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Of all the water on earth, only 3% of it is freshwater, 97% of it being salty. Most of this 3% is located in the polar icecaps and in underground reservoirs. It is estimated that only 3% of freshwater reserves are found in rivers and lakes1.Water, so abundant and revered for its ability to give life, is becoming a scarce resource

Important Plant Areas (IPAs) are internationally significant sites for plant diversity – or more simply the best sites for plants. Identified at national level, using internationally standardised criteria, they provide a framework for implementing target 5 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The nature of the plant breeding process calling for a broad range of plants genetic resources as inputs into any one successful product. Indeed a new plant variety can often be the product of generations of breeding farmers and breeders, which may stretch across many countries. First they are important as an immediate resource i.e for the particular characteristics they may provide, in terms of pest resistance drought tolerance, plant architecture taste or colour.