COST Action no. FP1202. Strengthening conservation: a key issue for adaptation of marginal/peripheral populations of forest trees to climate change in Europe (MaP-FGR)

Marginal/peripheral (MaP) forest populations are at the edges of species ranges and contain an original genetic diversity due to unsuitable conditions for survival. Studying adaptive processes in MaP populations is crucial and of mutual interest for European and non-European countries for understanding the future of forest ecosystems. Developing conservation and management strategies for Forest Genetic Resources (FGR) of MaP populations is needed to adapt European forests to Global Change. Because of their millennia-long history of adaptation to environmental changes, FGR growing in southern Europe may prove invaluable for adapting the European forestry sector. However southern MaP populations are not only threatened by ongoing climate change but also by other disturbances arising from human activities. Southern Europe represents an ideal model where the effects of climate change on FGR will be stronger and more rapid than in the rest of Europe. This proposal, with its broad research spectrum and partnership, addresses the conservation and management of MaP FGR by: (i) compiling information on climate change impacts on MaP populations, (ii) making information available for preparing national and pan-European forest plans and strategies for adaptation and mitigation , (iii) developing criteria for monitoring and conserving FGR and (iv) sharing results with forest managers.