Given the multitude of challenges Earth is facing, sustainability science is of key importance to our continued existence. Evolution is the fundamental biological process underlying the origin of all biodiversity. This phylogenetic diversity fosters the resilience of ecosystems to environmental change, and provides numerous resources to society, and options for the future. Genetic diversity within species is also key to the ability of populations to evolve and adapt to environmental change. Yet, the value of evolutionary processes and the consequences of their impairment have not generally been considered in sustainability research. We argue that biological evolution is important for sustainability and that the concepts, theory, data, and methodological approaches used in evolutionary biology can, in crucial ways, contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We discuss how evolutionary principles are relevant to understanding, maintaining, and improving Nature Contributions to People (NCP) and how they contribute to the SDGs. We highlight specific applications of evolution, evolutionary theory, and evolutionary biology's diverse toolbox, grouped into four major routes through which evolution and evolutionary insights can impact sustainability. We argue that information on both within-species evolutionary potential and among-species phylogenetic diversity is necessary to predict population, community, and ecosystem responses to global change and to make informed decisions on sustainable production, health, and well-being. We provide examples of how evolutionary insights and the tools developed by evolutionary biology can not only inspire and enhance progress on the trajectory to sustainability, but also highlight some obstacles that hitherto seem to have impeded an efficient uptake of evolutionary insights in sustainability research and actions to sustain SDGs. We call for enhanced collaboration between sustainability science and evolutionary biology to understand how integrating these disciplines can help achieve the sustainable future envisioned by the UN SDGs.

The wild relatives of crops play a critical role in enhancing agricultural resilience and sustainability by contributing valuable traits for crop improvement. Shifts in climatic conditions and human activities threaten plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), jeopardizing contributions to future food production and security. Studies and inventories of the extant agrobiodiversity, in terms of numbers and distribution patterns of species and their genetic diversity, are primordial for developing effective and comprehensive conservation strategies. We conducted an ecogeographic study on Ipomoea species and assessed their diversity, distribution, and ecological preferences across different topographic, altitudinal, geographical, and climatic gradients, at a total of 450 sites across Mauritius. Species distribution maps overlaid with climatic data highlighted specific ecological distribution. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed species distribution was influenced by geographical factors. Regional richness analyses indicated varying densities, with some species exhibiting localized distributions and specific ecological preferences while the other species showed diverse distribution patterns. Field surveys identified 14 species and 2 subspecies out of 21 species and 2 subspecies of Ipomoea reported in Mauritius. A gap in ex situ germplasm collections was observed and several species were identified as threatened. Further investigations and a more long-term monitoring effort to better guide conservation decisions are proposed.

Building more sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems means rethinking how we consume, produce, and safeguard agrobiodiversity that can benefit the planet and secure access to nutritious food for all. This was the purpose of the 2021 Second International Agrobiodiversity Congress, convening scientists, Indigenous Peoples, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to share and advance research, nature-positive solutions, and policies. Congress organizers set out to showcase agrobiodiversity’s role in positively transforming food systems, present solutions and business opportunities to enhance multi-stakeholder collaborations, and reinforce the commitments made during international events of 2021. The take-home messages from this Congress support the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit to chart a path of concrete actions that can deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Despite being an increasingly important source of genes for crop breeding aimed at improving food security and climate change adaptation, crop wild relatives (CWRs) are globally threatened. A root cause of CWR conservation challenges is a lack of institutions and payment mechanisms by which the beneficiaries of CWR conservation services (such as breeders) could compensate those who can supply them. Given that CWR conservation generates important public good values, for the significant proportion of CWRs found outside of protected areas, there is a strong justification for the design of incentive mechanisms to support landowners whose management practices positively contribute to CWR conservation. This paper contributes to facilitating an improved understanding of the costs of in situ CWR conservation incentive mechanisms, based on a case study application of payments for agrobiodiversity conservation services across 13 community groups in three districts in Malawi. Results demonstrate a high willingness to participate in conservation activities, with average conservation tender bids per community group being a modest MWK 20,000 (USD 25) p.a. and covering 22 species of CWRs across 17 related crops. As such, there appears to be significant potential for community engagement in CWR conservation activities that is complementary to that required in protected areas and can be achieved at modest cost where appropriate incentive mechanisms can be implemented.

