Peru

A plant gene bank in the Amazon

Founded in 2000, UNIT-A seeks to help advance socioeconomic development in the Amazon region, while promoting sustainable use of resources. As a relatively new institution, UNIT-A is developing strategies – including international partnerships – to improve its capacity for professional training and scientific research. In 2003, it signed an agreement with the University of Saskatchewan that committed partners to support sustainable development in the region.

To date, several exchanges have focused on building the research and teaching capacity of UNIT-A. With this project, the partners strived to improve understanding and commitment to plant conservation, identifying indigenous cultivars and native plant species for inclusion in a gene bank. To that end, the two Peruvian partners spent three weeks in Canada to gain knowledge in plant propagation, germplasm use and gene bank management. This will prove invaluable as they establish their own gene bank in Peru, and support the PhD research conducted by Ms. Muñoz.