Category : Policy brief
Published : November 26, 2017 - 1:29 PM
Authors: Tim Vaessen, Nicholas Tyack
Crop wild relatives (CWR) provide an important supporting service to agriculture as a resource for crop improvement, and have been the source of many valuable genetic traits. In addition, CWR also provide a number of other ecosystem services including regulating, provisioning and cultural services.
CWR, however, have not yet been widely recognized in the rapidly expanding ecosystem services field or included in major practical studies. Their inclusion is important since CWR, as with biodiversity in general, face many threats, including urbanization, climate change, habitat destruction and the spread of invasive species.
In this policy brief we outline the importance of integrating CWR into the ecosystem services framework and highlight several project mechanisms that could be adapted to include CWR.
Key facts and recommendations:
- Crop wild relatives deliver key ecosystem services that benefit humankind both directly and indirectly.
- In spite of the often substantial value of these services, crop wild relatives have yet to be integrated into strategies supporting the continued provision of ecosystem services.
- Incorporating crop wild relatives into current ecosystem services projects offers a valuable opportunity to both improve their sustainable conservation and harness their potential to contribute to global food security in the 21st century
