M.P. Gen. Resources Chap 36

The management of genetic resources is a complex, multi-faceted process. It involves a number of distinct stages, which are nevertheless linked and interrelated, from the selection of priority taxa, to the design and implementation of complementary conservation strategies and the development and exchange of the results of germplasm use (Maxted et al., 1997a). These different components generate various types of data, including information on the identity (passport data) and characteristics of germplasm (characterization and evaluation data), which are crucial for the effectiveness of the process as a whole. In the end, these data refer to stands of wild or cultivated plants found growing in specific, known places. The location of these places on the surface of the earth is also included in the passport data of genebank and herbarium documentation. This means that the data associated with germplasm are ‘geo-referenced’, and therefore amenable to ‘spatial analysis’, or the description and modelling of patterns and relationships in geographical data (Bailey, 1994). Each of the different components of the process of conservation and use of genetic resources not only generates, but also requires, data. For example, germplasm collection results in data on the distribution, the phenology, the ethnobotany and, once characterization and evaluation have been carried out, the genetic diversity of the target taxon. However, the collector will clearly benefit from considering – before venturing out into the field – any such data that may already exist in the literature and the documentation systems of genebanks and herbaria. Because they are geo-referenced, the data coming out of the genetic resources management process can be analysed not only on their own, but also in conjunction with other location data, from whatever additional source. Thus our collector, presented with scanty data on previous collections, could use climatic, vegetation and soil data from the study region to estimate the distribution and phenology of the taxon concerned. In this chapter, we describe how spatial analysis of the geo-referenced data generated by the process of conservation and use of genetic resources, using geographic information systems (GIS), can feed back to enhance and facilitate the process, and indeed add value to the germplasm collections. We start with a brief introduction to GIS technology. We then examine a number of key stages of the genetic resources management process and discuss how GIS may be used to increase their efficiency and effectiveness. This chapter thus follows the structure of Guarino et al. (1999), while updating the information presented there with new examples and additional references (including relevant Internet resources).