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9. Recommen­da­tions and conclu­sions

9.1 Background

The report Nordic Crop Wild Relative conservation (Palmé et al. 2019) summarised the findings and experiences of two consecutive projects. As a result of these, a policy brief was developed in preparation of an anticipated joint Nordic declaration aimed at being endorsed as a joint Nordic commitment to implement and fulfil Target 2.5 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This declaration was never realised. Meanwhile, since 2019, other processes with relevance for the conservation and use of CWR have been implemented. During 2019–2023 the joint Nordic project Access and Rights to Genetic Resources – A Nordic Approach (II) was carried out under the auspices of NordGen. Given the international developments over the last two decades within the genetic resources arena, the project aimed at reviewing and possibly updating the Nordic approach in relation to access and use of genetic resources within the region. The outcome of the project – encompassing all relevant domains of genetic resources, including CWR – also yielded specific policy recommendations pertaining to the conservation and use of CWR. 
In this report we present an updated and extended set of recommendations (Table 2) – including on policy – to be addressed by decision-making bodies at either the national or the joint Nordic level, as appropriate. For the sake of ease, the recommendations are thematically organised.

9.2 Recommendations

 
 
Recommendations to assure long-tern conservation and access to taxa of particular importance for food security
1
On initial actions
Complete the development of national strategies for in situ conservation of CWR. The work done at the Nordic level can be used as a framework or as supporting information. National strategies should be complementary to Nordic, European and global strategies. Development of conservation measures should preferentially be based on FAO Voluntary Guidelines (FAO 2017).
 
2
On involvement
Carry out cross-sectoral reviews regarding considerations and measures related to CWR conservation and use in national policy and in local management plans.
 
Promote policy measures beneficial for CWR conservation and use, and remove those found to be detrimental for the same purpose.
 
3
On in situ conservation
Identify areas or sites that can serve as climate refugia for severely affected CWR.
Continue to inventory areas of particular interest for in situ conservation.
Prioritise conserving natural ecosystems and restoring ecological processes that are important for maintaining the habitats of prioritised species, to allow for genetic diversity to develop over time as a consequence of natural dynamics and ecological interactions.
Prioritise and target conservation and protection activities based on conserving an as wide as possible intraspecific genetic diversity, incl. focusing on populations characterised by a high level of within-population diversity and, for outcrossing species, low levels of inbreeding.
Establish long-term monitoring of prioritised CWR taxa conserved in situ, preferably both on the population and genetic levels.
4
On ex situ conservation
Collect seed for ex situ conservation on a case-by-case basis, prioritising species with predicted range reductions, to preserve genetic diversity from their entire current distribution.
5
On complementarity
Evaluate the complementarity of proposed sites for in situ conservation on a Nordic level, aiming at optimising conservation of CWR diversity.
6
On joint measures
Develop species-specific conservation recommendations at the joint Nordic level for those prioritised CWR predicted to be severely affected by climate change.
Expand the collection of high-quality occurrence observations from underrepresented areas and make these publicly available.
Establish Nordic cooperation regarding monitoring of key Nordic priority CWR species at both population and genetic levels.
Establish joint Nordic monitoring of species predicted to expand drastically (potential invasiveness).
7
On need for research
Deepen the understanding of other threats to CWR, incl. human induced pressures such as habitat fragmentation, over-exploitation and biotic/abiotic factors related to climate change.
 
Continue to widen the knowledge base on CWR in the Nordic region through mapping, inventorying, and analysis of genetic diversity.
 
Develop scientifically based management recommendations for selected CWR in situ conservation sites, targeting locally occurring prioritised populations. 
8
On networking
Establish and maintain a joint Nordic network dedicated to CWR involving a broad range of stakeholders engaged in genetic resources conservation and use, incl. relevant authorities, conservation managers, botanic gardens, NordGen and plant breeders.
 
Reach out to local authorities and national park managers with information about CWR aiming at establishing collaborative projects and activities. 
9
On ABS
Secure facilitated access to CWR genetic resources conserved ex situ in accordance with agreed international benefit-sharing instruments.
 
Given that different national approaches exist, clarify the legal status of access to wild genetic resources conserved in situ.
 
