Brochure: Finnish National Genetic Resources Programme for Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery

Finnish National Genetic Resources Programme

Painting: Niina Laitonen

for Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery

Photo: Tarja Hietaranta/Luke

What are genetic resources and why are they conserved?

Photo: Petri Heinimaa/Luke

Photo: Erkki Oksanen/Luke

Genetic resources for agriculture, forestry and fishery include crop plants and their wild relatives, domestic animal breeds, forest trees and fish species.

Genetic resources are both ecologically and economically significant components of biodiversity. The most important reason for their conservation is to develop the economic and sustainable use of natural resources and to improve the quality of end products. This includes preparedness for changes in the agricultural, forest and aquatic environments. Genetic resources are the basis for plant and animal breeding.

Genetic resources are both ecologically and economically significant components of biodiversity

Principles of conservation The legal basis for the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources are the international treaties. As part of the work on genetic resources, Finland cooperates in global, European and Nordic fora at both the political and expert level. The most relevant international agreements are the Convention on Biological Diversity, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the FAO sector-specific Global Plans of Action. Through these commitments countries are also responsible for reporting on progress in conservation efforts. For forest genetic resources, the FOREST EUROPE process is central to both guiding and monitoring the work. For plant, animal and forestry programmes the important European networks at the expert level are, in respective order, ECPGR, ERFP and EUFORGEN. In addition to their role in coordinating conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources in Europe, these networks offer support to national programmes through knowledge exchange and communication. Finland is also a member of the European virtual genebank (AEGIS). Nordic cooperation is organized through The Nordic Genetic Resource Centre (NordGen), which maintains genetic resources and serves as a cooperation network.

EU and national legislation and strategies also contribute to the implementation of genetic resources policy. In Finland, international agreements are implemented by Finland’s National Genetic Resources Program for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2018). The National Genetic Resources Program sets out the key principles, objectives and action plans for the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources. Programme coordination is addressed by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

Photo: Mika Raivonen/Luke

Cultivated plant genetic resources The aim of conservation of plant genetic diversity for food and agriculture is to safeguard their long-term availability and sustainable use in Finland. Plant genetic diversity has been collected and evaluated. The national genetic resources programme includes field crops and horticultural plants grown in Finland, i.e. food and feed plants, herbs and medicinal plants, as well as ornamental and landscaping plants. Genetically and geographically diverse and well-adapted plant material is selected for long-term conservation. In addition, conservation of the crop wild relatives is addressed.

The Finnish genetic resources of cereals, grasses, legumes, oil plants and potatoes are conserved in the NordGen genebank in Sweden and the backup storage for crops is in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Genetic resources of vegetatively propagated plant species are conserved nationally as individual living plants in the field and garden collections, mainly in the Natural Resources Institute Finland. Central long-term collections are established from fruit and berry plants, vegetables, herbs, medicinal plants, and ornamental and landscaping plants. Conservation is secured through safety collection networks and as tissues in the cryobank. In addition, the cultivation of landraces and local varieties in the field and gardens is enhanced.

The practical goal of the plant genetic resources work is to guarantee that genetic diversity will be available for sustainable use purposes, such as plant breeding, research and commercialisation. Diversity is needed to be able to adapt for further user needs and demands, as well as changing cultivation conditions. Simultaneously, valuable traits, including special quality features and traits of cultural historical value are conserved. Genebanks deliver material under conditions of material transfer agreements for breeding, research and education purposes, and for hobbyists if possible. Plant genetic resources are also available through nurseries and some associations.

Announcements addressing old plant varieties can be made at www.luke.fi/ilmoitakasvi.

Photo: Erkki Oksanen/Luke

Photo: Saija Rantala/Luke Photo: Erkki Oksanen/Luke

Forest genetic resources Forest legislation in Finland is based on the principle of ecologically, socially and economically sustainable forestry. Forest genetic resources are the basis for sustainable forestry, environmental diversity and multiple uses of forests.

The main objective of the programme on forest genetic resources is to conserve genetic variability within each species because variability is the basis for adaptation to environmental changes. Conservation is organized through gene reserve forests and genetic collections. Both approaches are dynamic, not preserving individual genotypes as such but maintaining high genetic variability in the conservation units. The programme covers nearly all native tree species that are important either economically or ecologically (19 species) and identifies suitable conservation methods for them.

The common species are primarily conserved in gene reserve forests (in situ), in the environment to which the population is adapted. A high level of genetic variability is maintained by active management, which also allows harvesting.

The stand is always regenerated either naturally or, in rare cases of artificial regeneration, using seed from the same stand. The network of gene reserve forests in Finland consists of 44 units and covers a total of 7000 ha of forestland. Three quarters of the land is state-owned and the remainder is owned by private entities.

Genetic resources of rare species, primarily noble hardwoods, are conserved in collections of living trees outside their place of origin (ex situ). The material in each collection is a random sample of the trees existing in natural stands and has not been selected according to any preferred traits. However, no sick individuals are included. Genetic collections have been established for nine species, covering approximately 9 ha and including 5000 trees.

