Wheat wild relatives harbour rich genetic variations accumulated through natural evolution. These relatives serve as reservoirs of resistance genes against environmental stressors and vital genetic resources for breeding high-yield, high-quality wheat varieties. However, due to long-term breeding practices prioritizing yield-related traits and technical barriers in distant hybridization, modern wheat cultivars exhibit a narrow genetic base, leaving numerous valuable genes in wild relatives underutilized. Meanwhile, threats such as anthropogenic disturbances, habitat degradation and climate change have led to severe population decline or even extinction of some wild relatives, risking permanent loss of their unique genetic resources. Strengthened conservation effort (especially in situ) are therefore urgently needed. This review systematically examines the taxonomy, geographic distribution of wheat wild relatives, and the domestication his^{tory of wheat; summarizes utilization of wild relatives in genetic improvement; critically analyses current genetic diversity, conservation.}