Crop wild relatives (CWR) are a vital source of traits for crop improvement – therefore, conserving CWR diversity is critical to ensure food, nutrition and economic security. Efficient CWR conservation planning is a critical first step to maintain this natural resource for future use. The development of National Strategic Action Plans (NSAPs) for the conservation and sustainable use of CWR is an effective means of conservation planning and also plays an important role in sensitizing policy makers and other stakeholders to the importance of CWR. Tools to guide and facilitate countries in CWR national conservation planning and NSAP development have been prepared, namely: an ‘Interactive Toolkit for CWR Conservation Planning’, a ‘Template for the Preparation of a NSAP for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of CWR’, a ‘Template for the Preparation of a Technical Background Document for a NSAP for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of CWR’, a ‘CWR Checklist and Inventory Data Template’ and an ‘Occurrence Data Collation Template’. In this short communication, we briefly explain what these tools are, how they were developed, how they can be used and where they can be found.

Cereal crops are one of the most widely consumed and most valuable crops for humankind. The species have been domesticated for over 10,000 years and as such have lost much of the genetic diversity that is present within their wild relatives. Future breeding efforts will require the use of genetic diversity from crop wild relatives (CWRs) to help improve our cereal crops. This study aims to identify an in situ conservation network within the Mediterranean Basin and west Asia for the four cereal crops, barley (Hordeum L.), oat (Avena L.), rye (Secale L.) and wheat (Aegilops L., Amblyopyrum L., Triticum L.). This region is a centre of diversity for these taxa and an area of potentially high genetic diversity, which if left unprotected will not be available for plant breeders to utilize in the future. Presence point data for a total of 90 taxa were collected from GBIF and resulted in 76,343 individual presence points across the 44 countries in the study region. Geographic Information System (GIS) software was used to identify potential in situ reserve networks per crop genepool and for all crops combined. Results indicate a network of 10 locations across the region which would protect over 80% of the taxa. The number one priority reserve is found within the Fertile Crescent region on the border of Israel, Syria and Jordan. This proposed reserve location contains 93 currently protected areas (i.e. National Parks) and as such, it may only be necessary to alter management plans to effectively protect CWR populations. For taxa not found within protected areas ex situ conservation may be more appropriate and should be implemented as a backup to the in situ reserve network.

Crop wild relatives (CWR) are wild plant taxa relatively closely related to crops that can contribute beneficial traits for crop improvement, such as biotic and abiotic stress resistance. Turkey has a rich flora of approximately 11,000 higher plant taxa, has two Vavilov centres of crop diversity (i.e. the Mediterranean and the Near East), is recognized as the cradle of agriculture providing the northern boundary of the Fertile Crescent, and has recently been identified as the country with the highest concentration of CWR diversity. The objective of this paper is to present the results of a gap analysis of CWR genetic diversity in Turkey using existing data sources of 458 of the 764 priority CWR taxa with available georeferenced data. In total, 27,597 presence points were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Aegean Agricultural Research Institute in Menemen and Field Crops Central Research Institute, Ankara. Geographic Information System (GIS) software was used to identify taxon richness, sampling bias, future ex situ population collection and location where existing protected sites could form the basis of national network of in situ genetic reserves. CWR taxon richness was located along the Aegean Coast, Syrian border and southern Mediterranean coast. Current ex situ representation of CWR taxa is inadequate and further collection across the entire country is required. The highest priority in situ reserve location is found in Izmir, Sanliurfa and Antalya province, which reflects overall CWR richness.

To meet the international biodiversity targets of the 2011–2020 Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, it is important to assess the success of coordinated ex situ plant conservation initiatives such as the European Native Seed Conservation Network (ENSCONET), which operated during 2005–2009, and the ENSCONET Consortium, which was established in 2010. In particular, analysis of the ENSCONET database (ENSCOBASE) indicates that ex situ seed banks have been making significant progress towards meeting targets 8 (at least 75% of threatened plant species in ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and at least 20% available for recovery and restoration programmes) and 9 (70% of the genetic diversity of crops, including their wild relatives and other socio-economically valuable plant species, conserved, while respecting, preserving and maintaining associated indigenous and local knowledge) for native European species. However, the infraspecific diversity of threatened species stored in ENSCONET seed banks needs to be increased to meet research and conservation objectives.

Over the last few decades botanic gardens worldwide have been encouraged to adopt complementary measures for the conservation of plant species from their own regions, combining in situ conservation efforts with ex situ methods, both in cultivation and in storage. This integrated approach is particularly important for botanic gardens in the tropics, which face the challenge of conserving a highly diverse and often threatened flora. We gathered information on the occurrence of threatened species in the natural vegetation reserves of 21 Brazilian botanic gardens. The data were collected from herbarium records in the database of the National Centre for Flora Conservation, and from the available plant inventories of these reserves. The results indicate that 148 species from the List of Threatened Species of Brazilian Flora are recorded as having been collected in the reserves. Of these, 51 species were maintained in the living collections of 18 botanic gardens and 83 species were recorded in federally protected areas. The occurrence of threatened species in the reserves of botanic gardens highlights the scientific value of these areas, as well as their biological, social and cultural importance for conservation. The results may be used to inform the planning of integrated conservation strategies for threatened species.

