International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Enhancing the Conservation of Crop Wild Relatives in England

Crop wild relatives (CWR) contain higher genetic diversity than crops and harbour traits that can improve crop resilience and yield through plant breeding. However, in common with most countries, CWR are poorly conserved in England. There is currently no provision for long-term CWR conservation in situ, and comprehensive ex situ collection and storage of CWR is also lacking. However, there is a commitment to achieve their conservation in England’s Biodiversity Strategy and the UK has international commitments to do so as part of the Global Plant Conservation Strategy. This study identifies a series of measures that could enhance the conservation of English CWR, thereby supporting the achievement of these national and international objectives. 

Topic(s)
Sustaining local crop diversity, Policy for sustainable use
Subject area(s)
Enhancing crop diversity for local needs
Subject category(ies)
Improving the knowledge base for local crop diversity, Seed policy
Publisher
PLOS ONE
Publication date
2015
DOI
Resource link
Resource type
Article or presentation
Resource format
PDF
Primary geographic focus
Europe
Open access
Yes


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