UC DANR
Conservation Biology Workgroup
Report FY2005-2006

WG ratified 1999, Re-ratified 2004
Chair: C.O. Qualset, Genetic Resources Conservation Program (GRCP)

a) Activities: Summaries of workgroup meetings, in-service training sessions, and other events and activities conducted for workgroup members. For each activity, include intended purposes, the number of ANR members attending, and funding or in-kind support received from non-ANR sources.

Monterey Pine Forest Ecology Cooperative

The focus of the Cooperative is to improve, through educational events, the understanding of the underlying biology of native Pinus radiata forests (an ecologically restricted forest type that is endemic to only central coastal California and two Mexican islands and is threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation and other development pressures). Its activities have been supported since its inception in 2001 by a combination of funds that have included grants from the Packard Foundation, the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation, private contributions, and GRCP general funds. Participants since 2001 have included several WG members and other ANR and non-ANR UC research and extension personnel.

The primary Coop event since last year’s WG report was held July 27, 2005 at Monterey City Council Chambers, City Hall, in Monterey CA. WG member Deborah Rogers (GRCP/DANR) convened the session to present a seminar (Propagation of Monterey Pine in New Zealand) by visiting scientist Cathy Hargreaves (Forest Research, Rotorua, New Zealand). The seminar attracted approximately 20 participants from government agencies, the California Coastal Commission, nonprofit environmental organizations (e.g., California Native Plant Society), and interested individuals. Dr. Hargreaves was completing a six month sabbatical during which she worked at the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, CO.

WG meetings

WG membership has been invited to a June 8, 2006 meeting to be convened by GRCP to update conservation biology status at campuses and other units, to assess conservation biology needs (staffing, degree programs, courses), and to explore conservation biology outreach possibilities. As of this date (May 2, 2006), 12 WG members have indicated their intent to participate.

b) Accomplishments: Narrative summary (1-2 pages) of the workgroup’s accomplishments in each of the following areas:

• Addressing specific high priority issues or concerns affecting Division clientele;
• Enhancing collaborative planning and coordination of research and extension activities across organizational units of the Division, including AES and CE;
• Building linkages with non-ANR cooperators to improve coordination and impact and/or leverage resources;
• Increasing knowledge or skills of workgroup members; and
• Involving workgroup members in collective planning and decision making to identify and prioritize issues, goals and activities to be pursued by the workgroup.

ANR priorities: The WG with GRCP leadership and support continues to address several Division priorities. Because the conservation of genetic resources critical to California was a high priority of the Division, GRCP was established by the Division in 1985. This remains a high priority for the Division and GRCP continues with state funding in spite of recent Division budget shortages. In addition, the field of conservation biology underlies activities that address several ANR core issues emphasized in 2005: Invasive Species; Pest Management; Sustainability and Viability of Agriculture, all high priorities, and Land Use and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, medium priorities.

Conservation biology collaborations within WG and beyond: WG membership is called on by GRCP for advice and guidance primarily by email with the circulation of relevant proposals and publications. In this fiscal year GRCP Research Geneticist Rogers collaborated on research proposals with CE personnel and non-ANR academic personnel (CE Advisor Costello and UCSC postdoc Jason Hoeksema).

Conservation biology in an agricultural context includes the management of genetic resources in crops and livestock that minimize detrimental impacts on biodiversity, such as improved pest resistance to reduce pesticide impacts. GRCP published in 2005, with support from the Global Crop Diversity Trust, an informational document, “Safeguarding the Future of U.S. Agriculture: The Need to Conserve Threatened Collections of Crop Diversity Worldwide”. The authors of this 45-page document were WG chair Qualset and H.L. Shands, Director of the US National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation. The report was released at a Congressional Briefing in the U.S. Congress and is accessible from the GRCP website: http://www.grcp.ucdavis.edu/publications/SafeAgdex.htm.

WG Chair Qualset presented papers on in situ conservation of crops and wild crop relatives at the International Botanical Congress [Vienna], the International Ethnobotany Congress [Istanbul], Mars, Inc. Symposium [McLean, VA], and SIRS, a local service group. He also chaired a review for the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute of a World Bank-supported project on upgrading of eleven gene banks of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research. The review showed that the international gene banks are in good position to support the needs for genetic resources for California agriculture and for basic research.

WG member S. Carrizosa is currently working on a new conservation biology project concerning policy of biodiversity access and benefit sharing projects focusing on the biotechnology and legal issues involved in biodiversity prospecting. Support for this effort comes from the World Conservation Union and GRCP. This is a follow-on to the book edited by Carrizosa, S. Brush [UCD], B. Wright [UCB], and WG member P. McGuire [GRCP] “Accessing Biodiversity and Sharing the Benefits: Lessons from Implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity”, published in 2004. This effort contributes to policy development that is needed to assure access by UC scientists for biological resources for research and for sustaining California agriculture.

Building linkages: WG member Rogers participated in a Science Review of the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation’s Preserving Wild California Program, Sacramento, CA (November 21, 2005). The objective of the Foundation was to determine how well their funding program elicited projects based on the best conservation science and how to improve if necessary.

