164
6 Two Country Examples of PGRFA Conservation Systems
of computer aided data documentation and research in information methodology (Frese, 1996). Furthermore, there is an important ex situ collection of
vine at the Institute for Breeding of Grapes of the Federal Center for Breeding Research (BAZ) as well as some forest genebanks (GCR, 1996).
• The Information Center of Genetic Resources (IGR) was established in the
course of organizing the German concept of PGRFA conservation in 1991.
Its main tasks are information, consultation, coordination and research on
genetic resources, cooperating with national and international organizations
and institutes in the field of PGRFA (GCR, 1996). As the information center
for genetic resources, IGR is one of the focal points in assembling ideas, research results, outcomes of workshops and international meetings and conferences and consequently making headway for further conceptualizing German conservation activities. IGR played an important role as the Secretariat
for the National Committee for the Preparation of the ITCPGR as well as in
the establishment of a databank for all conserved PGRFA (GENRES). IGR
cooperates closely with the BMU through the BiN to support the development of the German CHM under the Convention on Biological Diversity
(GCR, 1996).
• IGR's work must be seen in the context of the Center for Agricultural
Documentation and Information (ZADI), another institute in the scope of
BML, focusing on the management of national as well as international agricultural information resources (ZADI, 1995); IGR is one of its three departments.
• As an independent department accountable to BML, the Federal Office of
Plant Varieties (BSA) has two main tasks: the approval of new varieties and
the control of the seed market. The seed certification and market control are
based on the national Seed Trade Act and the national Plant Variety Protection Act as well as on the international guidelines, laid down by the International Union for the Protection of new Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and
agreed upon by its 30 member states. Besides UPOV, international cooperation exists in the EU, OECD, and FAO (BSA, 1996). Hence, although BSA
is confronted with the output of breeding new varieties, BSA transfers varieties to the genebanks after the variety protection and registration have expired (after 25 years). Along with the old variety, the genebanks receive valuable evaluation data from the BSA (GCR, 1996).
• The other German genebank, the oldest and at the same time the largest storage facility for PGRFA in Germany with approximately 103,000 accessions
stored at the Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), is
supported jointly by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research
and Technology (BMBF) and the respective state governments
81 , because it
is classified as an institute of overriding importance
82
(GCR, 1996). Its objecR1
There are some state governments involved, because besides the central genebank at
Gatersleben, further collections are in some field offices in different states: Saxony-Anhalt,
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony.
" These institutes are commonly named the "blue list institutes".
6 Two Country Examples of PGRFA Conservation Systems
of computer aided data documentation and research in information methodology (Frese, 1996). Furthermore, there is an important ex situ collection of
vine at the Institute for Breeding of Grapes of the Federal Center for Breeding Research (BAZ) as well as some forest genebanks (GCR, 1996).
• The Information Center of Genetic Resources (IGR) was established in the
course of organizing the German concept of PGRFA conservation in 1991.
Its main tasks are information, consultation, coordination and research on
genetic resources, cooperating with national and international organizations
and institutes in the field of PGRFA (GCR, 1996). As the information center
for genetic resources, IGR is one of the focal points in assembling ideas, research results, outcomes of workshops and international meetings and conferences and consequently making headway for further conceptualizing German conservation activities. IGR played an important role as the Secretariat
for the National Committee for the Preparation of the ITCPGR as well as in
the establishment of a databank for all conserved PGRFA (GENRES). IGR
cooperates closely with the BMU through the BiN to support the development of the German CHM under the Convention on Biological Diversity
(GCR, 1996).
• IGR's work must be seen in the context of the Center for Agricultural
Documentation and Information (ZADI), another institute in the scope of
BML, focusing on the management of national as well as international agricultural information resources (ZADI, 1995); IGR is one of its three departments.
• As an independent department accountable to BML, the Federal Office of
Plant Varieties (BSA) has two main tasks: the approval of new varieties and
the control of the seed market. The seed certification and market control are
based on the national Seed Trade Act and the national Plant Variety Protection Act as well as on the international guidelines, laid down by the International Union for the Protection of new Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and
agreed upon by its 30 member states. Besides UPOV, international cooperation exists in the EU, OECD, and FAO (BSA, 1996). Hence, although BSA
is confronted with the output of breeding new varieties, BSA transfers varieties to the genebanks after the variety protection and registration have expired (after 25 years). Along with the old variety, the genebanks receive valuable evaluation data from the BSA (GCR, 1996).
• The other German genebank, the oldest and at the same time the largest storage facility for PGRFA in Germany with approximately 103,000 accessions
stored at the Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), is
supported jointly by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research
and Technology (BMBF) and the respective state governments
81 , because it
is classified as an institute of overriding importance
82
(GCR, 1996). Its objecR1
There are some state governments involved, because besides the central genebank at
Gatersleben, further collections are in some field offices in different states: Saxony-Anhalt,
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony.
" These institutes are commonly named the "blue list institutes".