Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Image copyright THE CROP TRUST Wild wheat can be bred with modern crops to boost resilience
Wild relatives of modern crops deemed crucial for food security are being pushed to the brink of
extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
More than 20 rice, wheat and yam plants have been listed as threatened on the latest version of the IUCN's Red
list.
The wild plants are being squeezed out by intensive farming, deforestation and urban sprawl, say scientists.
Modern crops can be crossbred with their wild cousins to safeguard foods.
''To lose them would be a disaster,'' said Dr Nigel Maxted of the University of Birmingham, who is co-chair of
the IUCN's specialist group on crop wild relatives.
''It would be much more difficult to maintain food security without them.''
Insurance policy
Commercial crops have lost genetic diversity. They are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which may
bring drought, diseases and new pests.
Work is under way to breed new varieties of grains, cereals and vegetables by crossing them with tough, wild
species that can grow in a range of habitats, such as mountains, deserts or salt marshes.
Image copyright L M
SALAZAR/CROP
TRUST
Most of the wild rice crops that are threatened with extinction grow in South East Asia, while a few are found in
Africa. The wild wheat plants that are of concern are found mainly in the Near and Middle East, including war-
torn areas that are off-limits to conservationists.
Yams feed around 100 million people in Africa alone. Paul Wilkin of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said
conservation work is being undertaken to make sure that wild yam plants are available to provide food and
medicines worldwide, now and in the future.
''They will also be sources of key traits to breed improved, future-proof crop varieties,'' he said.
''These assessments enable the most threatened species of yams and other crop wild relatives to be prioritised
effectively for conservation actions.''
The economic value of crop wild relatives is put at US$115bn per year to the global economy.
Image copyright NEIL ROBERT HUTTON The Northern brown kiwi: numbers are rising
But there is a success story; kiwis in New Zealand are recovering thanks to conservation efforts.
An effort to wipe out predators such as stoats and ferrets, as well as raising chicks in captivity to release in the
wild, has boosted the number of two species of New Zealand's native bird.