EGYPT LOOTERS RAID DIVERSITY TREASURES

Genetic Diversity Lost with the Damage of Egypt’s Deserts Gene Bank
Matt Styslinger, January 31, 2011 (Nourishing the Planet/Worldwatch Institute)

"The effort to maintain the world’s biodiversity has taken another hit. In the chaos surrounding the political unrest and public uprising in Egypt, looters have badly damaged the country’s Desert Research Center in El Sheikh Zowaid in North Sinai. The center houses the Egyptian Deserts Gene Bank (EDGB), and—according to the Global Crop Diversity Trust—equipment has been stolen and the cooling system has been damaged.

"The EDGB is focused on desert plants found throughout Egypt and includes a herbarium and specialized laboratories for tissue culture, biotechnology, species documentation, and seed processing and viability testing…[and] an 18-acre field gene bank that focuses on the use of plant genetic resources in local communities…The field collection includes wild varieties of fruit, forages, medicinal plants, and aromatic plants from the Egyptian deserts…[F]acilities included computerized ex-situ seed storage, for the conservation of threatened species not native to the region. The center was selected as a Centre of Excellence for the region by Bioversity International in 2009."

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"Efforts to catalog and conserve the world’s plant genetic resources have gained recognition and momentum in recent years as biodiversity is increasingly threatened by population growth, environmental degradation, and climate changes. The United Nations (UN) named 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity…

"The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its second report on The State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in November, warning of the failure to conserve wild plant varieties related to crops grown for food. The loss of biodiversity will likely have major impacts on food security in the world’s poorest communities…"

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"The chaos in Egypt…[continues as] protestors aim to force President Hosni Mubarak—who has been president in Egypt since 1981—out of office.

"The extent of the damage at the EDGB is not yet known. The collection at EDGB includes genetic resources not found anywhere else in the world…"