Linking ex situ and in situ conservation in Nepal
Learn more about Bioversity International's work with our partners LI-BIRD to conserve agricultural biodiversity through the setup of community seedbanks and linking these local systems to the national genebank.
Nepal is home to over 100 community seedbanks who together help conserve more than 1000 local varieties of cereals, vegetables, legumes, root crops and spices. In collaboration with Bioversity International and Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), our local partner LI-BIRD has been working over the last decade to establish and strengthen seedbanks in areas where local varieties are disappearing most rapidly.
In order to support these local seedbanks, an event was held recently to safely duplicate samples from 15 community seedbanks to store at the national genebank. This is the first step to linking ex situ conservation to in situ conservation using community seedbanks as a medium. Having copies at the national level adds an extra layer of protection against the loss of these important genetic resources in case of gaps in management, change in preferences and use by the local community and so on.
Read the full story on LI-BIRD website: Linking Ex Situ And In Situ Conservation: Community Seed Banks Transfer 900 Local Varieties To The National Genebank