Current and future threats and opportunities facing European crop Wild relative and landrace diversity.

Abstract

AbstractThe approach of this priority crop wild relatives (CWR) and landraces (LR) conservation exercise was to use the skills and knowledge of 52 ECPGR in situ and on-farm conservation network members and other conference delegates, representing a broad European range of PGR-related academic, research and NGO organizations, to identify the short- and longer-term issues that are/will impact on European CWR and LR conservation in the next 30 years. Notable among the results of the short term CWR priority setting were the requirements for systematic genetic reserve implementation to conserve in situ CWR diversity at both individual national and European scales, wherever possible the integration of in situ CWR conservation into on-farm initiatives, the undertaking of national genetic gap analysis of CWR species as a basis for the establishment of national CWR conservation action plans, the incorporation of legislative protection for CWR species and genetic diversity at both national and European levels and promotion of closer conservationist/breeder links and through that link enhance CWR diversity utilization. For short-term LR priority the production of national LR inventories, and the generation and implementation of a national LR conservation strategy is of the highest priority.