Global Commitments to Conserving and Monitoring Genetic Diversity Are Now Necessary and Feasible

Abstract

Global conservation policy and action have largely neglected protecting and monitoring genetic diversity—one of the three main pillars of biodiversity. Genetic diversity (diversity within species) underlies species’ adaptation and survival, ecosystem resilience, and societal innovation. The low priority given to genetic diversity has largely been due to knowledge gaps in key areas, including the importance of genetic diversity and the trends in genetic diversity change; the perceived high expense and low availability and the scattered nature of genetic data; and complicated concepts and information that are inaccessible to policymakers. However, numerous recent advances in knowledge, technology, databases, practice, and capacity have now set the stage for better integration of genetic diversity in policy instruments and conservation efforts. We review these developments and explore how they can support improved consideration of genetic diversity in global conservation policy commitments and enable countries to monitor, report on, and take action to maintain or restore genetic diversity.

A Critical Review of the Current Global Ex Situ Conservation System for Plant Agrobiodiversity. I. History of the Development of the Global System in the Context of the Political/Legal Framework and Its Major Conservation Components

“…Crop and related genetic diversity underpin the productivity, sustainability, resilience, and adaptive capacity of agricultural systems and, thus, their evolutionary potential [7]. This diversity, contained in the so-called plant genetic resources has played a key role in the developments of agriculture since the first steps towards the domestication of our crop plants, the subsequent diffusion of the domesticates as well as the associated weeds and wild relatives from the centres of domestication into the world and the ongoing improvement and adaptation of the crops to ever changing environments, cultural practices, and human-made and natural threats.…”

“…Furthermore, it is also important to realize that some of the decision criteria will depend on other factors, such as available infrastructure, trained staff, budget, and the prevailing legal and policy framework as well as collaboration with other institutions inside and outside the country. Furthermore, when planning complementary conservation strategies, the following additional points might also be relevant to consider: the extent of the gene pool coverage and the distribution of the genetic diversity, both within the gene pool as well as geographically [7]. The reproductive biology of a species is critically important to decide which methods are applicable.…”

New developments in the field of genomic technologies and their relevance to conservation management

“…Genetic diversity is the underlying prerequisite for all species to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Ecosystem resilience thus highly depends on genetic variation (see Hoban et al 2021;Stange et al 2021). Genomic tools now enable us to assess the adaptive potential of species and identify particular loci underlying adaptation.…”

The Ira Moana Project: A Genetic Observatory for Aotearoa’s Marine Biodiversity

“…Whereas population genetic datasets were based on less than a dozen polymorphisms 15 years ago, in the current "genomic" era, these datasets are typically based on thousands of polymorphic sites from throughout the genome. Based on this volume of data, we should be better-placed than ever to incorporate genetic diversity information into time-series monitoring of biodiversity (Hoban et al, 2021b).…”

“…For decades, NZ researchers have been collecting material samples (i.e., the biological sample from which DNA can be extracted) and generating genetic data for hundreds of marine species (e.g., Ross et al, 2009). These data could form the basis of national reporting on genetic diversity indicators and targets (e.g., Hoban et al, 2021b) and could inform multispecies spatial conservation planning (e.g., Nielsen et al, 2017) and thereby the sustainable management of the nation's marine resources. However, such synthesis of the genetic data has not been possible to date, because there has not been adequate curation and stewardship of this valuable data resource.…”