APFORGEN Inception Workshop
Kepong, Malaysia, 15-18 July 2003

Recommendation 1: The Workshop participants recommend the adoption of the following objectives for APFORGEN:

1. Strengthen national programmes on forest genetic diversity in the participating countries
2. Enhance regional networking and collaboration on conservation and management of forest genetic resources
3. Locate, characterize, conserve and facilitate exchange of genetic diversity of selected priority forest species
4. Promote sustainable utilization of genetic diversity in natural and man-made forests
5. Enhance linkages with other regional and international networks

Recommendation 2: The Workshop participants recommend the adoption of the organizational structure, which was outlined in the workshop background document. The main elements of the organizational structure are

1. National Coordinators,
2. Steering Committee, and
3. APFORGEN Secretariat.

Recommendation 3: The Workshop participants recommend that APAFRI and IPGRI should approach relevant governmental institutions and policy-makers in each country, with help of the workshop participants, and initiate a process to nominate officially the National Coordinators for APFORGEN.

Recommendation 4: The Workshop participants recommend:

1. National Coordinators should act as a link between the APFORGEN Secretariat and various national institutions carrying out work on forest genetic resources.
2. National Coordinators are responsible for involving relevant institutions and stakeholders within their respective countries to carry out agreed tasks and for coordinating APFORGEN related activities.

Recommendation 5: The Workshop participants recommend that the APFORGEN Steering Committee be composed of National Coordinators from all participating countries and that the Steering Committee should also include representatives from APAFRI, IPGRI and DFSC.

Recommendation 6: The Workshop participants recommend:

1. Steering Committee oversees APFORGEN and meet regularly to review the progress made.
2. Steering Committee to discuss issues relevant to conservation and use of forest genetic resources and make recommendations for the future work of the Programme.

Recommendation 7: The Workshop participants recommend that official endorsement, both at national and regional level, should be obtained for APFORGEN. Relevant forums for seeking endorsement could be the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the FAO Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission and the South Asia Association for Regional Collaboration (SAARC).

Recommendation 8: The Workshop participants identified the following common areas of interest among participating countries:

1. evaluation, characterization and documentation,
2. in situ and ex situ conservation,
3. exchange of genetic materials,
4. domestication and utilization,
5. strengthening national programmes on forest genetic resources,
6. involvement of local communities and the role of livelihood and gender in conservation and use of forest genetic resources, and
7. development of relevant policies and enhancement of the linkage between conservation of forest genetic resources and national forest programmes. The Workshop participants recommend that these areas should be given priority in developing regional collaboration.

Recommendation 9: The Workshop participants identified several regional capacity building needs, such as short and long-term training courses, exchange of scientists, collaboration in developing training material, workshops and fellowships for scientists and professionals. More specifically, training is needed on conservation methods, molecular tools, taxonomy, management of forest genetic resources, domestication, participatory approaches in conservation, and livelihood generation through the use of forest genetic resources. The Workshop participants recommend that these areas should be given priority in developing regional capacity-building efforts.

Recommendation 10: The South and Southeast Asian Working Groups developed a tentative list of priority species for the two sub-regions. The Workshop participants recommend that APFORGEN should give priority to these species initially. These lists are subject to updating.

Recommendation 11: The Workshop participants discussed a wide range of approaches, which could be used in developing the modus operandi of APFORGEN. For further development of APFORGEN, the Workshop participants recommend that the modus operandi should be kept flexible and that specific groups or networks could not be established at this point of the Programme.

Recommendation 12: The Workshop participants recommend that one of the first concrete activities for APFORGEN should be developing more effective means for information dissemination and effective communication among participating countries.