The European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) was founded in 1980 on the basis of the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programmes (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Genebank Committee of the European Association for Research on Plant Breeding (EUCARPIA).

ECPGR is a collaborative programme among most European countries aimed at ensuring the long term conservation and facilitating the increased utilization of plant genetic resources in Europe. Currently 38 countries are members of ECPGR (since April 2005). The Programme operates through nine broadly focused networks dealing with groups of crops or general themes related to plant genetic resources.

The main implementation of the Networks' activities is through Working Groups. Working Group Members are nominated by the National Coordinators and are responsible for representing the activities and interests of their country with regard to the specific crops or themes the Working Groups deal with.

ECPGR Secretariat Regional Office for Europe c/o Bioversity International Via dei Tre Denari 472/a 00057 Maccarese Rome, Italy Tel: (39) 066118231 Fax: (39) 0661979661 Email: [Click here]