Conservation and Breeding of Mediterranean Pines

Sustainable use of forest genetic resources in Mediterranean pines should consider different aspects such as the conservation of genetic resources, the actions derived from the breeding programs, and the transfer and use of forest reproductive material (FRM) in forestry. These three aspects should all be integrated into forest management at different spatial scales (from stand, to landscape to the entire species distribution range), and should also be integrated into different national and regional policies (biodiversity conservation, reforestation, national forest inventories, research), which should be based on the most precise information available to enable decision making. This chapter reviews the state of the art of the conservation and improvement of genetic resources in Mediterranean pines. Firstly, we analyze the different evolutionary factors affecting the conservation of genetic resources in Mediterranean pines, the threats to these genetic resources and the strategies and actions implemented for their conservation. We stress the lack of a general framework for the conservation of genetic resources, due to some limiting factors derived both from socio-economic differences of the countries, and from differences in the actual knowledge on the genetic resources of the different species. In the second step, we review the breeding activities for Mediterranean pines, their strategies and main achievements. Most of these activities are of low intensity, and should take advantage of breeding without breeding approaches to be cost-effective. We then analyze some aspects related to the transfer and use of FRM in these species, the basis for decision making and the implications for sustainable conservation and use of forest genetic resources.