Colin Clubbe

Plant Conservation in the Caribbean Island Biodiversity Hotspot

While the Caribbean is a recognized “biodiversity hotspot”, plant conservation has not received adequate attention; particularly, given the high levels of endemism in many plant groups. Besides establishing protected areas, there needs to be a sustained effort to study the taxonomy, systematics and ecology of the flora. Recent phylogenetic studies have shown high levels of endemism and conservation studies indicate a large propotion of the flora is threatened with extinction. Eight recommendations are given for plant conservation in the region.

Why are some biodiversity policies implemented and others ignored? Lessons from the uptake of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation by botanic gardens

International agreements and policies play an increasingly prominent role in strategies to combat biodiversity loss. However, conservation policies can only have a conservation impact if implemented. Identifying factors determining the influence of a policy on institutions could improve the process of policy development and communication. We examine how and why botanic gardens have responded to the first phase of a global conservation policy (the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation GSPC) using quantitative (questionnaires completed by 255 botanic gardens in 67 countries) and qualitative (in-depth interviews with five gardens in five countries) methods. We found that while the majority of gardens were aware of the GSPC, older gardens in the global north, and younger global south gardens are most influenced by the GSPC. Gardens that are members of a global botanic garden network and gardens with larger budgets are implementing more targets. Targets implemented tend to be aligned with existing institutional aims. Gardens highlighted an absence of a mechanism to feedback successes and failures. The GSPC has recently been reviewed and new targets for the period of 2011–2020 developed. To widen the influence of the GSPC, dissemination should include guidelines on how institutions could implement the policy, with particular focus on influencing younger global north gardens and older global south gardens. There are plans to develop a toolkit to help gardens better understand and implement the GSPC. We recommend the toolkit include a system for GSPC implementers to communicate with each other and to feedback to policy formulators.

Important Plant Areas: revised selection criteria for a global approach to plant conservation

Despite the severe threats to plant habitats and high levels of extinction risk for plant species in many parts of the world, plant conservation priorities are often poorly represented in national and global frameworks because of a lack of data in an accessible and consistent format to inform conservation decision making. The Important Plant Areas (IPAs) criteria system offers a pragmatic yet scientifically rigorous means of delivering these datasets, enabling informed national- or regional-scale conservation prioritisation, and contributing significantly towards global prioritisation systems including the International Union for Conservation of Nature Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) Standard. In this paper, we review the IPA rationale and progress on IPA identification to date, including the perceived limitations of the process and how these may be overcome. We then present a revised set of criteria for use globally, developed through the combined experiences of IPA identification over the past decade and a half and through a recent global consultation process. An overview of how the revised IPA criteria can work alongside the newly published KBA Standard is also provided. IPA criteria are based around a sound, scientific, global framework which acknowledges the practical problems of gathering plant and habitat data in many regions of the world, and recognises the role of peer reviewed expert opinion in the selection process. National and sub-national engagement in IPA identification is essential, providing a primary route towards long term conservation of key sites for plant diversity. The IPA criteria can be applied to the conservation of all organism groups within the plant and fungal kingdoms.

Training Programmes Can Change Behaviour and Encourage the Cultivation of Over-Harvested Plant Species

Cultivation of wild-harvested plant species has been proposed as a way of reducing over-exploitation of wild populations but lack of technical knowledge is thought to be a barrier preventing people from cultivating a new species. Training programmes are therefore used to increase technical knowledge to encourage people to adopt cultivation. We assessed the impact of a training programme aiming to encourage cultivation of xaté (Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti), an over-harvested palm from Central America. Five years after the training programme ended, we surveyed untrained and trained individuals focusing on four potential predictors of behaviour: technical knowledge, attitudes (what individuals think about a behaviour), subjective norms (what individuals perceive others to think of a behaviour) and perceived behavioural control (self assessment of whether individuals can enact the behaviour successfully). Whilst accounting for socioeconomic variables, we investigate the influence of training upon these behavioural predictors and examine the factors that determine whether people adopt cultivation of a novel species. Those who had been trained had higher levels of technical knowledge about xaté cultivation and higher belief in their ability to cultivate it while training was not associated with differences in attitudes or subjective norms. Technical knowledge and perceived behavioural control (along with socio-economic variables such as forest ownership and age) were predictors of whether individuals cultivate xaté. We suggest that training programmes can have a long lasting effect on individuals and can change behaviour. However, in many situations other barriers to cultivation, such as access to seeds or appropriate markets, will need to be addressed.

