Saving Plant Diversity: A User-Friendly Approach to Tracking Seed Conservation – Morocco World News

 

Advancing Plant Conservation and Sustainable Development Goals Through an Innovative Geospatial Framework

Introduction: The Biodiversity Crisis and its Link to Global Sustainability

A significant threat looms over global biodiversity, with scientific estimates indicating that nearly two in five plant species face extinction. This crisis directly imperils the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to life on land, food security, and climate action. Ex situ conservation methods, such as seed banks and botanic gardens, are critical backup systems, yet they currently fail to represent the full spectrum of wild plant genetic diversity. This report details a new open-source framework developed at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) that provides a strategic tool to address this conservation gap, thereby supporting key SDG targets.

Addressing Threats to SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)

The Scale of Plant Diversity Loss

The current rate of biodiversity loss presents a direct challenge to the targets outlined in SDG 15 (Life on Land). The key threats and their implications include:

• Extinction Rates: An estimated 40% of plant species are threatened with extinction, while over 31% of the world’s known vascular plants are under threat due to climate change and habitat loss. This undermines SDG Target 15.5, which calls for urgent action to halt biodiversity loss and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
• Inadequate Conservation: Despite the existence of over 1,700 gene banks, analysis reveals that less than 20% of wild plant species are adequately represented in ex situ collections.
• Impact on Food Systems: This conservation gap places human food systems at risk, as the genetic diversity of crops and their wild relatives is fundamental for developing resilient agriculture. This directly impacts SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), specifically Target 2.5 concerning the maintenance of genetic diversity in seeds and plants.

An Innovative Framework for Targeted Conservation Action

Leveraging Technology and Open Data for SDG 9 and SDG 17

In response to this challenge, a doctoral researcher at UM6P’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES), Marwa El Graoui, has developed an open-source framework to enhance conservation strategies. This innovation aligns with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) by applying scientific research and technology to a critical environmental problem.

Methodological Approach

The framework provides a systematic method for assessing genetic diversity and prioritizing conservation efforts. Its core components are:

1. Data-Driven Modeling: It combines publicly available data with geospatial modeling to assess how well genetic diversity is currently conserved.
2. Genetic Diversity Proxies: Lacking direct genomic data for many species, the model uses geographic and environmental distances between samples as proxies for genetic differentiation, based on established ecological principles.
3. The “Adjusted Range” Method: A novel technique was developed to define a species’ distribution range more accurately, avoiding the common pitfalls of under- or over-prediction.
4. Accessible Toolkit: The entire workflow is packaged into an open-source R library, `conexus`, making it accessible to a global community of conservationists and researchers, thus promoting the knowledge-sharing central to SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Implementation, Findings, and Strategic Impact

Case Study: Vigna Species in Africa

The framework was applied to wild Vigna species, a genus critical for food security in Africa. The results provided actionable insights that enable more effective conservation planning, directly contributing to SDG 2 and SDG 15.

Key Findings and Challenges

• Data Integrity: A significant challenge identified was the mislabeling of data in global repositories like GBIF, where many samples designated as ex situ were actually wild occurrences. Correcting these errors drastically changed the assessed conservation status of numerous species, highlighting an urgent need for improved data standards.
• Targeted Prioritization: The tool successfully identified species presumed to be secure that were, in fact, under-represented in seed banks. It also located geographic hotspots where a wide range of genetic diversity could be captured efficiently.
• Resource Optimization: The data-driven results allow policymakers and botanists to allocate limited resources more effectively, targeting collection efforts that yield the greatest genetic return on investment.

Future Directions and Recommendations for Global Action

Enhancing the Framework and Fostering Collaboration

While the framework represents a significant advance, there is potential for future refinement. Recommendations for the global conservation community include:

• Incorporate Genetic Data: Where available, actual genetic distance data should be used to calibrate and improve the accuracy of the geographic and environmental proxies.
• Integrate Species-Specific Traits: Factoring in traits like seed dispersal and pollination mechanisms could further refine distance estimates.
• Standardize Data Protocols: A concerted effort is needed to standardize data labels across all biodiversity repositories to ensure a clear distinction between in situ and ex situ records.

This research exemplifies how targeted innovation can create practical tools to help the global community meet ambitious targets, such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s goal to protect 30% of land and water. By strengthening ex situ conservation strategies, this work provides an essential pillar for achieving the interconnected goals of protecting life on land (SDG 15), ensuring future food security (SDG 2), and fostering global partnerships for sustainable development (SDG 17).

