Elisa Pizarro Carbonell of Aprisco participated in the roundtable discussion on the topic “Biodiversity Management in Agroecosystems: Keys to Climate Resilience” as part of the Conference on Agroecology organized by the SEAE in Pamplona from April 22 to 25.

Elisa Pizarro’s presentation, delivered alongside Christian Schöb and titled “BiodivRURAL: A Thousand and One Ways to Put Science at the Service of Human Well-being”, illustrated how, in northern Extremadura, work is being done on wild species related to crops through the COUSIN project using the living lab methodology, thanks to the “Biodiversity for Rural Well-being (BiodivRURAL)” living lab, coordinated by Aprisco. He also discussed synergies with other living lab-related projects, such as the LegumES project, and how the co-creation of biodiversity-based opportunities with local communities can contribute to the well-being of the rural population living in areas subject to agroecological research.

Taking advantage of the in-person meeting, together with Aina Calafat and Roberto Ruíz de Arcaute Rivero—colleagues from the EEAS involved in FruitDiv (one of COUSIN’s sister projects)— we drafted a joint article to be published in their journal.

The aim of the article is to address topics common to both projects, namely herbaceous and woody CWRs. In addition to discussing the general concept of CWRs and their relationship to agricultural sustainability, particular attention will be given to the importance of sustainable rural development for the in situ conservation of diverse CWR populations, and to the importance of in situ conservation for all activities related to plant breeding using CWRs.