More than 80% of the human diet is derived from plants, which are also an important medical resource. Despite the importance of plants, by the FAO’s most recent estimate 75% of plant diversity within and between crop species has disappeared over the 20th century, mainly due to climactic changes (FAO, 2010). Changes such as extreme heat, cold, drought or flooding, and particularly water pattern irregularities and biotic stresses like new pests and diseases are an unequivocal fact. The impacts of climate change are already noticeable and will intensify over the 21st century (IPCC, 2007).

Crop wild relatives (CWR)  are an important gene pool source for the genetic variation used in variety breeding (Kilian et al., 2006). Plant domestication has led to increased productivity, but, at the same time, has narrowed the genetic basis of crop species (Zamir, 2001), a phenomenon associated with the ’domestication founder effect.’ Without a constant flow of new genes from wild species into the breeding process, the ability of crops to adapt to changing environmental conditions and confer resistance to pests and diseases is very difficult to maintain (Frese et al., 2012; Maxted and Kell, 2009).

It was not until the 1960s that CWR were officially recognized for their nutritional and agricultural values and active conservation of the genetic diversity found in  local ecotypes and CWR was begun (Hunter and Heywood, 2011).

During the FAO’s technical meeting in Rome in 1961, “the great importance to this and future generations of preserving the gene pool of genetic variability which now occurs in the major gene-centers of the world, but which is threatened with destruction” was recognized and international crop centers were established. CWR like many other species, are increasingly threatened due to habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, changes in disturbance regimes and invasive species (Hunter and Heywood, 2011). A conservation strategy is, therefore, crucial and the organizations and individuals involved must carefully decide how to address this mission.   

CWR are typically highly-valued for their quality but are generally unknown outside their production and growing area. The comprehension and use of their agricultural importance is rapidly being forgotten by the current generation of producers, making it increasingly urgent to catalogue and preserve the knowledge of their diversity and to share their use with breeders. Unless action is taken, the loss of CWR will continue and may result in their extinction.