Golden buckwheat (Fagopyrum dibotrys or Fagopyrum cymosum) and Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) belong to the Polygonaceae and the Fagopyrum genus is rich in flavonoids. Golden buckwheat is a wild relative of Tartary buckwheat, yet golden buckwheat is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine and Tartary buckwheat is a food crop. The genetic basis of adaptive divergence between these two buckwheats is poorly understood. Here, we assembled a high-quality chromosome-level genome of golden buckwheat and found a one-to-one syntenic relationship with the chromosomes of Tartary buckwheat. Two large inversions were identified that differentiate golden buckwheat and Tartary buckwheat. Metabolomic and genetic comparisons of golden buckwheat and Tartary buckwheat indicate an amplified copy number of FdCHI, FdF3H, FdDFR, and FdLAR gene families in golden buckwheat, and a parallel increase in medicinal flavonoid content. Resequencing of 34 wild golden buckwheat accessions across the two morphologically distinct ecotypes identified candidate genes, including FdMYB44 and FdCRF4, putatively involved in flavonoid accumulation and differentiation of plant architecture, respectively. Our comparative genomic study provides abundant genomic resources of genomic divergent variation to improve buckwheat with excellent nutritional and medicinal value.

Planetary health brings together intrinsically linked issues of human health and natural systems. This paper reviews evidence of how agrobiodiversity underpins dietary diversity for current human populations in the context of fruits and vegetables, and ways to maintain and improve these for future generations. Both the conservation and sustainable use of fruit and vegetable biodiversity and the consumption of diverse diets are sub-optimal, and in many contexts getting worse. Agrobiodiversity and nutrition are linked through food availability, access, conservation and consumption, with potential win-wins but notable trade-offs for policy and action through time, place, agrobiodiversity use, and equity. We pinpoint research gaps and call for inclusive deliberation for action.

To identify priority areas for in situ conservation and collection of germplasm for ex situ backup of crop wild relative (CWR) diversity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region as part of an action plan for the conservation and use of the region's important CWR diversity.

Supplementary material for: Bramel, P., Giovannini, P. and M. Eshan Dulloo. 2022. Global strategy for the conservation and use of genetic resources of selected millets. Global Crop Diversity Trust. Bonn, Germany. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7798294

The diversity of plants, animals and microorganisms that directly or indirectly support food and agriculture is critical to achieving healthy diets and agroecosystems. Here we present the Agrobiodiversity Index (based on 22 indicators), which provides a monitoring framework and informs food systems policy. Agrobiodiversity Index calculations for 80 countries reveal a moderate mean agrobiodiversity status score (56.0 out of 100), a moderate mean agrobiodiversity action score (47.8 out of 100) and a low mean agrobiodiversity commitment score (21.4 out of 100), indicating that much stronger commitments and concrete actions are needed to enhance agrobiodiversity across the food system. Mean agrobiodiversity status scores in consumption and conservation are 14-82% higher in developed countries than in developing countries, while scores in production are consistently low across least developed, developing and developed countries. We also found an absence of globally consistent data for several important components of agrobiodiversity, including varietal, functional and underutilized species diversity.

Good management of coffee collections is important because they ensure long-term availability of germplasm to guarantee the sustainability of coffee value chain. The conservation of coffee genetic resources is essential to provide the raw materials for breeding and improvement of the crop. Many genetic resources of wild arabica coffee have been collected in the second half of the 20th century by several international collecting missions, including by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ORSTOM (now IRD), Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD), and IPGRI (now Bioversity International), and are conserved in several national genebanks and at the CATIE International Coffee Collection (CICC) in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Over the past decades, many of the original accessions of the CICC have become threatened due to age, pests and diseases, inadequate management, and waterlogging. There is thus an urgent need to rejuvenate and rationalize the collection to ensure the long-term maintenance of the genetic diversity of the original accessions. Here we present the methodological approach we followed to carry out an in-depth assessment of the status of the coffee collection at CATIE and to prioritize accession-specific actions for the rationalization of the collection. This can be used as a model for other collections to assess and rationalize their own field genebank, with a view to improving their management in the most cost-effective way. The study identified many discrepancies between the number of accessions in the field and genebank records and revealed that 80 accessions have been lost from the collection since 2014 and that approximately 80% of the accessions were threatened and in need of intervention. Furthermore, the in-depth study identified the most diverse and valued accessions for the rationalization of the CICC field genebank and those that are in urgent need of safety duplication.

The chapter references enclosed in curly brackets (e.g.{2.3.1, 2.3.1.2,2.3.1.3})are traceable accounts and refer to sections of the chapters of the IPBES Global Assessment.A traceable account is a description within the corresponding texts of these chapters, reflecting the evaluation of the type, amount, quality, and consistency of evidence and the degree of agreement for that particular statement or key finding.

