscat Declaration and development of “Framework
Action Plan for the Implementation of the Benefit-
Sharing Fund in NENA Region”

16. Major observations from analysis of PGR conservation and use
programs in NENA countries
• Most existing legislations are on protecting areas and research and
development efforts focusing on intensification of farming systems with little
attention to management of agrobiodiversity in situ/on-farm;
• NPGR programs are at different stages of development and differ in the scope
and organization and few have clear budget commitments. Several institutions
are working on PGR conservation but with limited coordination;
• More breeding efforts needed and expanded to crops of regional importance;
• Limited role of NGOs and little involvement of local communities.
• Insufficient expertise in areas related to biodiversity;
• Limited capacity building opportunities;
• Limited public awareness actions

17. Emerging needs and priorities (policy and legislation)
• Developing and updating PGRFA National Strategies and Action Plans
PGRFA involving all key stakeholders and to be in harmony with
international agreements;
• Establishing an institutional mechanism officially recognized by national
governments in NENA region for harmonization of views, policies and
legislations to promote seed trade and enhance the regional exchange
of PGRFA, information and technologies and allow effective
contribution international agreements and conventions;
• Encouraging a better integrated cooperation between international
instruments, international research centers and funding bodies for
supporting PGRFA conservation and utilization initiatives;
• Assisting and encouraging governments to address farmers’ rights and benefit sharing
issues;
• Developing national and regional expertise on policies and legislations

18. • In-depth assessment of genetic resources conservation and use
programs (contribution to the 3rd Report SoWPGRFA and GAP);
• Undertake gap analysis to guide future collecting missions and
establishment of protected areas;
• Enhance breeding and pre-breeding efforts;
• Strengthening formal and informal seed production and delivery
programs;
• Expanding training and enhancing capacity in all facets of PGRFA
utilization, characterization, evaluation, breeding and seed production.
• Encouraging partnerships, coordinated efforts, and sharing roles and
tasks for efficient conservation of genetic resources including
arrangements for safety duplication, trans-boundary and
complementary network of natural reserves based on excellency;
Emerging needs and priorities (Use of Genetic Resources )

19. Other needs and priorities in NENA region
• Sharing data on plant genetic resources collections. Linkages with the
emerging global portal and exchanging know-how and experiences;
• Rationalizing germplasm conservation activities at national and regional
levels;
• Effective communication and information sharing.
• Assisting national programs to undertake impact assessments on the
contribution of PGRFA and farmers to sustain food security;
• Diversifying farming systems through the use of new and adapted PGRFA
and promoting under-utilized species to sustain agricultural development;
• Improving market access and opportunities for poor farmers;
• Recognizing the role of International and Regional organizations and the
essential role played by ICARDA’s genebank in conserving the genetic
resources from NENA region.

20. Decentralization of Genebank activities at ICARDA
Taxon Accessions held
in Syria
Morocco Lebanon Total unique accessions
in 2016
Bread wheat
14,100
3487
5037
14639
Durum wheat
19,635
4312
3655
20496
Primitive wheat
912
459
124
954
Aegilops
4057
120
3953
4774
Wild Triticum
1584
116
2250
2079
Barley
28,465
6007
5136
29981
Wild Hordeum
1989
228
354
2324
Chickpea
14,214
3326
2893
15195
Wild Cicer
270 277
547
Lentil
10,496
4618
335
13907
Wild Lens
587 426
602
Faba bean
9542 3397
10034
Lathyrus
3996 1735
4277
Pisum
6106 149
8893
Medicago
8398 1321
5677
Trifolium
4536 5088
6366
Vicia
6144 637
6115
Range and pasture
5802 2130
7166
Others
219 211
225
Total 141,052 22,673 39,108
154,251
Safety
duplication
Syria: Active and base collections (250,000)
Second level Safety duplication at Svalbard
Safety duplication
Lebanon: Collections of faba bean,
Lathyrus, forage and range species and
crop wild relatives (45,000)
Morocco: Collections of
cultivated species of barley,
wheat, lentil and chickpea
(75,000 acc.)

21. Potential areas for ICARDA contribution
• Undertake gap analysis for ex situ an in situ conservation efforts including
joint collecting missions;
• Assess the status of national efforts for conservation of agrobiodiversity for
improvement and for contribution to the State of the World third report
PGRFA;
• Ensure for safety duplication of genetic resources;
• Provide elite germplasm for releasing new varieties of cereals and legumes;
• Encourage partnerships, coordinated efforts, and sharing roles and tasks for
efficient conservation of genetic resources including arrangements for safety
duplication, trans-boundary and complementary network of natural reserves;
• Provide training and technical backstopping.

22. Indigenous Breeds of
Small Ruminants are
Highly Adaptable to
Changes in the
Environment

24. Hessian Fly Resistant