MAPFORGEN: An online atlas for the conservation of forest genetic resources (full article)

MAPFORGEN (Mapping Forest Genetic Resources) is a project to evaluate the conservation status of 100 socio-economically important woody species (trees, palms, shrubs and bamboos) from different eco-regions of Latin America and the Caribbean.

It also aims to raise awareness of the conservation status of forest genetic resources in these regions. The final product will be a publically available online atlas that contains all the gathered information about the species including GIS-based threat, distribution and in situ conservation analyses.

The 100 species were selected on the basis of FAO priority lists and prioritization exercises by LAFORGEN members. With the exception of some economically important species endemic to Mexico and Brazil, all other included species are present in two or more countries. Being a regional project, MAPFORGEN offers an opportunity for knowledge sharing between institutions from different countries about the selected species’ distribution, biology and conservation status.

Knowledge about the natural distribution of a species allows assessment of its conservation status and to formulate effective conservation strategies. However, for most plant species, only a limited amount of information on their natural distribution is available. Species distribution modeling is considered a useful tool to overcome the apparent lack of concrete information in distribution.

This modeling technique entails describing an ecological niche based on environmental factors at sites where a species has been observed. It also identifies those areas with similar conditions where the species may potentially occur. The selected species’ distribution can be modeled by using observations obtained from herbarium specimens and genebank samples (accessions) made available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) or shared by LAFORGEN members. 

To assess the in situ conservation status in the species’ predicted distribution area, GIS based indicators, such as the IUCN red list of threatened species indicators, Area of Occupancy, the Extent of Occurrence and the percentage of the distribution covered by protected areas, are combined with expert knowledge. Threat maps developed by CIAT in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy are used to assess the status caused by several threats across the distribution range of the prioritized species.