Crop Wild Relatives – Wild plant diversity for resilient Nordic food systems

The project has a pan-Nordic scope. Activities involve partners and stakeholders across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Åland, while the Nordic CWR network will also be expanded to the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Svalbard. The project combines regional cooperation with conservation planning, seed collection, genetic diversity analysis, knowledge exchange and communication across the Nordic region.

The overall long-term aim is to contribute to nature-based solutions for a more resilient and self-sufficient Nordic agriculture by conserving the wild genetic resources needed to adapt agricultural plants to climate change and other future challenges, while also improving nature and biodiversity conservation. The project aims to strengthen long-term conservation of Nordic Crop Wild Relatives, facilitate their sustainable use, and maintain and strengthen Nordic cooperation and synergy.

The project builds directly on the previous Nordic project Conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources in the Nordic countries (2021-2024) and on the Nordic Crop Wild Relatives network established in 2015. The current project addresses needs and recommendations identified through earlier Nordic cooperation and continues the work on conservation, sustainable use, knowledge exchange and Nordic synergy related to Crop Wild Relatives.

The project is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, together with self-funding from the participating organisations.

Strengthened conservation and sustainable use of Nordic crop wild relatives and their genetic diversity. The project contributes to safeguarding genetic resources that can support plant breeding, climate change adaptation and future food security, including traits such as resistance to pests and diseases and tolerance to drought, waterlogging and heat stress.

The project includes:

• identification of climate change refugia for Nordic Crop Wild Relatives;
• development of species-specific Nordic CWR conservation strategies;
• analysis of needs for reintroduction and reinforcement in relation to nature restoration;
• genetic diversity analysis to support conservation optimisation and use;
• development of Nordic CWR Population Management Guidelines;
• seed collection, long-term ex situ conservation and access to genetic material;
• development of communication materials, plant portraits, webinars and stakeholder activities; and
• continued development of the Nordic CWR network and cooperation with the Nature-based Solutions and Biodiversity subprogrammes

The project is designed to develop approaches, guidance and knowledge that can be used across the Nordic region. Common Nordic conservation strategies and population management guidelines are intended to support protected-area managers, conservation authorities and other practitioners, while open-access reports, scientific publications, webinars and communication materials will make the results available beyond the immediate project network. Nordic examples and results will also be shared with relevant international organisations and networks.

NordGen - Nordic Genetic Resource Centre
Ålands landskapsregering, Miljöbyrån
Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS)
Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE)
Grasagarður Reykjavíkur
Natural Science Institute of Iceland
Danish Agricultural Agency, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark
Natural History Museum Denmark, Botanical Garden
Natural History Museum, University of Oslo
Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)
Linköping University
Swedish Board of Agriculture
Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Anna Palmé
Project Coordinator
Senior Scientist, Nordic Crop Wild Relatives, NordGen
anna.palme@nordgen.org

Project website:
https://www.nordgen.org/projects/crop-wild-relatives/about-cwr-and-the-projects/

Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) are wild plant species that are closely related to cultivated crops. They can include wild relatives of cereals, vegetables, fruits, fodder and forage crops. Because traits found in CWR can be transferred to cultivated crops, their genetic diversity can contribute to food security, climate change adaptation and more sustainable agriculture.

Nordic cooperation on Crop Wild Relatives was initiated in 2015. The current fourth phase, Wild plant diversity for resilient Nordic food systems, was approved in 2025 and continues the long-term work to strengthen the conservation and sustainable use of Nordic crop wild relatives.

The current phase focuses on identifying climate change refugia, developing species-specific Nordic CWR conservation strategies, analysing genetic diversity to support conservation and use, developing Nordic CWR population management guidelines, collecting and conserving seeds, and communication and knowledge sharing.

The project is coordinated by NordGen and involves a Nordic network of participants from across the region. Funding for project period 4 is provided by the Nordic Council of Ministers, together with self-funding from the participating organisations.

Planned outputs include species-specific conservation strategies, Nordic CWR Population Management Guidelines, scientific publications, a project report and a policy brief.

This project builds on the long-term Nordic cooperation on Crop Wild Relatives initiated in 2015 and directly follows the 2021-2024 Nordic CWR project.