WG members Rogers and McGuire (and two UCD faculty, Drs. Mark Schwartz and David Neale) provided a letter (March 2006) to the California Coastal Commission that explained genetic diversity and forest health issues related to their consideration of a development plan in the Monterey pine forest area of Carmel, CA.

WG member Rogers provided information on various natural resource issues when requested by government representatives, including: information on population genetics of forest tree species and genetic information on whitebark pine to John W. Schwandt, Forest Health Protection, USDA Forest Service, Idaho (July 22, 2005); information to USDA Forest Service, as requested by Dr. Rob Mangold (WO), on genetic issues related to a pest problem in a native Hawaiian tree species and genetic sampling procedures; and information/ recommendations to Thom McCue, Senior Planner with Monterey Planning Commission on a Monterey pine issue on private land (June 28, 2005).

Increasing knowledge: WG member Rogers, with editing by WG member McGuire, developed a set of 12 ‘Factsheets’ for the USDA Forest Service to improve the understanding among their natural resource managers of the importance and structure of genetic diversity and how it can be considered in management decisions. These are in press and, when complete, will be available from the GRCP website with a link from the WG webpages.

WG members Rogers and McGuire, in collaboration with UCD AES Professor Kevin Rice will present a one-day short course on the genetic issues of restoration projects on June 24, 2006 in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society of Conservation Biology held this year in San Jose, CA.

WG member Rogers released a report in June, 2005, to the California Dept. of Parks and Recreation on genetic monitoring to improve management of native species in California parks. The report is posted on the GRCP website at http://www.grcp.ucdavis.edu/projects/CalParkdex.htm. The document is based on the reports and recommendations from a meeting sponsored by the Dept. of Parks and Recreation in last fiscal year (February 2005).

Collective planning: At least 12 WG members will participate in the assessment and planning meeting set for June 8, 2006 (as described above under ‘Activities’).

c) Identify workgroup’s outcomes in terms of new knowledge, technologies or practices developed and/or disseminated and the ultimate impacts of the workgroup activity, in terms of environmental, social and/or economic consequences attributable to the workgroup’s operations activity; include data and summary of methods used to assess immediate outcomes and ultimate impacts and description of audience affected.

The audience for the WG's activity includes the WG membership itself and academic conservation biology researchers throughout the UC system. In addition, state and federal agencies and NGOs with ecosystem management and research responsibilities are among the beneficiaries. The WG serves as one arm of GRCP’s mission to address conservation of native genetic resources. The WG enhances GRCP efforts in this area, especially with the budget cuts taken by GRCP in FY2003-2004 and continued in FY2004-2005 and FY2005-2006.

New knowledge: The efforts by WG members from GRCP, Qualset, Rogers, Carrizosa, and McGuire, listed above in this report under ‘Activities’ and ‘Accomplishments’ represent contributions to increasing knowledge relevant to conservation biology.

An update of the status of conservation biology activities in the UC system is still ongoing. When complete it will be posted on the GRCP website. The current systemwide assessment was made in 1997. This information will provide WG members and any other internet user a UC systemwide directory to programs and resources relevant to conservation biology. This process will be facilitated by the collaborative assessment to be conducted at the June 27, 2006 annual WG meeting (as described above under ‘Activities’).

A set of 12 genetic information ‘Factsheets’ covering the identification and monitoring of genetic diversity, the terminology and technology employed, and the role of genetic diversity in management decisions will be available from the GRCP website (as described above under ‘Accomplishments’).

GRCP published “Safeguarding the Future of U.S. Agriculture: The Need to Conserve Threatened Collections of Crop Diversity Worldwide” (as described above under ‘Accomplishments’).

GRCP released a report in June, 2005 to the California Dept. of Parks and Recreation on genetic monitoring to improve management of native species in California parks (as described above under ‘Accomplishments’).

Practices developed or disseminated: The role of tissue culture propagation was presented at the July 27, 2005 Monterey Pine Forest Ecosystem Cooperative meeting, with a focus on its use for movement of genetic resources without spread of pathogens (as described above in ‘Activities’). This is an important consideration for the greater use of native Monterey pine germplasm in areas that would be highly impacted if pathogens were to be introduced.

The genetic issues facing restoration and conservation projects will be presented in a short course for participants in the international annual meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology, June 24, 2006 (as described above in ‘Accomplishments’).

The scientific and legal issues impacting policy development and bioprospecting agreements are being collated and analyzed by WG member Carrizosa for presentation in a volume to be published by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) with assistance from GRCP. This is a critical policy arena for California which depends upon continued access to biological diversity for UC basic research and sustainable agriculture (as described above under ‘Accomplishments’).

Impacts: WG member Rogers and WG chair Qualset were sought out for participation in reviews and assessments and for advice in several instances for which their conservation biology, and more specifically, conservation genetics, expertise was valued (as described above under ‘Accomplishments’).

This page last updated August 27, 2006.
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