[en] The European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN) was endorsed at the Second Ministerial Conference in Helsinki as the instrument of international cooperation for implementing Resolution S2 of the first Ministerial Conference in Strasbourg. EUFORGEN is financed by participating countries and the coordinating secretariat is hosted by IPGRI. The Programme is overseen by a Steering Committee composed of National Coordinators from all participating countries. National Coordinators also act as formal link between the coordinating secretariat and national institutions involved in the activities on forest genetic resources. They seek to commit all relevant institutions within their country to carry out the agreed tasks and liaise between them. The programme work operationally based on four "pilot" Networks, focused on a selected set of species. These not only reflected national priorities for the conservation of the most threatened genetic diversity and its actual or potential use, but also covered different types of ecogeographic and genetic distribution patterns. The five Networks operating during Phase II of EUFORGEN are: Conifers (started as Picea abies Network), Mediterranean oaks (started as Quercus suber Network), Populus nigra (and P. alba), Noble Hardwoods and Social Broadleaves. The collaborative activities of the Networks typically include regular exchange of information, development of genetic conservation strategies and technical guidelines, common descriptors and databases, identification of common research needs and preparation of joint project proposals, exchange of genetic materials, literature overviews, and public awareness activities. Network members, in collaboration with other scientists and forest officers from participating countries, carry out the tasks of agreed workplans with their own resources as inputs in kind to the Programme. Many practical outputs have been produced by the Networks to date and are briefly summarised in this paper.

[es] El programa Europeo de Recursos Genéticos forestales (EUFORGEN) tuvo su inicio en el compromiso adquirido durante la primera conferencia ministerial sobre la protección de los bosques celebrada en Estrasburgo (1990), y concretamente en su resolución S2. Durante la segunda conferencia celebrada en Helsinki, se ratificó como el instrumento internacional para implementar dicha resolución. EUFORGEN es financiado por los países participantes y el secretariado coordinador está patrocinado por IPGRI. El programa es seguido por un Comité Directivo formado por los Coordinadores Nacionales de los países participantes. Operativamente funciona con redes piloto, enfocadas a un conjunto selecto de especies, cubriendo diferentes modelos de distribución, ecogeográficos y genéticos. Actualmente, dentro de la Fase II de EUFORGEN, están operativas 5 redes: Populus nigra (y Populus alba), Frondosas nobles, Frondosas sociales, Quercus mediterráneos y Coníferas. Las principales actividades por estas redes son las reuniones periódicas, con objeto de fijar programas de actividades relacionadas el intercambio de información, el desarrollo de estrategias de conservación genética y elaboración de guías técnicas, definición de descriptores y bases de datos comunes, la identificación de necesidades comunes de investigación y preparación de propuestas conjuntas de proyectos, el intercambio de material genético, la realización de revisiones bibliográficas y de actividades de concienciación. Estas actividades se describen brevemente, indicando los principales resultados obtenidos por las distintas redes.