Saving wild plants: Experts start comprehensive project in Berlin!

Saving wild plants: Experts start comprehensive project in Berlin!

On July 7, 2025, the preservation of endangered wild plants will be at the top of the agenda in Berlin-Brandenburg. A project that is considered the most comprehensive of its kind in the country deals intensively with the collection and care of these plants, which are of essential importance for our ecosystems and agriculture. The procedure includes collecting seeds, growing them in special conservation cultures and finally releasing them into nature. Experts and scientists provide detailed insights into this process, making their personal commitment and challenges visible in the documentation. The plants that receive particular attention include the gray scabiosis and the peony carnation, known from the forests around Bad Freienwalde. This is not only recorded in a book, but also presented in a documentary directed by Heiderose Häsler and Iduna Wünschmann, which impressively shows the effort behind the conservation work, as [rbb-online.de](https://www.rbb-online.de/ Fernsehenen/programm/20_07_2025/1994584.html) reports.

There is a tremendous diversity in nature, but it is threatened. Wild relatives of cultivated plants, such as beets or carrots, play a crucial role here. According to a report by the LFU Brandenburg, around 3,600 wild plant species are known in Germany, of which more than 1,000 are currently or potentially used. These wild relatives are essential for genetic diversity, which is crucial both for plant breeding and for securing future food production.

The importance of genetic diversity

Given the constantly changing conditions caused by climate change, it is essential that our crops can also adapt. Techniques for the precise characterization and evaluation of genetic resources are becoming increasingly important. The use of omics technologies such as genomics, proteomics and metabolomics ensures that we can gain deeper insights into the properties of plants. These data are the basis for breeding research and the so-called “pre-breeding”, in which genetic variations within crop plants are discovered, according to the Julius Kühn Institute in a comprehensive report on crop diversity and genetic resources.

The preservation of these wild plants is a task for society as a whole, given the fact that they are threatened by destruction and loss of their habitats. An information system for documenting occurrences in Brandenburg has already been developed to ensure that the most important wild plant species are not forgotten. This is not only important in terms of nature conservation, but also contributes to the preservation of our food resources.

This shows that the work surrounding the conservation of endangered wild plants is of great value - not only for nature, but also for us as a society. This is about the whole thing: about the connection between people and nature, about biodiversity that goes far beyond the known cultivated plants.