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Objective:

To conserve plant genetic resources (PGR) which are endangered due to environmental
and social changes in various parts of the world and, thus,

	1)	secure food and forest tree resources,
	2)	promote development of new medicines
		and
	3)	future human societies.

These activities shall be performed with special care for the welfare
of local communities, which have preserved and relied on these resources.
 

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Actions:  

1)	Organize activities to conserve endangered PGR in specified areas of the world.
2)	Promote mutual exchange of information for the above activities and public  awareness of  these issues.
3)	Support trainees from abroad studying PGR management in Japan,
4)	Participate in public sector projects aimed at global PGR conservation through  international  cooperation and
5)	Survey PGR status and related issues abroad based on literature records  .

               

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Field of Interest:

    Crop Plants:

   Forest Ecosystem

   Medicinal Plants

   Cooperation with Local Communities
 

　

　

　

　

Crop Plants:

 

	A great many seed stocks are now maintained and managed in the international agricultural research centers under the umbrella of CGIAR as well as a number of national genebanks. However, there are an enormous number of crop plant germplasm that remain unattended and face the danger of erosion, especially in developing countries.  Among these are fruit trees and other vegetatively propagated plants and local vegetables. Traditional knowledge on these germplasm is also on the verge of extinction.
			Exploring local fruit trees in Pakistan

           

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Forest Ecosystem:
 

			Forest ecosystems are a crucial component of the global environment as well as a treasure chest of genetic resources. These harbor not only arboreous species but also bushy and herbaceous plants, fungi and microorganisms.
	Conserved forest area in  Nathia Galli, Pakistan

           
 

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Medicinal Plants:
 

	For their health care, a majority of the people in the developing world rely on traditional medicine, mostly derived from plants. Development of modern pharmaceuticals often relies on medicinal plant ingredients and traditional wisdom. Conservation of such medicinal plant resources under the pressure of commercial exploitation is an urgent issue.
			Discussion with medicinal plant collectors

           
 

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Cooperation with Local Communities:

Conservation activities must be in harmony with local communities. Ethnological informations and genetic resources maintained by local communities must be conserved. Life in local communities often depends on the genetic resources and their ecosystem. Communities' activities may also work in opposition to the ecosystem. In situ conservation of plant genetic resources requires cooperation with local communities.

	Discussion on the conservation of indigenous crops  in a local community in Nepal
	Cassava tubers in a market in Uganda

　

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Background:

   Risk from Human Activities

  Risks from the Natural Environment

　

　

　

  Risk from Human Activities

　

			Changing human society greatly effects the state of plant genetic resources. Agrarian communities become industrialized. Crop species and cultivars may change. The trend may be inevitable and perhaps beneficial for the welfare of human communities. Agricultural modernization may be required for sustainable farming under some conditions. However, plant genetic diversity should be conserved for the benefit of future human societies.
	Introduction of sugarcane industry

            

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Risks from the Natural Environment

　

Genetic diversity can be eroded not only by mankind's activities but also by
various environmental factors: diseases and pests, soil erosion, climatic changes
and allelopathic behaviors of plants.

Conserving genetic diversity under such trends shall be investigated.
 

　

	Farm land under the threat of erosion		Yew, a medicinal Taxus species, with unidentified disease

　

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Global Issue：

To secure the precious heritage of our earth, plant genetic resource conservation is
under global scrutiny.

   [United Nations]

  [International Agricultural Research Centers]

  [National Genebanks]

  [Organizations for Intellectual Property Right]

 

　

　

　

[United Nations]

Two UN organizations, FAO and UNEP are the major players of official international
movements. Over 150 nations participate in the FAO Commission of Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The Convention of Biological Diversity under the auspices of UNEP diplomatically
binds the world, except for a few unsigned nations, to work for a common end
underlined primarily by environmental issues

            

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[International Agricultural Research Centers]

　

			Activities of International Agricultural Research Centers, under the umbrella of CGIAR (Consultative Group for the International Agricultural Research), have strong components for genetic resources. Among them, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) coordinates the activities of this area of the entire research system as well as carrying out its own projects. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and other organizations with specified realms of activities preserve and manage a vast number of germplasm in their genebanks.
	Preservation of potato germplasm at the International Potato Centre (CIP) in Lima, Peru

           
 

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[National Genebanks]

　

	Many nations, developing as well as industrialized, now have their own genebanks and are committed to mutually cooperative relationships.
			Germplasm Seed Storage at the Vavilov Research Institute for Plant Industry, St. Petersburg, Russia

             

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[Organizations for Intellectual Property Right]
 

International organizations dealing the intellectual property rights are also
committed to the genetic resources issue.
 

　

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Present Activities：

    Project A 　in Pakistan

   Project B 　in Malaysia

   Project C    in Russia

 

   Project D    ・・・・・・・

 

   Project M 　Publication of TASO-PGR Newsletter

   
     (Under Construction)

  

　

　

Project A 　in Pakistan

   

Project B    in Malaysia

 

　

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      Invitation for your Contact ：

　

       Any of your questions or comments

          concerning to our activities

             are greatly appreciated.

　

　

　

	For   their   future

             

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 Tsukuba Association Supporting Overseas PGR Activities

	TASO-PGR

　

	Members:

	MURATA  Nobuo	Board Chairman
	YAMADA  Minoru	Deputy Board Chairman
	SUZUKI  Shigeru	Executive Board
	FURUKOSHI  Takanobu	Executive Board
	SAKAGUCHI  Susumu	Board Administrator
	EGUCHI  Yoshihiro
	WATANABE  Takashi
	ASHIZAWA  Masakazu
	NOZU  Yuzo
	EGARA  Katsuo
	ONO  Hiroshi
	NISHIKAWA  Yoshiaki
	ADACHI  Taiji
	YAMAMOTO  Chiaki
	NAKAJIMA  Kousuke
	FUJIMORI  Suehiko
	YAZAWA  Sataro
	YAMAMOTO  Akio

	Main Office: 7-32, Onogawa, Tsukuba-City, Ibaraki-ken Japan   305-0053		Mito-Office: 1972, Ooaza-Ooto, Ibaraki-machi, Higashi-Ibaraki-gun, Ibaraki-ken Japan   311-3114
	Tel & Fax: 81-29-851-6395 E-mail:nmurata@intio.or.jp		Tel & Fax: 81-29-292-8773 E-mail:t.f.ffri@nifty.com