About Congress

Genetic variation is a vital component of biodiversity, providing ecosystems, species, populations and individuals with the raw material to adapt and survive environmental change and enabling natural selection, as envisaged by Darwin 150 years ago, to operate. Genetic biodiversity has long been recognized by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the EU Biodiversity Strategy as one of the three essential elements of living diversity. Yet conserving genetic variation is poorly addressed in practice compared to the two other biodiversity components – species and ecosystems. In addition the link between science, policy and implementation needs a step-change if we are to help ‘future-proof’ essential components of our biodiversity against the anticipated global threats of the coming decades. There exists both a policy-based and capacity impediment to the optimal management of genetic biodiversity in the EU. ConGRESS aims to rectify the problem by delivering dissemination tools which policy makers and conservation managers can conveniently use to incorporate genetic biodiversity into their policy and management frameworks.

ConGRESS will empower organizations to efficiently use genetics in conservation for the first time. ConGRESS aims to make genetic expertise, information and user-friendly tools available, beginning at the initial stages of a conservation program (study design and assessment), through to management decision-making and implementation and finally for policy development at a local and regional level. By ensuring that all stakeholders can understand, apply and evaluate genetic data in their conservation programs ConGRESS aims to finally fully include genetic biodiversity in EU conservation actions and improve best practice in the future.