Humans require resilient, rapidly renewable and sustainable supplies of food and many other plant-derived supplies. However, the combined effects of climate change and population growth compromise the provision of these supplies particularly in respect to global food security. Crop wild relatives (CWR) contain higher genetic diversity than crops and harbour traits that can improve crop resilience and yield through plant breeding. However, in common with most countries, CWR are poorly conserved in England. There is currently no provision for long-term CWR conservation in situ, and comprehensive ex situ collection and storage of CWR is also lacking. However, there is a commitment to achieve their conservation in England’s Biodiversity Strategy and the UK has international commitments to do so as part of the Global Plant Conservation Strategy. Here, we identify a series of measures that could enhance the conservation of English CWR, thereby supporting the achievement of these national and international objectives. We provide an inventory of 148 priority English CWR, highlight hotspots of CWR diversity in sites including The Lizard Peninsula, the Dorset coast and Cambridgeshire and suggest appropriate sites for the establishment of a complementary network of genetic reserves. We also identify individual in situ and ex situ priorities for each English CWR. Based on these analyses, we make recommendations whose implementation could provide effective, long-term conservation of English CWR whilst facilitating their use in crop improvement.

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‘Conservation grazing’ is normally interpreted to mean livestock grazing for wildlife conservation purposes. Farm livestock grazing is essential for the management of many of the United Kingdom’s most important habitats. For example, permanent grassland, heathland, wood pasture, floodplain and coastal marshes all require some grazing to maintain the structure and composition upon which a wide variety of wild plants and animals depend for their survival. Farming activities have played a significant role in shaping these habitats over time and the continuation of certain livestock husbandry practices is often crucial for their sustained existence. The key livestock species utilised for conservation grazing are cattle, equines (mainly ponies), sheep, goats and occasionally pigs. Wild herbivores (e.g. deer and rabbits) may also play a significant part in conservation grazing outcomes.