Without human intervention, the last wild vines will vanish from the Rhine’s forests within the next few decades. The population sizes have fallen short of the critical limit. Several isolated remnant stocks consist solely of either male or female plants. A natural rejuvenation no longer takes place.

The project aims to ensure the survival of the remaining diversity of wild vine varieties in ex situ collections and at natural locations, the conservation of the species by rehabilitating selected locations in the primary habitat as well as flanking secondary locations with viable, sufficiently heterozygous populations, and lastly, enabling the continuation of evolutionary adaptation processes by reproductive networking of locations and the skilled selection of locations. The work is done in collaboration with the Botanical Institute (Prof. Nick) of the University of Karlsruhe.