CROP WILD RELATIVES IN VOLOGDA PROVINCE, RECOMMENDED FOR IN SITU CONSERVATION
Background. Preservation of crop wild relatives (CWR) as natural suppliers of genetic source material (GSM) is the foundation of food security. <i>In situ</i> conservation is considered the highest priority method. By preserving species in their natural communities, we safeguard all the genetic diversity that can be used as sources of valuable economic traits. The criteria developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) are unable to assess the significance of crop wild relatives at the regional level. With this in view, we have used the vulnerability status categories developed at VIR. Materials and methods. Crop wild relatives of Vologda Province were the target of the study. Research material was selected in VIR's herbarium collection (WIR, LE), along with literary data and the results of the plant exploration surveys by VIR's scientists. The species listed in the Red Books of Leningrad, Pskov and Novgorod Provinces, the Red Book of Karelia, and the list of rare and endangered plants (2015) of Vologda Province were analyzed. For the first time, plants were tested specifically to determine the species' vulnerability degree. On the basis of such testing, CWR requiring special conservation measures were identified. Results and conclusions. Sixty-six CWR species that require <i>in situ</i> conservation occur in Vologda Province. The collected materials helped to develop databases of locations for the taxa studied. In total, we identified nine species with the vulnerability status of Category I (<i>Corylus avellana</i> L., <i>Onobrychis arenaria</i> (Kit.) Ser., <i>Phleum phleoides</i> (L.) Karst., <i>Thymus talijevii</i> Klok. Et Shost., <i>Bistorta vivipara</i> (L.) S.F. Gray, <i>Gypsophila fastigiata</i> L., <i>Koeleria glauca</i> (Spreng.) DC., <i>Leymus arenarius</i> (L.) Hochst., and <i>Scorzonera glabra</i> Rupr.). Maps of the species with the first vulnerability status category were made. Category II was assigned to 19 species; Category III, to 38 species. The species requiring special conservation efforts were identified: relicts (11 spp.) and endemics (1 sp.). Twenty-eight species are in the list of rare and endangered plants (2015) of Vologda Province. Nizhnesukhonsky floristic area stands out for its rich CWR diversity. In addition to <i>in situ</i> conservation within protected areas of various ranks, the species included into Categories I and II should be conserved <i>ex situ</i> in botanical gardens and genetic collections held by research institutes in the northwest of Russia.