Category: Information

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Modified ecosystems and the conservation of crop diversity

A new global assessment of the state of terrestrial ecosystems has just been published, focusing on the extent of human modification due to “industrial pressures based on agriculture, forestry, transportation, mining, energy production, electrical infrastructure, dams, pollution and human accessibility.” 1

As is my wont, I tried to find a form of the data that I could shoehorn into Google Earth, but I failed. Fortunately GIS guru Kai Sonder of CIMMYT was able to snip out a kml file of overall human transformation as of 2020 covering Kenya — don’t ask me how. But thanks, Kai. I put on top of it genebank accessions from Kenya classified as wild or weedy in Genesys.

I don’t know quite what to make of this. The wild populations seem to have been mainly collected in areas that in 2020 were very highly affected by human activity. But is that good or bad?

It could be good — in a sense — if the high degree of human transformation means that the original populations are not there any more. 2 Phew, good thing they were collected! On the other hand, it could be bad if the concentration on easily accessible and modified areas means that the genetic diversity currently being conserved is not representative of what’s out there.

What do you think?

But of course what I really want is a version of this which focuses on agricultural areas and is updated in real time. Yes, a perennial favourite here: a real early warning system for erosion of crop diversity.

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We knead oil

Jeremy’s latest newsletter has agrobiodiversity-adjacent snippets on the re-making of an ancient bread in Turkey and on the “oenification of olive oil.” Plus a thing on oysters which is maybe not so adjacent but is also fun and sports a title that is worth the price of admission on its own. Read it.

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Brush up your seedcraft

I recently came across a few interesting resources that I’d like to share.

Bangor University has a publication out that might be useful to people doing research — or perhaps even implementing projects — having to do with in situ conservation: Conservation social science: A handbook for conducting research on rule breaking in conservation. 3

Understanding who follows rules and why, is pivotal for shaping and informing the design of conservation policy and strategies on the ground. If based on erroneous assumptions, sustainable solutions are unlikely to be realised. Conservation scientists need skills and methods that help them understand the prevalence and drivers of illegal activities.

I never really thought about it, but yeah, I guess they do. In any case, always a good idea for biology-focused conservationists to brush up on social science methods.

I’m not sure if the Center for Plant Conservation’s Applied Plant Conservation Course deals with rule-breaking explicitly, but Module V: Common Reasons for Reintroduction/Mitigation Failure might well cover it to some extent.

And finally, Kew has a cryopreservation course in the works for November 2025. And a more general seed conservation techniques course for October. No illegal activities are envisaged.

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Nibbles: Indian vault, Sundarban rice, Community seed banks, Fiji cassava, Georgia documentary, Kenya seed network, Nigeria mobilizes, Coffee prizes, Slow Food guardians, Peasant seed sovereignty, World Economic Forum seed pean, Seed sector shindig, Genesys acceleration

  1. Times of India says “India needs a new doomsday seed vault.” Why not just use the one already there in Svalbard?
  2. Meanwhile, women in the Sundarban are doing it for themselves.
  3. Maybe it’s community doomsday seed vaults that India needs?
  4. Fiji’s cassava is facing a doomsday of its own.
  5. Georgia — the country — is working on a documentary on crop diversity which will no doubt include their seed deposit in Svalbard.
  6. Kenya has a pretty good community genebanks video of its own.
  7. Nigeria is all over crop diversity. Not just once, but twice.
  8. Coffee prices going up? Can you imagine what will happen if we don’t conserve enough of its diversity?
  9. Want more examples of the coolness of crop diversity and its guardians? Slow Food has your back.
  10. La Via Campesina needs to encouragement either, where “peasant seeds” and their guardians are concerned.
  11. Even the World Economic Forum wants in on the act.
  12. And yet the seed sector seems…reluctant?
  13. Good job Genesys is getting faster, eh?