Forest tree breeding provides forest reproductive material of high genetic quality and which is at the same time sufficiently variable. The genetic conservation programme backs up the breeding programme by ensuring that samples of the original material are maintained in gene reserve forests, even for species where use of improved material is substantial. Furthermore, the genetic collections will, after their maturation, provide variable and well-adapted material to be used directly in landscaping and forest regeneration.

Photo: Mervi Honkatukia/NordGen

Animal Genetic Resources Animal genetic resources are defined as genetic diversity in domesticated animal species having economic, scientific, cultural, societal or ecological values and are found among domesticated animal species, animal breeds within the species and in cryoconserved material (embryos and semen). Genetic diversity refers to differences in allele frequencies and allele combinations among breeds of animal species and the spectrum of genetic variation within the breeds.

Diverse animal genetic resources are an essential basis for research and development in animal breeding. The animal species considered in the National Animal Genetic Resources Programme are horse, chicken, dog, sheep, honeybee, cattle, reindeer, pig and goat. The National Programme covers animal breeds whose breeding history in Finland has lasted for at least tens of generations.

Such breeds are indigenous Finnish breeds, such as the Eastern Finncattle, the Finnish Landrace chicken and the Finnhorse, and some imported breeds, such as the Ayrshire cattle, Landrace pig and Texel sheep.

The genetic resources of livestock are conserved through the establishment of conservation herds and conservation programmes for the indigenous breeds, and the freezing of semen, ova and embryos in containers of liquid nitrogen. In addition, in animal breeding programmes run by animal breeding organizations, multiple traits, such as production, health and fertility, are simultaneously considered.

Natural Resources Institute Finland supports the sustainable utilization of animal genetic resources through research and development projects. In particular, research on specific characteristics and products of indigenous breeds is considered important, on the basis of which special products can be developed, for example by using milk and meat of indigenous cattle breeds, and meat and wool of the indigenous sheep breeds. Information activities increase public awareness of and knowledge about animal genetic resources and the indigenous animal breeds. Traditional knowledge associated with the indigenous breeds is also collected and utilized in branding of the old native breeds.

Photo: MRKTL/Luke

Photo: Mervi Honkatukia/NordGen Photo: Petri Heinimaa/Luke

Fish genetic resources Fish genetic resources comprise native Finnish fish species and alien species imported for food production and fishing. Active management is demanded for fish genetic resources when the natural resources of a species weaken and the use of a particular fish resource is no longer possible. During the first phase, live fish stocks in nature are developed through various fishing regulations and environmental enhancement. If these actions do not have the expected results, artificial propagation is used either by obtaining fertilized eggs from nature for on-growing at fish farms or producing fertilized eggs from broodstocks established for fish farms.

Fish genetic resources work highlights the conservation of endangered fish species and strains in the broodstocks in fish farms and in cryogenic banks in addition to enhancement in their natural environment. The fish genetic resources programme contains primarily the most endangered and valuable fish species and strains. These species are those for which genetic resources survival in nature is not secure. These include fish and crayfish species that are or potentially could be of great economic value in the future, in nature or in aquaculture production. In practice the fish genetic resources programme concerns the following economically valuable fish species: land-locked salmon, sea-spawning grayling, Saimaa Arctic char, eel, sea trout, brown trout, migratory whitefish, salmon, densely-rakered whitefish, zander, Lappish Arctic char, lamprey, and of the imported species, rainbow trout, nelma/sheefish, peled whitefish and Hornavan Arctic char.

Fish genetic resources from the Natural Resources Institute Finland’s fish farms are widely used to secure and enhance the reproduction of wild fish populations and juvenile production in fish farms as well as in food fish production. Fish farming material is distributed to fish farmers in Finland and to foreign countries. Fish genetic resources are used for research purposes in co-operation with other research institutes and universities.

Active partners and additional information Luke, Natural Resources Institute Finland www.luke.fi/en/natural-resources/genetic-resources/ Coordinator for plant genetic resources, elina.kiviharju@luke.fi Coordinator for forest genetic resources, mari.rusanen@luke.fi Coordinator for animal genetic resources, juha.kantanen@luke.fi Coordinator for fish genetic resources, petri.heinimaa@luke.fi The Nordic Genetic Resource Center, NordGen Director Lise Lykke Steffensen, lise.lykke.steffensen@nordgen.org Plants, plants@norgden.org Forest trees, forest@nordgen.org Animals, farm-animals@nordgen.org

The Convention on Biological Diversity, CBD, 1994 www.cbd.int/convention/ The Nagoya Protocol 2016 www.cbd.int/abs/ The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, ITPGRFA, 2004 www.fao.org/plant-treaty/en/ FAO Global Plans of Action (GPA): FOREST EUROPE; foresteurope.org/ Second Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, 2011 www.fao.org/3/i2624e/i2624e00.pdf Global Plan of Action for Farm Animal Genetic Resources, 2007 www.fao.org/3/a1250e/a1250e00.htm First Global Plan of Action for Forest Genetic Resources, 2013 www.fao.org/3/a-i3849e.pdf