Accessibility of CWR
Accessibility
For CWR with Red List status, CWRnl indicates the occurrence of the species in areas of the Society for the Preservation of Nature and the State Forest Service. It should be noted that these areas are not always open to the general public and that permission is needed for access and/or sampling. Organisations that are interested in seed samples from these areas may contact CGN, who will act as an intermediary with the field owners. Furthermore, it should be noted that plant species may be legally protected according to the Dutch ‘wet Natuurbescherming’. This protection implies that everything that is harmful to the protected species is legally prohibited. Seed samples of CWR may also be conserved in the gene bank facilities of the Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands (CGN), and can be made available for plant breeding, research or education. When requesting seed samples from CGN, the standard material transfer agreement (SMTA) needs to be accepted. More information can be found on CGN’s website.
National seed collections
Access to CWR in the Netherlands will be greatly enhanced through a recently started initiative, called the ‘Living Archive’. Purpose of this initiative is to develop a national seed collection of the Dutch native flora for conservation and use. Initial target groups will include Red List species and plants with user benefits.