Our knowledge about the status of agrobiodiversity on farms is still very limited. While several studies to assess the crop genetic diversity on farms have been undertaken, there are no systematic documentation and monitoring practices for varietal diversity in space and time. Achievement of the agrobiodiversity Aichi Target 13, established under the Biodiversity Strategy Plan 2011–2020, have failed due to the lack of existing data on varietal diversity at country, regional and global levels. Here, we propose a method for calculating the Varietal Threat Index using the four-cell analysis (FCA) participatory methodology at different geographical scales to monitor changes in the varietal diversity on farms and to compare between areas. We tested the method with datasets collected from the UN-Environment GEF project implemented in India, in which data on crop and varietal diversity were collected across seven states in India, covering five agroecological regions. Results showed that landraces are still commonly grown in the study sites, especially in the central and western regions, and that more than 50% of landraces are considered threatened, suggesting that conservation interventions are required to prevent large-scale genetic erosion. A long-term monitoring framework for varietal diversity in India is proposed.

This chapter reviews the methodologies developed to assess the extent of diversity of PGRFA at species, variety, and genetic level and examines the efforts made at global level in monitoring them at different scales. Efforts have been made to halt the loss of biodiversity (including genetic diversity) by United Nations Organizations (FAO, UNEP, UN) at setting of global targets (second Global Plan of Action on conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA, Aichi Targets and Sustainable Development Goals) and indicators have been established to monitor progress towards them. Yet none of the targets on genetic diversity have been achieved, due to a lack of implementable monitoring system that would allow progress to be accurately monitored. Further research is needed to improve the methodologies for monitoring plant genetic resources, particularly at the varietal and genetic level. The chapter discusses the opportunities and challenges as well as provides recommendations for future conservation and monitoring strategies that may safeguard PGRFA for posterity.

Multiple, coordinated goals and holistic actions are critical

Professor Alexandre Antonelli, Director of Science, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew introduces this major online report with the aim that it “tackles the knowledge gaps and unlocks the known and potential benefits of fungi and plants for us and our planet. Drawing upon the expertise of 210 researchers in 97 institutions across 42 countries, this unparalleled collaborative effort, generously funded by the Sfumato Foundation, aims to tell the world where we might find solutions to the challenges we face. Although there is no single or easy way out of the environmental crisis, the relevance of plant and fungal science cannot be understated. This is the fourth report in Kew’s State of the World’s series, which focused on plants in 2016 and 2017, and fungi in 2018. This is the first time that plants and fungi have been combined in one report, to highlight their intrinsic links and joint benefits.”

Societal Impact StatementFor millennia, humans have used plants and fungi, as foods, fuels, fibers, and medicines; and have developed techniques for improving their usefulness to our species, mostly through selection of desirable traits. With human populations forecast to rise, the availability of arable land likely to fall amid climate change and increasing urbanization, and modern communications technologies accelerating the dispersal of pathogens, further improvement is urgently needed. However, ensuring long‐term resilience involves conservation of existing genetic diversity in addition to selection. New technologies, particularly those based on molecular biology, are increasingly driving conservation and improvement strategies.SummaryHumans use plants and fungi for a wide range of purposes and, over millennia, have improved wild species by selecting for and combining genetic variation. Improvements in DNA sequencing technologies have enhanced our capacity to identify and manipulate genetic diversity, increasing the range of variation that can be utilized, and accelerating the breeding cycle to reduce the time taken to develop and put new varieties to use. Most recently, the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology has greatly increased our capacity to directly introduce novel genetic variants without unwanted associated material. Moreover, increased knowledge of metabolic pathways resulting from genomic analysis can be used to design new varieties with desired properties with increased precision. Selecting for, or engineering, desirable variants has increased the usefulness of plants and fungi to humans, but at the cost of reducing their genetic diversity, decreasing their resilience and reducing the stock of variation available for future use. Conservation of genetic biodiversity is thus an essential counterpart of crop improvement and is essential to ensure that crop species retain resilience to emerging threats. Conservation efforts are focused on orphan crops, wild relatives of crop species, and landraces; in and exsitu efforts are complementary. Informatic approaches can inform use of these materials in breeding programmes even in the absence of genomic information. The application of some of these approaches may be restricted by ethical, legal, or organizational obstacles. If these can be overcome, there is great potential to unlock previously untapped reservoirs of biodiversity for human benefit.