The Lazio Region protects autochthonous genetic resources of agricultural interest, including all those spontaneous plants related to cultivated species. This Regional Act shall apply also to species and varieties no longer existing in the Region but conserved at botanical gardens, farms, experimental institutes, public and private genetic banks as well as research centres (art. 1, par. 3). With a view to ensuring the conservation of genetic resources, article 2 provides for the establishment of