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• The article connects plant conservation directly to human food systems. It states that the gap in ex situ conservation “puts both ecosystems and human food systems at risk, since crops and their wild relatives provide the genetic building blocks for future resilience.” This highlights the importance of genetic diversity for ensuring long-term food security.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• The core of the article is the development of an “open-source framework” and a “simple software package” by a researcher at University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P). This focus on creating accessible scientific tools, promoting open-source technology, and leveraging digital innovation to solve complex problems directly aligns with fostering innovation.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• The article establishes the context for this conservation work as a response to climate change. It begins by stating that “our planet faces accelerating climate change and widespread habitat loss,” framing the race to safeguard plant genetics as a crucial action against climate impacts.

SDG 15: Life on Land

• This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The entire piece revolves around the threat of plant extinction (“two in five plant species face extinction”), the loss of biodiversity, and the efforts to conserve plant genetic diversity through ex situ methods like seed banks. It explicitly discusses safeguarding species and their genetic variety.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• The article highlights multiple layers of partnership. The research was conducted by a doctoral researcher and her co-author, Professor Robert J. Hijmans. It mentions collaboration with colleagues from “UM6P, CIRAD, and UC Davis.” Furthermore, the project relies on “open data from repositories like GBIF” and promotes open science by making the tool an “open-source R library,” fostering global collaboration.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• Target 2.5: By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.
  • The article’s focus on conserving wild Vigna species (a genus that includes important crops like cowpeas), the discussion of seed banks, and the goal of safeguarding “genetic building blocks for future resilience” directly address this target.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.
  • The development of a new conservation metric and an open-source R library at a Moroccan university (UM6P) is a clear example of enhancing scientific research and innovation to address a global challenge.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
  • By working to conserve the genetic diversity of plants, including crop wild relatives, the research helps secure the resources needed to develop more resilient crops that can adapt to the effects of “accelerating climate change,” thereby strengthening the resilience of food systems.

SDG 15: Life on Land

• Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
  • The article directly addresses this by citing the statistic that “two in five plant species face extinction” and describing a new method designed to “prioritize which species need urgent attention” for conservation to prevent their loss.
• Target 15.6: Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed.
  • By creating an open-source tool, the researcher is promoting access to the technology and methods for assessing and managing genetic resources, which is a key aspect of this target.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Target 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation.
  • The project, based at a Moroccan university (South) in collaboration with institutions like UC Davis (North) and using global data platforms, exemplifies this form of international cooperation on science and technology.
• Target 17.7: Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed.
  • The creation of an “open-source R library” that is freely available to “empower anyone to assess how well genetic diversity is being saved” is a direct example of the dissemination and diffusion of an environmentally sound technology.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• Indicator for Target 2.5: The article provides metrics related to the number of plant genetic resources in conservation. It mentions “seven million seed samples” housed in gene banks but qualifies this by stating that “less than 20% of wild plant species are adequately represented ex situ.” The new framework itself generates a “final conservation score for each species,” which serves as a new, more nuanced indicator.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• Indicator for Target 9.5: The primary indicator is the existence and accessibility of the innovation itself: the “open-source R library” developed by the researcher. Its availability on a platform like GitHub is a tangible measure of a new scientific tool being created and shared.

SDG 15: Life on Land

• Indicator for Target 15.5: The article uses the Red List Index concept by citing statistics on threatened species, such as “two in five plant species face extinction” and “over 31% of the world’s 390,000 known vascular plants are under threat.” These figures are direct indicators of the status of biodiversity.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Indicator for Target 17.7: The development and release of the “open-source R library” is a direct indicator of a technology being developed and disseminated. The article emphasizes that the tool is designed so that a user does not “need to be an R expert,” indicating a focus on wide accessibility and diffusion.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators Identified in the Article
SDG 2: Zero Hunger	2.5: Maintain genetic diversity of seeds and plants, including wild relatives, in gene banks.	Number of seed samples in gene banks (“seven million”). Proportion of wild plant species adequately represented ex situ (“less than 20%”). The “final conservation score” generated by the new framework to prioritize species.
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure	9.5: Enhance scientific research and encourage innovation.	The development and availability of the “open-source R library” as a tangible output of scientific innovation.
SDG 13: Climate Action	13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards.	The conservation of plant genetic diversity is presented as a tool to build resilience against “accelerating climate change.”
SDG 15: Life on Land	15.5: Halt biodiversity loss and prevent the extinction of threatened species.	Proportion of plant species threatened with extinction (“two in five”). Percentage of known vascular plants under threat (“over 31%”).
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	17.6 & 17.7: Enhance international cooperation on and access to science, technology, and innovation; promote the diffusion of environmentally sound technologies.	The creation of an “open-source R library” as a shareable technology. Collaboration between universities in Morocco and the US (UM6P, UC Davis). Use of open data from global repositories like GBIF.

Source: moroccoworldnews.com