Notification 2015-092

Dear Madam/Sir, As part of their shared mandates, the secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) with its Financial Mechanism – the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and its Benefit Sharing Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA), and the Bioversity International (a member of the CGIAR Global Partnership on Agriculture Research) have identified opportunities to further strengthen the in situ conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), particularly through improved attention to, and coverage of, crop wild relatives (CWR) in protected area networks and other effective area-based conservation measures. Further details are provided in the annex to this notification including: background information on the importance of PGRFA and CWR and how in situ conservation is addressed under the aforementioned governance mechanisms, organizations and initiatives; current information on status and trends of PGRFA, CWR and in situ conservation measures, that has identified the need for better coverage of CWR through protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures; other initiatives relevant to the conservation of CWR; the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA); suggested actions to strengthen the inclusion of crop wild relatives into protected area networks, including in support of related initiatives; and some potential financial resources to support the conservation and sustainable use of crop wild relatives, including as might be available through GEF-6 and the Benefit Sharing Fund of the ITPGRFA. We encourage you to review, develop or strengthen, as appropriate, your national strategies for the in situ conservation of CWR through protected area networks and other area-based conservation measures and the development of integrated approaches that link their conservation to their sustainable use. Such actions have the potential to make significant contribution to the synergistic achievement of Aichi Biodiversity Targets 7, 11, 12 and 13, as well as to Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Targets 5, 6, 7 and 9.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points, ITPGRFA Focal Points, PoWPA Focal Points, CGRFA Focal Points