July 2011

Since its official launch in 2006 CacaoNet has been drawing up a Global Strategy for the Conservation and Use of Cacao Genetic Resources.  In June 2011, a 3-day CacaoNet meeting was held in Reading, UK to put the finishing touches to this Global Strategy. 

The following topics were discussed:

• Collecting Policy
• Safe Movement of Germplasm 
• Genetic Diversity in Genebank Collections
• Utilisation of the Cacao Collections
• Cyopreservation of Cacao Germplasm
• The composition of Global Stategic Collections of cacao germplasm
• Constraints and Needs for Capacity Building
• Resource mobilisation 

Further more the actions needed to finish off the strategy were reviewed.

Upcoming events that will feature the strategy are:

• The WCF partnership meeting in Washington in June
• The next COPAL conference in Cameroon in October

For more information, contact Stephan Weise at s.weise@cgiar.org