Brazil holds successful genetic resources meeting

One of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with an estimated 20% of the planet’s total biodiversity, Brazil takes biodiversity seriously. The First Brazilian Congress on Genetic Resources brought 800 professionals together for four days for a series of presentations on genetic resources of plants, animals and microorganisms.

Adriana Alercia, a Bioversity scientist responsible for descriptors  [2] took part in short training courses and workshops associated with the Congress, on the characterization of plants using standard descriptors. Participants also heard about GENESYS  [3], the global portal to agricultural biodiversity whose development is being managed by Bioversity. Adriana commented that:

These information systems will make a great difference to the work of plant breeders and other researchers by giving easy access to the material and information through web portals. But for the information to be useful it has to be based on agreed standards for descriptions and data so that they can be exchanged and compared. We had very useful discussions about the development and use of standardized descriptors.

Another important aspect of such meetings is the opportunity to meet colleagues and plan future projects. Alercia reports that her Brazilian colleagues are interested in working with Bioversity to develop descriptors for additional genetic resources and for Bioversity to deliver training courses on the use of descriptors and standards.

For further information, contact:
 a.alercia(at)cgiar.org  [4]