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Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal Climate change and national crop wild relative conservation planning

Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal

Phillips J, Magos Brehm J, Van Oort B, Asdal A, Rasmussen M, Maxted N
2017
Ambio. 46 (6): 630-643

Climate change is likely to be one of the most important factors affecting our future food security. To mitigate negative impacts, we will require our crops to be more genetically diverse. Such diversity is available in crop wild relatives (CWRs), the wild taxa relatively closely related to crops and from which diverse traits can be transferred to the crop. Conservation of such genetic resources resides within the nation where they are found; therefore, national-level conservation recommendations are fundamental to global food security. We investigate the potential impact of climate change on CWR richness in Norway. The consequences of a 1.5 and 3.0 degrees C temperature rise were studied for the years 2030, 2050, 2070, 2080 and then compared to the present climate. The results indicate a pattern of shifting CWR richness from the south to the north, with increases in taxa turnover and in the numbers of threatened taxa. Recommendations for in situ and ex situ conservation actions over the short and long term for the priority CWRs in Norway are presented. The methods and recommendations developed here can be applied within other nations and at regional and global levels to improve the effectiveness of conservation actions and help ensure global food security.

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Resource Description

    Food Security, Temperature
    • Food Security, Temperature: Crop/Plant Food Security
    • Food Security, Temperature: Heat
    Non-United States
    • Non-United States: Europe
    Exposure Change Prediction
    Long-Term (>10 years)
    Assessment/Book/Report
    Adaptation
    • Adaptation: Resilience, Other Adaptation, Specify
      • Resilience, Other Adaptation, Specify: Migration
      Other Adaptation, Specify
    Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)
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