First-ever survey on forest genetic resources by FAO calls for urgent measures to protect the precious resources which provide a range of economic, health and ecological benefits More than one-fourth of the world’s population relies on forest resources for livelihood. The forest products industry is a major source of economic growth and employment in the world; it is estimated at US $255 billion. About 1 billion people worldwide depend on drugs derived from forest plants for their medicinal needs. All this is possible due to the rich genetic resources of the world’s forests which help them in adaptation and evolutionary processes as well as in improving their productivity. However, the countries are little equipped to conserve the rich forest genetic resources posing a threat to several local species of trees and woody plants which may be of actual or potential economic, environmental, scientific or societal value. These are the findings of a first-ever survey of the forest genetic resources of the world conducted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Forest tree species have evolved into some of the most genetically diverse organisms in existence. Unlike other organisms, they are generally live long and have developed natural mechanisms such as high rates of outcrossing of genes and often long-distance dispersal of pollen and seed to maintain high levels of genetic variation within species.

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