Between Conservation and Utilization: Legal Frameworks Governing Crop Wild Relatives and Habitats Directive Species in Poland

Anna Rucińska (), Paulina Leszczewska, Maja Boczkowska, Anna Znój, Dorota Nowosielska and Wiesław Podyma
Additional contact information
Anna Rucińska: Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute—National Research Institute, Radzików, 05-870 Błonie, Poland
Paulina Leszczewska: Botanical Garden Centre for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin, Polish Academy of Sciences, Prawdziwka 2, 02-973 Warsaw, Poland
Maja Boczkowska: Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute—National Research Institute, Radzików, 05-870 Błonie, Poland
Anna Znój: Botanical Garden Centre for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin, Polish Academy of Sciences, Prawdziwka 2, 02-973 Warsaw, Poland
Dorota Nowosielska: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Wspólna 30, 00-930 Warsaw, Poland
Wiesław Podyma: Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute—National Research Institute, Radzików, 05-870 Błonie, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-14

Abstract: Ex situ plant conservation in Poland is shaped by a dual institutional framework that distinguishes between agricultural genetic resources and the protection of rare and endangered wild flora. The National Centre for Plant Genetic Resources (NCPGR) focuses on cultivated taxa and Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs), whereas the PAS Botanical Garden Seed Bank prioritizes wild species of high conservation concern, including those listed under the EU Habitats Directive (HD). This review examines the legal and institutional foundations of ex situ conservation in Poland within global and regional regimes (CBD, ITPGRFA, EU Habitats Directive) and analyzes a harmonized dataset of 1458 species. Comparative analyses show significant discrepancies in institutional holdings: CWRs are relatively well represented in the gene bank, whereas many HD species remain underrepresented, particularly those producing non-orthodox seeds that cannot be stored by conventional methods. Conversely, rare wild taxa maintained in the Seed Bank often fall outside agricultural genetic resource frameworks. The limited overlap between these collections highlights gaps in coordination, data integration, and methodological development. Strengthening institutional synergy, developing approaches for non-orthodox seeds, and enhancing international cooperation will be crucial for Poland to meet the goals of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

Keywords: ex situ conservation; plant genetic resources; crop wild relatives (CWR); EU Habitats Directive species; plant conservation legislation; seed bank; gene bank (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/21/9371/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/21/9371/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:21:p:9371-:d:1776792

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().