Since the 1970’s, the Cirad in French Guiana has managed collections of indigenous and imported  tropical perennials, in particular, coffee, cacao and rubber trees.  The genotypes of these collections are evaluated and used in local and international research and development programs.  The BRC brings in, conserves, evaluates, reproduces, promotes and distributes its resources and informs about its collections.

The UMR AGAP Institute which manages the collections, with financial assistance from Europe’s FEDER (REGEPE project), and the Communauté Territoriale de Guyane (CTG), decided to launch the procedure toward BRC certification ISO 9001.  Thanks to the hard work of many VSC, work placement   temporary employees, Cirad control engineers in Guadeloupe and France, Cirad agents in French Guiana, the jurisprudence services of the CIRAD and the Cirad agents in charge of the collections in French Guiana who put into place a rigorous quality management system (SMQ), certification has been achieved.  The procedures were carried out with the interaction of all concerned parties within the BRC in French Guiana and mainland France. 

The certification not only assures quality management of the collections, but also facilitates a broader visibility of the BRC, which will foster ties in research and development nationally, and internationally.

The BRC’s next objective is to broaden the limits of its certification to include other collections such as Aquilaria spp. (imported trees), and Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora, indigenous), two species which are financially and economically viable locally and worldwide.