Italy Monitoring
		Monitoring Institute for Rare Breeds and Seeds in Europe
back to Publicationlist back to Projects		Study "Agricultural Genetic Resources in Italy" "Of 38 Italian pig breeds, only 5 have up to date survived - but only with few individuals." The headlines of the study "Agricultural genetic resources in Italy - risk status, conservation initiatives and need for action", financed by the 'MAVA Foundation for Nature Protection', could be like this or similar. The study, conducted by the Monitoring Institute in during 2 years of intensive work, is now available. It describes the situation of genetic resources of livestock breeds and cultivated plants in Italy. It also deals with the risk status and conditions, portrays the governmental, private and university institutions and estimates the need for action. The report was deliberately designed as a reference publication. It comprises of 338 pages and is, for the time being, available in German (a translation into Italian is in process). The synthesis reports, comprising of approx. 20 pages, are already published in German and Italian. They are easy to copy and thus can be made available for a wider public. The synthesis reports may also be downloaded from the project page of the Monitoring Institute as PDF-File. This first total view of the need for action necessary for the conservation of agrobiodiversity in Italy is of immense importance for purposeful action. The study shows aggravating gaps in several areas, e.g. no legislation at national level dealing with the conservation of the genetic resources of cultivated plants and livestock breeds exists up to date. Only the Latium, Tuscany and Umbria Regions enacted specific laws. Efforts undertaken by the government often remain unaccomplished at the administrative level. Efforts of universities and privates are not coordinated and do by far not cover the entire spectrum. For fruit varieties, e.g. an enormous need for action exists in Southern Italy. Hardly any conservation initiatives exist for figs, olives, pistachios and pines. With the present study, the diffuse situation in Italy now becomes clearer. In order to reach a broad public in Italy, the study has been published in Italian language and mailed to all larger libraries, university libraries with agricultural and veterinary departments, NGOs active in conservation, governmental and scientific institutes and public authorities active for the protection of genetic resources. The study (225 pages and 77 coloured illustrations) is now available at the Monitoring Institute, Schneebergstr. 17, CH-9000 St.Gallen. A German version of the study is also available on CD-ROM (separately or included in the book). By means of the integrated "navigation aid", the CD-ROM (with 340 A4 pages) can easier be used than the printed form. By using the search function, for example, it is possible to retrieve all information on a certain breed without reading the whole text. Web and e-mail addresses in the text are activated. Via mouseclick, the browser or the e-mail program is started and provides access to the desired link.	The printed full text of the study is available in Italian language (225 pages and 77 coloured illustrations) for Euro 25.- A German version of the full text (340 pages) is available on CD-ROM (with navigation tools) for Euro 10.- Both together for Euro 30.- shipping costs additional
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