Link to ex situ conservation
It is paramount to link effective CWR in situ conservation to their utilization through ex situ conservation. A new integral approach is needed.
The CWR status quo
CWR taxonomic diversity is vast. Therefore, efforts are being made to prioritize CWR for conservation at global, regional and national scales. Unfortunately, they are still widely threatened in their natural habitats and yet poorly conserved, both in situ and ex situ.
You should know...
Breeders only access CWR populations that have been sampled and conserved ex situ in gene banks. However, current accessions are not enough to meet breeders demand for diversity. They call for greater access to the full breadth of CWR diversity to meet the growing challenge of climate smart varietal development.
A need for change
We need a full complementary and integrated approach to CWR conservation and use. One that tackles together both issues, threats to CWR diversity in their natural habitats and lack of CWR diversity readily available to breeders.
Here, you will find out a potential model to integrate in situ and ex situ conservation together with utilization.
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Improving ex situ conservation for utilization
It is essential to focus research on CWR accessions conserved ex situ. In order to promote utilization, it is important to study unknown curation processes anddevelop the necessary protocolsto overcome current uncertainties.
Also, all existing information on the conserved CWR accessions should be of easy access and available to users.