Crop Wild Relative Conservation In Situ: The Ethics and Benefits of Local Indigenous Knowledge

The in situ conservation of genetically diverse crop wild relatives (CWR) is vital to the development of new crop varieties capable of satisfying the demands of Earth’s growing populations and changing agricultural conditions. Centers of CWR diversity commonly overlap with the territories of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC). This has sometimes resulted in collaborative in situ conservation programs between CWR scientists and IPLC. Despite the recognized value of collaborating with IPLC in their roles as land users and owners, relatively few studies have explicitly investigated how in situ CWR conservation projects and policy designs may also benefit from the study and implementation of Indigenous Local Knowledge, Practices and Innovations (ILKPIs). Moreover, the ethical dimensions of such collaborations remain critically underexplored. In this discussion I seek to highlight the benefits of incorporating IPLC and ILKPI in CWR in situ conservation research while paying special attention to associated ethical issues.