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Dr. Henry
Shands
Director Emeritus,
National Center for
Genetic Resources
Preservation,
USDA-ARS (retired)
Fort Collins, CO,
USA
Conservation
of Genetic Resources
Monday, September 13, 2010
3:30 - 4:00 pm
Abstract:
Plant genetic
resources serve many
roles in our
society. They
provide our food as
well as feed for our
animals. They are
also used for fuel,
fibers and flowers.
They serve as
research materials
for plant scientists
such as plant
breeders, plant
molecular
biologists, and
plant physiologists.
They support
agricultural
industry from
farmers to traders
to processors to
distributors to
retailers to
seedsmen and so on.
And, plant genetic
resources represent
a special heritage
coming from the time
of the early
gatherers to the
present farmers and
represent perhaps
the most valuable
intergenerational
transfer that we
have.
Ex-situ conservation
of plant genetic
resources is most
frequently
represented by
seeds, propagules
and DNA. Over 1700
gene banks and over
2500 botanic gardens
store seeds of
plants worldwide.
While there is
considerable
duplication of
agricultural seeds,
plant collectors
continue to add new
seeds of plant
species and genera,
including crop wild
relatives.
International
Agricultural
Research Centers of
the CGIAR maintain
and have collected
many accessions of
their mandated crops
and their wild
relatives. Recent
funding from the
World Bank to
upgrade the quality
of the CGIAR
genebanks, and
establish more
functional and
linked databases
makes those
collections even
more valuable.
Seed security for
future generations
has been aided by
the establishment of
the Svalbard Global
Seed Vault in 2008.
The vault is
operated by Norway
with financial
assistance from the
Global Crop
Diversity Trust.
Donor countries,
international
centers and other
organizations may
deposit seed samples
at no cost and
retain full
ownership rights.
Currently over
526,000 seed samples
have been deposited.
Global food security
is truly dependent
on the access to and
use of these and
other plant genetic
resources by plant
breeders and
biotechnologists in
the coming years as
the global
population reaches a
projected 9 billion
people.
Biography
Henry L. Shands was
Director for the
USDA-ARS National
Center for Genetic
Resources
Preservation in Fort
Collins, Colorado
from 2000 until his
retirement in 2007.
Prior to that, he
served as the
Agricultural
Research Service’s
Assistant
Administrator for
Genetic Resources in
Washington, D.C.
from 1997 to 2000
after serving for 12
years on the ARS
National Program
Staff as Genetic
Resources Program
Leader and Associate
Deputy Administrator
for Genetic
Resources. Shands
served as the ARS
representative to
the FAO Commission
on Plant Genetic
Resources, to the
negotiations for the
United Nations’
Convention on
Biological Diversity
and to the FAO
negotiations for the
International Treaty
for Plant Genetic
Resources. He served
for a year each as
Director of the ARS
International
Programs Office and
as an Advisor to the
Rural Development
Department at the
World Bank. He
currently serves as
an advisor to the
World Bank’s
Genebank Upgrading
Program for the
CGIAR’s
International
Agricultural
Research Centers and
as an advisor to the
Global Crop
Diversity Trust for
the Svalbard Global
Seed Vault. He
recently served as
President of the
Crop Science Society
of America is
currently Past
President of the
Council for
Agricultural Science
and Technology
(CAST).
Click to view Henry
Shands' ABIC 2010
presentation