Consider registering in situ conserved populations and providing access to them, including their passport information
 
Continue to collaborate at the Nordic level regarding exchanging experiences about access and rights to wild genetic resources e.g., through relevant joint Nordic projects. 
10
On documentation
Facilitate access to documentation and associated Digital Sequence Information (DSI) of wild genetic resources for food and agriculture conserved ex situ by NordGen, in accordance with agreed international benefit-sharing instruments.
 
Provide EURISCO with appropriate and updated documentation of Nordic CWR. 
11
On communication and public awareness
Provide joint awareness raising for Nordic providers and users of genetic resources of international developments with particular focus on CWR, including access and benefit sharing obligations and objectives.
 
Increase the public awareness on CWR conservation and use through collaboration with botanic gardens, conservation areas and relevant museums. 
12
On long-term goals
Consider a cross-sectoral review of funding mechanisms to genetic resources conservation.
 
Based on such a review, consider securing dedicated financing to CWR conservation and use. 
Table 2. Overview of recommendations.

9.3 Conclusions

To conclude, this project has improved the conservation and access to Nordic CWR, as well as the knowledge on their diversity, status, distribution, and the expected impact of climate change. This has strengthened the scientific basis for current and future conservation efforts and stimulated national activities. In addition, the Nordic cooperation in this area has been strengthened and communication has reached a wide range of stakeholders, including the nature conservation community, policy makers, the scientific community, and the interested general public. As concluding remarks, we would like to mention the following:
  • As shown earlier by the EU-project Farmers’ Pride (2017-2020), conservation of CWR is a cross-sectoral issue that requires input from several sectors of society, including a multi-stakeholder approach. Wild plant genetic diversity does not restrict itself to one sector alone – e.g. agriculture or nature conservation – as has been repeatedly noted by FAO in its Global Plans of Action. Sectors need to collaborate to optimise conservation efforts, bringing in their respective responsibilities and expertise. Additionally, input from the user communities such as researchers and plant breeders are essential to guide and optimise conservation activities with the aim of safeguarding genetic diversity and its access.
  • Getting proper conservation policies and measures in place takes time and the series of Nordic multi-year projects since 2015 has been extremely beneficial in that respect. The insight and purposefulness demonstrated by the Nordic Council of Ministers is therefore highly commendable. Cooperation among Nordic countries has improved greatly and expedited actions at the national level. The Nordic CWR community has undergone a constructive development within a range of thematic areas including national gap analysis, seed collection for ex situ conservation, genetic diversity analysis, modelling the effects of climate change, and public awareness raising. Continuing the Nordic cooperation would be very beneficial for future development in this area.
  • Strengthening the national recognition of CWR diversity as an important aim of conservation in protected areas has contributed to bringing yet another motive to the work of conservation managers. However, raising awareness alone is not sufficient. For the future, it is necessary to aim at formally including CWR conservation and monitoring in the management plans of an increasing number of protected areas. This may not be an option for already established protected areas, but countries should consider incorporating this as a requirement when establishing a new one, as appropriate. In the process of deciding upon the conditions for approval, the presence of CWR and their genetic diversity should be important aspects.
  • The conclusion from a previous project summary of 2019 (Palmé et al. 2019) is still valid, i.e. countries need to increase efficiency and coordinate work better, primarily at the national level. Much has improved over the years that have passed since, but while cross-sectoral collaboration in particular is now at a higher level than before, it is still dependent upon a few individuals and therefore vulnerable. The recommendations given above – particularly under point 8 – aim at trying to avoid such risks.
  • The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by COP-15 in December 2022, contains one distinct long-term goal and one action-oriented global target that relate to CWR:
    • For 2050: Goal A – Human induced extinction of known threatened species is halted, and, by 2050, extinction rate and risk of all species are reduced tenfold and the abundance of native wild species is increased to healthy and resilient levels.
    • For 2030: Target 4 – Ensure urgent management actions to halt human induced extinction of known threatened species and for the recovery and conservation of species, in particular threatened species, to significantly reduce extinction risk, as well as to maintain and restore the genetic diversity within and between populations of native, wild and domesticated species to maintain their adaptive potential, including through in situ and ex situ conservation and sustainable management practices, and effectively manage human-wildlife interactions to minimise human-wildlife conflict for coexistence.
To fulfil these requirements, all Nordic countries therefore need to commit to, and assure, that both long-term conservation and sustainable use for the future is given full attention and the necessary resources.
Nordic Council of Ministers I www.norden.org/publications I pub@norden.org