Why conserve genetic diversity? A perspective based on a case study with a European conifer

Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms that exists within species, between species and of ecosystems. Nonetheless, genetic diversity, the within-species component of biodiversity, is rarely considered as a conservation concern or goal in protected areas.

In this perspective, we explore possible reasons why genetic diversity is poorly considered in conservation and ecological restoration. We also present the case study of a threatened forest conifer in France [Pinus nigra ssp. salzmannii (Dunal) Franco, Salzmann's pine] that we offer as proof of how straightforward implementation of genetic diversity conservation goals can be in protected areas.

Scientific studies in the fields of either conservation or biodiversity consider genetics in <10 % of scientific publications. Although genetic tools are used for taxonomic delineation, concerns about diversity within species at the population level appear comparatively rare in conservation and biodiversity science or management. The use of genetic tools for the conservation of genetic diversity of Salzmann's pine in France clarified its taxonomic status, identified populations relevant for in situ conservation compatible with habitat conservation and made it possible to select genetically original individual trees that could be grafted as a core collection for dynamic ex situ conservation. As threats to biodiversity increase worldwide, fully integrating genetic diversity in conservation demands that conservation adopts an evolutionarily centred, nature-for-itself perspective, rather than either an anthropocentric, resource-focused perspective or a bio-centred, emblematic species-focused perspective.