Caring for the relatives
Plant species genetically related to those in cultivation are at risk, conservation programmes, awareness raising and training for species assessments help.
Plant species genetically related to those in cultivation are called crop wild relatives and their genes are used to boost the nutritional value, disease resistance and productivity of our food crops. However this genetic diversity is at risk in the wild: more than one in 20 of the Poaceae species—crops such as wheat, maize, barley and millet—are threatened with extinction. Just last year the wild apricot Armeniaca vulgaris, the origin of all cultivated apricots, was classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN’s Crop Wild Relatives Specialist Group (part of the Species Survival Commission) is working to protect wild plants with socio-economic value. The group works to conserve these species through ex situ and in situ projects, awareness raising,and training for species assessments.
Source: World Conservation, A world without Biodiversity, A Taste of Paradise - IUCN, 2008
Want to find out more?
- Expert in the field: Professor M.S. Swaminathan
- Website: M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
|