Ex situ seed banks provide an effective conservation and utilization system for crops and their wild relatives. Efforts are made to reduce genetic drift in conservation, where regeneration is a critical step. In the present study, we examined eight wild populations of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) according to 13 morphological and phenological traits. Samples of original collected seed were grown and compared with plants from first and second ex situ generation, with commercial cultivars and landraces being included for purposes of comparison. Variance analysis and Tukey multiple comparisons of means showed that the commercial cultivars and landraces were clearly distinct from the wild populations and were excluded from the further analysis. Despite the fact that the wild accessions were collected from a geographically delimited region in Norway, they exhibited significant differences in several of the measured traits. The main phenotypic patterns remain after ex situ regenerations. However, the mean values for four of the examined traits (across accessions) did change significantly from one generation to the next. Two of the eight accessions had significantly changed from one generation to the next, a tendency was observed across all the studied traits. The results were discussed in terms of regeneration circumstances. Observed changes appeared to be directional, going from populations with predominantly wild morphological types towards plants more closely resembling the commercial cultivars. Such a directional change implies that selection or gene flow has been acting on the accessions during regeneration, rather than random changes owing to genetic drift.

This paper aims to propose an international list of descriptors for Butia odorata (jelly palm), using scientific documentation methods and farmers' knowledge to allow the germplasm characterization for conservation and sustainable use. It is an attempt to promote the development of new approaches to documenting crop genetic resources using a blend of these two sources of knowledge, frequently perceived as conflicting. This long-lived and useful palm is a neglected and subutilized species, and its genetic diversity and associated knowledge are under severe erosion. A list of 11 morphological descriptors is proposed based on observations, literature review and discussions with farmers who know and use the plant. These descriptors were used to characterize 303 adult jelly palms conserved in situ. Descriptive results are presented. Only five morphological characteristics were reported by farmers as important to discriminate individual plants, indicating that farmers have simpler and more rapid ways to differentiate diversity than do the scientists based on their uses. Standard list of descriptors developed by ex situ conservationists are widely used by breeders, but they rarely reach out to farmers and other user groups, a fact that limits the full use of germplasm collections around the world. Conversely, farmer-based descriptors, which are the expression of deep knowledge of diversity and its deployment by traditional communities, are rarely considered by breeders, mainly because they are not available. In this paper, we support the idea that a blend of these two methods – in a standard format – is highly strategic to promote an effective in situ conservation-through-use approach.

With 10% of trees (> 8,000 species) threatened with extinction there is an urgent need for botanical gardens to protect threatened trees in dedicated conservation collections. Species conservation is mentioned in the mission statements of most major botanical gardens, yet the actual conservation value of existing ex situ tree collections is low. We conducted interviews with members of the botanical garden community and organized a symposium at the 5th Global Botanic Gardens Congress to identify challenges and collect recommendations to improve living ex situ tree collections. We summarize and evaluate this information to facilitate gardens becoming more effective agents for global tree conservation. Experts agree that gardens offer valuable strengths and assets for tree conservation. Some challenges exist, however, including a lack of strategic conservation focus, collection management limitations, gaps in fundamental biological information for trees, and a lack of global coordination. Solutions are offered to facilitate gardens and arboreta of all sizes to participate more effectively in tree conservation. Prioritizing genetically diverse tree collections, participating in conservation networks, developing tree-specific conservation models and guidelines, and strengthening tree science research efforts are a few examples. Most importantly, a more coordinated global effort is needed to fill knowledge gaps, share information, and build conservation capacity in biodiversity hotspots to prevent the loss of tree species.

To facilitate the updating of in situ and ex situ conservation strategies for wild taxa of the genus Hordeum L., a combined ecogeographic survey and gap analysis was undertaken. The analysis was based on the Global Inventory of Barley Plant Genetic Resources held by ICARDA plus additional datasets, resulting in a database containing 17,131 wild Hordeum accessions. The analysis concluded that a genetic reserve should be established in the Mendoza Province of Argentina, as this is the most species-rich area globally for Hordeum. A network of reserves should also be set up across the Fertile Crescent in Israel, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to provide effective conservation within the centres of diversity for gene pools 1B (Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum (C. Koch) Thell.) and 2 (Hordeum bulbosum L.). The majority of the species were deemed under-collected, so further collecting missions are required worldwide where possible. Although ex situ and in situ conservation strategies have been developed, there needs to be further investigation into the ecological environments that Hordeum species occupy to ensure that any adaptive traits expressed are fully conserved. Additionally, studies are required to characterize existing collections and test the viability of rare species accessions held in genebanks to determine whether further ex situ collections are required alongside the proposed in situ conservation.

