Rome, Italy
12 July 2010
Russian property developers are preparing to bulldoze the world’s largest and most valuable field collection of genetically diversified fruits and berries - including almost 1000 types of strawberries from 40 countries - from which commercially grown varieties are derived. The site, near St. Petersburg, which holds over 4000 varieties of invaluable fruits and berries, will be used for constructing holiday homes. The worldwide fruit and berries market is worth billions of dollars with US strawberry exports alone estimated at $218.7 million in 2004.
Destruction of the Pavlosk Research station’s cultivated fruits and berry fields will deprive the world’s breeders of a unique source of genetic diversity necessary to develop varieties that are better adapted to climate change, as global food production will move north. Strawberry breeders say the Russian varieties are exceptionally hardy and disease resistant. There is strong scientific evidence that land suitable for strawberry cultivation will decrease as global winter temperature will rise.
The Pavlosk Research station, is not only the largest field genebank in Europe, it may also hold clues to addressing the world’s growing public health crisis due to chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; especially in Russia where the World Bank projected the resulting loss of national income at 300 billion US dollars, between 2005 and 2015.
Bioversity International says research it conducted with its partners on the Pavlosk collections, shows that key species in the collection contain important phytochemicals for glycemic control and anti-oxidants, as well as being exceptionally rich sources of vitamins and micronutrients. “We have evidence that these important genetic resources, which will be lost forever, could contribute to healthier diets. Russia is sitting on a global gold reserve of far greater value to the whole of humanity than as holiday homes to a few,” said Dr. Emile Frison, Director General of Bioversity International.
The court hearing that will confirm the handover of the land is scheduled for 11th August 2010. Bioversity International is now urging all of its partners and global institutions, including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, to ask the Russian government to intervene at the highest level and halt the destruction of the Pavlosk collection now at risk.
About Bioversity International
Bioversity International, with its Headquarters in Rome, Italy, has worked for more than 35 years to support the improved use and conservation of agricultural diversity. Through international research Bioversity strives to build the knowledge base needed to ensure effective use of diversity to increase sustainable agricultural production, improve livelihoods and meet the challenge of climate change.
Bioversity International and the Centre de Recherche Public Gabriel Lippmann in Luxembourg have been working in partnership with the Vavilov Research Institute, researching the genetic structure, health and nutritional properties of four key species (Lonicera, Rubus, Ribes and Sorbus) being conserved at Pavlosk research station.
About the Pavlosk Research Station and the VIR
The N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) is the only research institution in Russia whose activities include plant genetics resources collection, conservation and study. Its collection represents plant diversity encompassing 320,000 accessions of 155 botanical families, 2,532 species of 425 genera. The Pavlosk Station is one of the VIR’ s 12 experiment stations in different geographic zones of Russia.
Pavlovsk Station preserves in vivo a unique genetic diversity of fruit and berry plants, the largest in Northern Europe, including wild species, landraces and promising cultivars of domestic and foreign breeding, many of which are not maintained anywhere else. The genetic diversity preserved at the station is an unmatched source of donors and useful genes for domestic and worldwide breeding practice.
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