The 9 policy recommendations from the International Conference on Population and Conservation Genetics (ICPCG 2026), which was successfully held from 28-30 January 2026, is officially available.
Key recommendations:
- Mainstream forest genetic diversity into climate and biodiversity policies
- Use genomic and genetic tools to guide conservation priorities and seed sourcing
- Protect and manage genetically vulnerable and isolated populations
- Leverage emerging genomic resources and technologies responsibly
- Accelerate climate-resilient tree breeding while maintaining genetic diversity
- Strengthen tree seed systems for restoration and climate adaptation
- Invest in capacity building and extension across the seed and restoration value chain
- Promote participatory approaches in forest genetic resource management
- Strengthen international and regional collaboration
The conference aimed to advance the understanding of forest tree genetic resources under climate change and to strengthen the conservation of genetic diversity for forest resilience.
The conference was hosted by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)–Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding and organized by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Working Party 2.04.01 – Population, Ecological and Conservation Genetics, together with the Asia-Pacific Forest Genetic Resources Programme (APFORGEN).
