The Important Place of Information in the Evolving Legal and Policy Framework for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

摘要

The efficient and effective conservation and sustainable use of the world's plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) depends on reliable and accessible information about the resource. An evolving international regulatory framework to access and share the benefits of these PGRFA includes the information dimension. This article traces the likely future developments of the "Global Information System" (GLIS) under the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations' International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture as a pointer to the decentralised network of databases and websites about PGRFA, incorporating Genesys, a global portal to information about PGRFA; the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Global); the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service National Plant Germplasm System as a document and management system; and DivSeek, the new tools and approaches for data exploration, mining and use. Some of the legal challenges, including intellectual property considerations, facing this GLIS are considered.