A diversity of natural assets will be needed to cope with climate change and ensure productive agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. For example, crop varieties are needed that perform well under drought, heat, and enhanced CO₂. But the private-sector and farmer-led process of choosing crops favours homogeneity adapted to past or current conditions, not varieties capable of producing consistently high yields in warmer, wetter, or drier conditions. Accelerated breeding programmes are needed to conserve a wider pool of genetic resources of existing crops, breeds, and their wild relatives. Relatively intact ecosystems, such as forested catchments, mangroves, wetlands, can buffer the impacts of climate change. Under a changing climate, these ecosystems are themselves at risk, and management approaches will need to be more proactive and adaptive. Connections between natural areas, such as migration corridors, may be needed to facilitate species movements to keep up with the change in climate.

Question: With reference to the above passage, which of the following would assist us in coping with the climate change?
1. Conservation of natural water sources
2. Conservation of wider gene pool
3. Existing crop management practices
4. Migration corridors
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

The correct option is 1, 2 and 4 only.

To understand why this option is correct, let us analyze each statement based on the information provided in the passage:

1. Conservation of natural water sources (Correct):
The passage states: "Relatively intact ecosystems, such as forested catchments, mangroves, wetlands, can buffer the impacts of climate change." Since forested catchments, mangroves, and wetlands are key natural water-related ecosystems, conserving them helps buffer climate impacts, thereby assisting us in coping with climate change.

2. Conservation of wider gene pool (Correct):
The passage explicitly states: "Accelerated breeding programmes are needed to conserve a wider pool of genetic resources of existing crops, breeds, and their wild relatives." This directly supports the conservation of a wider gene pool to ensure agriculture can cope with changing conditions like drought, heat, and enhanced CO₂.

3. Existing crop management practices (Incorrect):
According to the passage, the current "private-sector and farmer-led process of choosing crops favours homogeneity adapted to past or current conditions, not varieties capable of producing consistently high yields in warmer, wetter, or drier conditions." Furthermore, it states that "management approaches will need to be more proactive and adaptive." This indicates that existing practices are insufficient and maladapted to future climate changes, so they will not assist us as they currently stand.

4. Migration corridors (Correct):
The passage mentions: "Connections between natural areas, such as migration corridors, may be needed to facilitate species movements to keep up with the change in climate." This highlights the necessity of migration corridors in helping species adapt to shifting climates.

Therefore, statements 1, 2, and 4 are supported by the passage, making 1, 2 and 4 only the correct answer.