The International Plant Exchange Network (IPEN) B. van den Wollenberg, W. Lobin, M. von den Driesch, F. Klingenstein, Maïté Delmas, Thierry Helminger, Kari Laine, Frank Schumacher, Steve Waldren on behalf of the BGCI/IABG-Consortium of Botanic Gardens in the EU Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens

Do we need IPEN? Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office

The Convention on Biological Diversity has been signed by 188 parties (countries), including all EU- countries. Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office Most notable non-party: USA

Your government has signed the CBD. This means it has the same status as your laws; the gardens in your country have to implement the CBD! Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office Most botanic gardens have not been informed by their government about the obligation to implement the CBD. Why not?

Unlike CITES, the CBD lacks an operational chapter, detailing how it should be implemented. The parties have been discussing that since the CBD came into force, on december 29, Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office

An essential difference with CITES is that each country has sovereignty over its biodiversity, and can implement the CBD nationally, by laws or other means. Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office Imagine 188 countries, each with different laws!

There as basically two views: Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office 1: Implementation through legal means (megadiverse countries). 2: Implementation by self-imposed non-legally enforced mechanisms (the developed countries).

In Johannesburg (WSSD – 2002-) it was agreed to strive for implementation through an “International Regime“. Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office

International certificate of origin / source / legal provenance will probably become part of the International Regime (“tracking“) Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office

How does the CBD affect us? Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office

Article 15, on Access and Benefit Sharing, is of key importance, since it applies to all exchanges of biodiversity (in our case plant material). Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office

At a workshop convened by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and Bonn Botanic Garden, nine problems were indentified. Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office three of these are very important for botanic gardens:

 “Over-restrictive ABS regulations have created extra levels of bureaucracy that impede basic research, sustainable use, and research on economic use and attached benefits“  “Distrust associated with the commercial sectors is affecting CBD implementation by the non-commercial research community“  “Examples of national legislation in South America showed that current conditions for basic research and conservation are especially restrictive in some megadiverse countries“ Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office

For the scientific community, the Swiss Academy of Sciences has published an ABS manual / Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office

Do we need IPEN? Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office Botanic gardens need to demon- strate their commitment to the CBD to CBD countries in order to main- tain credibility and access to their biodiversity Yes, we do!

Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens The International Plant Exchange Network (IPEN) model of implementation of the CBD by Botanic Gardens covers the exchange of plant material for non- commercial purposes between Botanic Gardens developed by the Association of Botanic Gardens in Germany, adopted by the EU Consortium of Botanic Gardens

The International Plant Exchange Network (IPEN)  for botanic gardens Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens  for non-commercial purposes  according to the CBD

IPEN-assumption 1: seed exchange is the main source for BG’s receipt of seeds: supply of seeds:  BG’s depend extensively on regular access from ex-situ- conditions transactions per garden Dimension of seed exchange for the 95 BG‘s in Germany p.a. Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens

Most BG’s are small gardens with limited staff capacity Bonn Botanic Gardens: 13,5 ha taxa 1 scientist (= all-round manager) IPEN-assumption 2: limited capacity

Fundamentals of IPEN UNIFIED POLICY (Code of Conduct) to meet the provisions of the CBD in receiving, storing, and supplying plant material and on Benefit-Sharing including Material Transfer Agreements (MTA’s) to be used for exchange with institutions NOT sharing this policy free exchange only for NON-COMMERCIAL purposes including pre-CBD-material (advised) free exchange only between BOTANIC GARDENS Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens

International Plant Exchange Network (IPEN) UNIFIED POLICY (Code of Conduct) for all participating gardens: BG 1 BG 2 BG X CoO BG 2 CoO terms BG 1 = BG 2 = BG X... only for NON- COMMERCIAL use only for BOTANIC GARDENS Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens

Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens Scope of the IPEN Code of Conduct acquisition of plant material introduction of material into IPEN minimum documentation requirements to enable tracking of plant material (certificate of origin / source / legal provenance supply of material to IPEN-members (simplified exchange) and to non-IPEN-members (Material Supply Agreements !) Benefit Sharing

“doc max” = documentation sheet for plant material entering IPEN “doc min” = minimum set of data to be documented IPEN-Number: country code, restrictions, acronym of inst., accession N° taxonomic data type of material source (collector, CoO etc.) permits terms of CoO or other stakeholders IPEN-Number CoO terms of CoO or other stakeholders Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens

Botanic Gardens are not using their collections commercially, but: Botanic Gardens and Benefit Sharing Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens CBD requires also non-commercial Benefit Sharing, but there already exists a long tradition of non monetary Benefit Sharing such as:

Experiences with Benefit Sharing Cooperation of the Botanic Garden University of Vienna with Tsimbazaza (Madagascar) with respect to Orchids Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens Exchange of staff with the Botanic Garden Hamburg with respect to a project on Dahlia in Mexico Cooperation of the Botanic Gardens Bonn and Munich with Botanic Garden Tbilissi, Georgia; staff exchange, common excursions, labelling of plants Support of Indonesian Botanic Gardens in conservation of Amorphophallus titanum by Bonn Botanic Gardens

Implementation of IPEN gardens declaring the adoption of the Code of Conduct get registered (BGCI) Botanic Gardens Conservation International Bonn University German Regional Office Botanic Gardens the list of registered gardens is made available via internet after 5 years, the procedure of adoption must be renewed the overall idea is to establish a similar procedure as CITES with their “registered institutions”

Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office Slide provided by Thierry Helminger, MNHN, Luxembourg

`You can find more information on the website of BGCI: Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office Access & Benefit Sharing The Principles IPEN IPEN lead >>>> Description of IPEN, Code on Conduct, IPEN member- ship list, and Frequently asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Please join IPEN as soon as possible! Botanic Gardens Conservation International Dutch Regional Office Thank you for your attention