Law “On the collection, conservation and sustainable use of cultural plant genetic resources”.

This Law determines the legal framework of the state policy in the field of collection, conservation and rational use of genetic resources of cultivated plants, including their wild relatives, for agriculture and food production, for scientific research and breeding activities, as well as for ensuring the preservation of social, cultural and historical heritage, taking into account the interests of present and future generations. The objectives of this Law shall be conservation of genetic resources of cultivated plants, including their wild relatives, as the gene pool of cultivated plants for present and future generations for the purpose of its comprehensive study and sustainable use for agriculture and other activities, food production, stable satisfaction of the needs for plant material for research and breeding activities, creation of high quality foodstuffs and other agricultural commodities, as well as improving the food, environmental and bioresource security of Turkmenistan. Objects of genetic resources of cultivated plants include: (a) wild, including weed species - relatives of cultivated plants; (b) old local varieties used in traditional agroecosystems; (c) breeding varieties (cultivated, withdrawn from use or not included in the catalogues of recommended varieties); (d) breeding lines - sources and donors of economically valuable traits; (e) special genetic material of plant origin (mutants, hybrids, multi-marked lines, plant forms created by biotechnological methods; and (f) nucleic acids (deoxyribonucleic acid - DNA and ribonucleic acid - RNA) - the main carriers of genetic information. The principles of creating conditions for the development of activities in the field of collection, conservation and rational use of genetic resources of cultivated plants, including all intraspecific taxons of their wild relatives, shall be as follows: (a) scientifically grounded combination of ecological, economic and social interests in order to ensure sustainable conservation and rational use of genetic resources of cultivated plants; (b) consideration of natural and socio-economic peculiarities of agro-ecosystems in the planning of measures related to the collection, conservation and rational use of genetic resources of cultivated plants, including their wild relatives; (c) issuance of normative legislative acts defining rules and regulation related to the activities in the field of collection, conservation and rational use of the genetic resources of cultivated plants, as well as the use of components of agrobiological diversity; (d) prevention of anthropogenic pollution caused by economic or other activities in agroecosystems; (e) prevention of the negative impact on the agroecosystems of genetically modified crops and other products, which are obtained through genetic engineering methods and the application of new technologies, impede the further use of the genetic resources of cultivated plants and contribute to their reduction; (f) financing of monitoring biological diversity of plants in the places of their natural growth, as well as activities to create collections of genetic resources of cultivated plants, their safe storage and proper management; and (g) conducting scientific research and bio-prospecting activities to determine and establish the most important priorities of work in the field of the collection, conservation and rational use of the genetic resources of cultivated plants for the purpose of taking appropriate decisions and measures. This Law consists of V Chapters divided into 26 Articles. Chapter I lays down general provisions. Chapter II regards public administration in the field of collection, conservation and rational use of genetic resources of cultivated plants. Chapter III regards state control and supervision in the field of collection, conservation and rational use of genetic resources of cultivated plants. Chapter IV establishes the right of ownership to the genetic resources of cultivated plants. Chapter V lays down final provisions.