Sustainable Utilization and Conservation of Forest Genetic Resources in Pacific Island Countries and Territories: A Review of Emerging Trends and Institutional Gaps

This review explores the sustainable utilization and conservation of forest genetic re-sources (FGR) in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), highlighting their vital role in enhancing environmental resilience and economic sustainability amid climate change. FGRs support adaptive forest ecosystems and provide essential goods and services, including food, fuelwood, timber, medicinal resources, and cultural val-ues rooted in traditional knowledge systems. A systemic review of 969 and 41 records of peer-reviewed from ISI Web of Science and Scopus, respectively, was conducted us-ing keywords such as “forest”, “plantation”, and “genetic resources”. The analysis re-veals significant gaps in institutional capacity and knowledge systems across PICTs, largely due to limited technical, financial and educational investments. These findings underscore the need for integrated and coordinated efforts to sustainably manage pri-ority FGRs. This review advocates for strengthening centralized, accessible reposito-ries–such as the Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT)–to support ecological in-tegrity, socio-economic development, and cultural continuity for future generations in the Pacific.