occurrence and protection of crop wild relatives in Italian sites of natura 2000 network: Insights from a data-driven approach.

Aim of this work is to evaluate the status of different crop wild relative species in Italy by analysing the geographic distribution of their populations and to suggests possible strategies to improve their future conservation. The work has been focused on different species of the and genera that are of priority at European and global levels for the economic importance of the related crops, the level of threat, as well as the potential for use. Using information available in the Italian National Geoportal, geographical distribution and the overall percentage of populations occurring in Natura 2000 sites was initially analysed.