Abundance, distribution and conservation significance of regionally endemic plant species on Anegada, British Virgin Islands

The conservation significance of the Caribbean island of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands is highlighted in this study of the distribution of plant species in two major habitats, sand dunes and limestone pavement. In 104 plots along 27 transects located around the western salt ponds of the Anegada Ramsar site, 133 plant species were recorded, including five regional endemics. The limestone pavement supported large populations of Acacia anegadensis, endemic to Anegada, and Cordia rupicola, known only from Anegada and Puerto Rico (although the Puerto Rican population is thought to be extirpated). The sand dunes supported a large population of Metastelma anegadense, also endemic to Anegada. Two other regional endemics were recorded within the limestone cays, Leptocereus quadricostatus, previously known from only one locality in Puerto Rico and Malpighia woodburyana, restricted to a few small populations on islands on the Puerto Rican Bank. For both of these species Anegada supports the largest known individual population. © 2004 FFI.

Botanic gardens can positively influence visitors’ environmental attitudes

Abstract Botanic gardens often highlight public education as a priority. Increasing knowledge about biodiversity conservation is a frequently stated aim of environmental education. This is often based on the assumption that increasing knowledge may generate positive environmental attitudes. We investigate the relationship between knowledge and environmental attitudes and whether visits to botanic gardens alter visitors’ ecological knowledge and environmental attitudes. We surveyed 1054 visitors at five UK botanic gardens, half of whom were interviewed on entry and half leaving. Our results suggest a strong positive relationship between knowledge and attitudes, although we are unable to disentangle cause and effect. We show botanic gardens have little influence on knowledge, however environmental attitudes are more positive amongst those leaving a botanic garden. This study presents the first quantitative evidence showing botanic gardens can positively influence visitors’ environmental attitudes. With over 300 million visitors a year globally, botanic gardens have the potential to greatly improve knowledge about, and attitudes towards plant conservation. Evaluating the influence botanic gardens may have on visitors can be useful both in demonstrating to funders the contribution they make, and to allow learning and development of approaches to maximise the benefits of environmental education schemes in botanic gardens.

Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Native Plant Distributions in the Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are predicted to experience up to 2.2°C rise in mean annual temperature over the coming century, greater than four times the rate over the last century. Our study investigates likely vulnerabilities of a suite of range-restricted species whose distributions are associated with archipelago-wide climatic variation. We used present day climate maps calibrated using local weather data, 2020–2080 climate predictions from regional climate models, non-climate variables derived from a digital terrain model and a comprehensive database on local plant distributions. Weighted mean ensemble models were produced to assess changes in range sizes and overlaps between the current range and protected areas network. Target species included three globally threatened Falkland endemics, Nassauvia falklandica, Nastanthus falklandicus and Plantago moorei; and two nationally threatened species, Acaena antarctica and Blechnum cordatum. Our research demonstrates that temperature increases predicted for the next century have the potential to significantly alter plant distributions across the Falklands. Upland species, in particular, were found to be highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. No known locations of target upland species or the southwestern species Plantago moorei are predicted to remain environmentally suitable in the face of predicted climate change. We identify potential refugia for these species and associated gaps in the current protected areas network. Species currently restricted to the milder western parts of the archipelago are broadly predicted to expand their ranges under warmer temperatures. Our results emphasise the importance of implementing suitable adaptation strategies to offset climate change impacts, particularly site management. There is an urgent need for long-term monitoring and artificial warming experiments; the results of this study will inform the selection of the most suitable locations for these. Results are also helping inform management recommendations for the Falkland Islands Government who seek to better conserve their biodiversity and meet commitments to multi-lateral environmental agreements.

Using the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation to guide conservation implementation in the UK Overseas Territories

