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Crop Wild Relatives: A Manual of in situ Conservation. Edited by D. Hunter and V. H. Heywood. Earthscan: London (2010), pp. 440, £29.99 (Paperback). ISBN 978-1-84971-179-1.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2011

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Abstract

Type
Book Review
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Crop wild relatives (CWR) are the group of plant species which are more or less closely related to crops and to which they can potentially contribute traits (resistant to stress, disease, drought and other factors) desired by plant breeders; as such they are likely to provide for climate change mitigation and will thus play a key role in future food security. The book is based on experience gained during a recent Bioversity International project and focuses on case studies for in situ CWR conservation from five countries. The 16 chapters introduce CWR science, in situ conservation planning, in situ conservation establishment, major threats and raising awareness of CWR diversity. The chapters are very well written and provide a fair overview of the existing literature, but the editor should be commended for the integration of practical experience gained from the five country studies into the description of each facet of in situ conservation planning and establishment. The one major omission is a thorough chapter on complementary ex situ CWR conservation: ex situ CWR conservation is a necessary safety backup. A lesser, but important, second omission is the lack of the link between CWR conservation and use. It could be argued that without use no element of agro-biodiversity can be sustainably conserved.There have been several texts published in recent years but this is a significant addition and despite some minor quibbles I recommend this text to all those interested in agro-biodiversity and protected area conservation.