NATIONAL STRATEGIC PALN FOR CONSERVATION AND USE OF CROP WILD RELATIVES IN MAURITIUS

The Mauritian and Rodriguan Contributors

SADC Crop Wild Relatives started off in January 2014 to address the “In situ conservation and use of crop wild relatives in three ACP countries of the SADC region” as the full project title explicates. This three-year project is supported by the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States through its ACP-EU Co-operation Programme in Science and Technology (S&T II) Its overall objective is to enhance link between conservation and use of CWR as a means of underpinning regional food security and mitigating the predicted adverse impact of climate change.
The specific objectives are therefore to enhance the scientific capacities within the partner countries to conserve CWR and identify useful potential traits for use to adapt to climate change, and to develop exemplar National Strategic Action Plans for the conservation and use of CWR. Read below about the challenge we address, the focus of the project, the methods used and envisaged outputs.  The main expected outputs were:

Outputs

• Improved capacities of research organizations, conservation agencies and relevant governmental agencies in Mauritius, South Africa and Zambia on the conservation and use of CWR.
• Diversity-rich priority sites identified where in situ conservation of CWR can be cost-effectively implemented.
• An innovative information system for the management of CWR monitoring where conservation data can be tested and deployed.
• Exemplar national strategic action plans (NSAP) on cost-effective in situ conservation and the use and development of priority CWR
• Farmers and breeders informed about the importance and value of CWR
• Policy-makers and the general public will be made aware of the ecological and agricultural value of CWR

The Faculty of Agriculture academic and technical staff, namely Pof Y. Jaufeerally Fakim, Mr Navin Boodia, and Mrs A. Sobhee among others have participated actively in this project. They have produced 2 leaflets among other reports to increase awareness of the crop wild relatives in Mauritius and the national strategic action plans.