In situ conservation is central to contemporary global biodiversity protection and is the predominant emphasis of international regulation and funding strategies. Ex situ approaches, in contrast, have been relegated to a subsidiary role and their direct contributions to conservation have been limited. We draw on a variety of sources to make the case for an enhanced role for ex situ conservation. We note the advances occurring within institutions specializing in ex situ conservation and stress that, although much remains to be done, many constraints are being addressed. We argue that the evidence of increasing extinction rates, exacerbated by climate change, challenges the wisdom of a heavy dependence on in situ strategies and necessitates increased development of ex situ approaches. A number of different techniques that enable species and their habitats to survive should now be explored. These could build on the experience of management systems that have already demonstrated the effective integration of in situ and ex situ techniques and hybrid approaches. For organizations specializing in ex situ conservation to become more effective, however, they will require tangible support from the institutions of global biodiversity governance. Resistance is anticipated because in situ conservation is entrenched through powerful groups and organizations that exert influence on global conservation policy and facilitate the flow of funding. The chasm that has traditionally divided in situ and ex situ approaches may diminish as approaches are combined. Moreover, the relentless loss of the ‘wild’ may soon render the in situ / ex situ distinction misleading, or even obsolete.

Aegilops species provide an invaluable source of genes for the improvement of cultivated wheats. This paper illustrates how the existing geo-referenced passport data associated with Aegilops species can be used to identify gaps in current conservation and also to develop a more systematic conservation strategy for the genus. Taxonomic, ecological, geographic and conservation information for the 22 Aegilops species were collated from ICARDA, EURISCO, GRIN and SINGER datasets, synthesized and analysed. The combined database contained 9866 unique geo-referenced observations collected between 1932 and 2004. Patterns of specific distribution based on the germplasm accession data and the predicted distribution using climatic models were compared in conservation gap analysis using GIS tools. The ex situ conservation status of each taxon was assessed and used to provide a priority ranking. Future ex situ collection is recommended in Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Israel, Libya, Spain, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The species identified with the highest ex situ conservation priority are as follows: Aegilops bicornis, Aegilops comosa, Aegilops juvenalis, Aegilops kotschyi, Aegilops peregrina, Aegilops sharonensis, Aegilops speltoides, Aegilops uniaristata and Aegilops vavilovii. Patterns of species richness based on the germplasm accession passport data are presented and five complementary regions of Aegilops diversity were identified in west Syria and north Lebanon, central Israel, north-west Turkey, Turkmenistan and south France. Within these areas, 16 IUCN-recognized protected areas are found and these are identified as potential sites to establish genetic reserves. However, the premier Aegilops hotspots on the Syrian/Lebanese border are not coincident with any existing internationally recognized protected areas, and here there is a need to establish a novel protected area.

There are four known species of Isoetes (Family Isoetaceae) from China: I. hypsophila, I. sinensis and I. yunguiensis on the mainland, and I. taiwanensis on Taiwan. In a 4-year study we documented the distribution and habitat characteristics of all four species and evaluated their conservation status using IUCN criteria. All four species are facing a high risk of extinction and should be categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Habitat degradation and loss, water pollution and eutrophication, competitive exclusion, and human disturbance are the main factors causing the decline and extirpation of Isoetes. Only I. taiwanensis is protected in situ in Yangmingshan National Park on Taiwan. None of the species or habitats of Isoetes on mainland China are presently protected, although all species have been designated by the government as State Key Protected Wild Plants. Our results suggest that conservation strategies should be implemented urgently, particularly on the mainland.

Abstract The conservation status of the five genera and 11 species of palm endemic to the Mascarene Islands (Mauritius, La Réunion and Rodriques) are reviewed. All species are threatened with extinction; nine taxa are classified as Critically Endangered and four as Endangered on the 2000 IUCN Red List. Two taxa survive as single wild specimens (Hyophorbe amaricaulis and Dictyosperma album var. conjugatum); an additional seven taxa have wild populations of 100 or fewer. Although the historical phase of large-scale forest clearance has passed, the remaining palm populations in the Mascarenes are under threat from the effects of population fragmentation, invasive plants and animals, and high levels of seed predation that prevent natural regeneration. The advantages of in situ management for the recovery of these palm populations are discussed. Without a long-term conservation programme, utilising both in situ and ex situ management, extinction of wild populations will occur.

In recent years, Galician autochthonous cattle populations have declined to a situation of vulnerability, between the critical status (less than 100 breeding females, very reduced genetic variability) and the endangered status (from 100 to 1 000 breeding females, which is not sufficient to survive). In order to prevent eventual extinction, an Operative Programme to maintain a germplasm bank (semen and embryos) and animals in situ (cattle farms and natural reserves) has been established to ensure preservation and facilitate study from the ethnological, productive and reproductive point of view. Five herds of Cachena, Caldelana, Frieiresa, Limiana and Vianesa breeds, have been studied for census, habitat, morphological characters, animal breeding, productive character, seminal quality of bulls and reproductive performances.