A short training workshop for Forest Managers and Forest Field Officers on forest biodiversity with focus on forest genetic resources conservation and management was held on 7-11 July 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This workshop was supported by an International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) Project which was implemented by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions (APAFRI), Bioversity International (Bioversity), University Putra Malaysia (UPM) and the Asia Pacific Forest Genetic Resources Programme (AFPORGEN).

The training workshop aimed to provide a common background specifically to Forest Managers and Forest Field Officers currently working on conservation and management of forests particularly in the Asia-Pacific region and addressed the urgent needs and challenges of biodiversity particularly on forest genetic resources conservation and management in forest production systems.

Among the topics covered were: (i) Forest biodiversity; (ii) Issues on tropical forest management; (iii) Managing in situ and ex situ conservation systems; (iv) Tools for monitoring conservation of FGR; and (v) Economic values and environmental services of FGR. Demonstration on applications of molecular markers for genetic diversity determination was also included.