Forests in Africa and elsewhere are under tremendous strain. Deforestation is proceeding at alarming levels, and genetic erosion is occurring both within species and among species. Forests have a great value for the environment and for food, medicinal, energy and other needs of man. Conservation of forests is important; preservation of forest genetic resources is a major challenge facing humankind. IPGRI in SSA has created a FGR programme – Sub Saharan Africa Forest Genetic Resources Programme (SAFORGEN), to ensure that forest genetic resources receives the attention that it requires. This programme is linked to a global FGR effort of IPGRI. It also ensures effective linkage and interaction of FGR into the other programme components of IPGRI SSA. In recognition of the threats caused by genetic erosion, the SSA countries requested IPGRI to facilitate the development of a collaborative programme on forest genetic resources in several fora including the Third Regional Workshop of the Heads of Forest Seed Centres and Programmes held in Dakar in 1997. The consultations led to the establishment of SAFORGEN in 1998. The objectives of SAFORGEN are:

to strengthen institutional frameworks and national programmes for forest genetic resources

to intensify cooperation among countries for forest genetic resources conservation and use

to develop methodologies and tools for the conservation and sustainable use of forest genetic resources

So far, member countries have proposed four pilot SAFORGEN sub-networks (Food Tree Species, Wood and Fibre Species, Medicinal Trees Species and Fodder Tree Species). Countries set network priorities (species and activities), define national and collaborative activities and disseminate results of these activities to all network members. Studies sponsored by UNEP and IPGRI are being conducted at field level on the genetic diversity and the impact of human practices on two fodder tree species in Benin, two food species in Kenya and two medicinal tree species in Togo. The Regional Secretariat of SAFORGEN, which is managed by IPGRI, provides logistic support to the sub-networks and plays the role of facilitator and secretariat during network meetings. Regional training workshops on conservation and sustainable utilization of forest genetic resources were organized in March 1998 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso for French speaking countries, and in December 1999 in Nairobi, Kenya for English-speaking countries.

The principal and priority areas being addressed in the SSA FGR include:

(i) Creating awareness on FGR issue

(ii) Supporting national programme efforts in FGR conservation and use

(iii) Evaluation of genetic diversity in selected priority species

(iv) Understanding the genetic structure of forest tree populations

(v) Capacity development to address FGR issues

(vi) Special focus and strategies on threatened forest species

(vii) Endemic species of global importance

© IPGRI in SSA

© IPGRI in SSA