SummaryThe Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) was adopted by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2002. Staff at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew were closely involved in the development of the GSPC and contributed to the development of several of the targets and the plan of work which resulted from its adoption. The GSPC has become a key document for Kew to help guide its conservation policy and implementation. The UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) Programme is one of Kew’s cross-departmental science teams whose members work in collaboration with UKOT Governments and NGOs on conservation projects with the overall aim of supporting them in the implementation of the GSPC and in achieving its targets. The GSPC has provided an excellent overall framework to help shape conservation strategy, planning, and action in UKOTs. Like many small islands, UKOTs face a wide range of challenges in conserving their biodiversity and retaining ecosystem services whilst enabling development and maintaining livelihoods. Habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive alien species, development, and the increasing threat of global climate change present the most significant conservation challenges. At the heart of the UKOTs programme is a comprehensive work plan of specimen and data collection, mapping and capacity building in Territories plus facilitating access to historical specimens and data held at Kew. This enables progress towards achieving Targets 1, 2 and 3 (understanding and documenting plant diversity) and Targets 5, 7, 8 and 10 (conservation of plant diversity). All of these activities are accompanied by an extensive programme of capacity building to help support the development of technical skills and infrastructure to enable UKOTs to implement the GSPC (Targets 15 and 16) and the production of materials and interactions with schools and community groups to promote education and awareness-raising of plant conservation to achieve Target 14. UKOTs have been working with RBG Kew to prioritise activities in order to implement the GSPC and to identify those targets of most relevance locally. The main focus has been in documenting and understanding plant diversity and Targets 1 and 2 are close to completion for most UKOTs with good developments towards Target 3 for many. There is mixed progress with Objective 2 of the GSPC: conserving plant diversity. Excellent progress has been made with the ex situ Target 8, but more limited progress with the in situ targets and plant species still face many threats. Some Territories, most notably the Falkland Islands have made a good start with an Important Plant Areas programme. Although good progress has been made in documenting invasive species, there is major resource investment needed to implement the invasive species control strategies that have been identified. Good progress has been made with Target 14 and awareness is increasing, but there is a definite need for mainstreaming plant conservation issues. Some progress with Objective 5, building capacity for plant conservation, has been made, but a large ‘capacity gap’ remains and more trained personnel are needed with improved facilities and resources in order to implement the GSPC and meet its demanding targets. The GSPC has provided a unifying framework to enable conservation implementation across the UK’s Overseas Territories and will continue to do so in the post-2010 period.

Patterns of floristic diversity in semi-natural coastal vegetation of Lebanon and implications for conservation

The current understanding of the status of the vegetation in Lebanon is largely derived from herbarium data and associated floristic studies produced by early 20th century field botanists. In common with other areas in the Mediterranean, the Lebanese coastline is highly threatened by unregulated development, yet current patterns of species richness along the Lebanese coastal zone are little studied. The objective of this study was to assess the floristic richness of the Lebanese coastal zone and to provide baseline information for conservation planning. For this purpose, permanent sample plots (6 m × 100 m) were established in 26 selected vegetation communities in coastal habitats. Monthly field collections of plant specimens were undertaken between October 1999 and July 2000. A total of 441 species were collected and identified. None of the recorded species are currently considered globally threatened, but two are Lebanese endemics (Matthiola crassifolia Boiss. & Gaill., Origanum ehrenbergii Boiss.). Species richness varied between communities, ranging from six species in a littoral limestone pavement community to 113 in an abandoned terrace community. The similarity between communities, based on Sorensen indices, was low and a large number of species were recorded only once. Cluster analysis showed a grouping of different communities within locations in some instances and the clustering of similar community types regardless of location in others. Species richness in riparian and littoral communities consisted mostly of habitat non-specific species. The low community similarity, patchy species distribution, and predominance of habitat non-specific species all point to the need to complement in situ conservation measures with ex situ conservation.

Population genetics data help to guide the conservation of palm species with small population sizes and fragmented habitats in Madagascar

Background The need to incorporate genetic data into conservation management decisions is increasingly recognised. However, many published studies represent a ‘gold standard’ of sampling, techniques, and analyses. Such rigour is often not possible with limited funding and resourcing available for developing plans for the increasing number of threatened species requiring conservation management. Two endemic palm species of the Itremo Massif in central Madagascar, Dypsis ambositrae and D. decipiens, are known to be threatened with extinction and conservation management for these species is a priority for the newly created protected area in the region. Methods The genetic diversity of these two species was studied using the relatively low-cost and rapid AFLP technique. DNA fragments generated using three primer combinations were analysed for 20 and 50 individuals of the two species, respectively, from across their ranges. Results Genetic diversity was relatively low for both species. The two sites where the highly restricted D. ambositrae grows were found to be genetically distinct (although overall heterozygosity was low). Despite having a much wider distribution and relatively large population, D. decipiens did not show clear geographical nor genetic groupings and had similarly low genetic heterozygosity to D. ambositrae. Discussion and Recommendations With so few individuals remaining in the wild and two genetically distinct subpopulations, it is recommended that both sites of D. ambositrae are conserved and that seed are collected from both for ex situ conservation and potential future reintroduction. It may be less important to focus resources on conserving or collecting ex situ material from all sites where D. decipiens is found, as the genetic diversity represented by each subpopulation is limited and increasing sampling may not protect significantly higher levels of genetic diversity. This study provides data that inform and support conservation decisions taken for both species within this region, and in the management of the newly designated Itremo Massif Protected Area, which covers most of the sites where these two species remain in the wild.