Suzanne Sharrock

Saving Europe’s threatened flora: progress towards GSPC Target 8 in Europe

The European flora is of global significance but many species are facing an ever increasing range of threats, especially the growing impacts of climate change. While various estimates have been made for the number of threatened plant species in Europe, an up-to-date European plant Red List does not presently exist. Target 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) calls for 60% of threatened plant species to be conserved in ex situ collections by 2010. In the absence of a European plant Red List, it is difficult to monitor progress at the regional level towards this target. To address this gap Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) has developed a consolidated list of European threatened species as a step towards a formal Red List. The database consists of national Red List data from 28 European countries and includes records for over 11,000 taxa. National Red List data were supplemented by information on the critically endangered plants of Europe provided by the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle/European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity and the Conservatoire Botanique National de Brest. A list of regionally threatened species was extracted from the database and screened against BGCI’s database of plants in cultivation in botanic gardens (PlantSearch) and ENSCONET’s (European Native Seed Conservation Network) database of plants conserved in European seed banks. This analysis revealed that 42% of European threatened species are currently included in ex situ conservation programmes in Europe.

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.

The biodiversity benefits of botanic gardens.

Philip E. Hulme recently suggested in TREE that botanic gardens had in the past, and continue to have today, an important role in plant invasions across the globe [1xAddressing the threat to biodiversity from botanic gardens. Hulme, P.E. Trends Ecol. Evol. 2011; 26: 168–174Abstract | Full Text | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (67)See all References][1]. Although we agree that mistakes might have been made by gardens in the past, we contend that such historical plant invasions need to be viewed in the context of the time, and that the situation is different today.Hulme identifies several invasive plant species for which botanic gardens are inferred as sources for their introduction and early dissemination during the 19th and early 20th centuries. At this time, however, the active introduction and release of plants around the world was being vigorously encouraged and was the mission of many gardens (as well as a host of other agricultural agencies). Although most plant introductions have had a positive result, some of the introduced species have shown invasive potential in some regions. However, we do not believe that it is useful to continue to blame the botanic gardens of today for previous mistakes. Indeed, because of their education missions and scientific expertise, botanic gardens today are taking an active role in combating invasives.The combined collections of the botanic gardens of the world include up to one-third of all known plant species [2xSee all References][2] and although these do include potentially invasive species, these collections also have a considerable conservation value. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the number of extinct plant species would be 34% higher were it not for those preserved in gardens [3xIUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Version 2010.4. IUCN. See all References][3]. Moreover, no species is invasive everywhere; just because a garden has a species in its collection does not mean that it is introducing or promoting a species that is locally invasive. There are sometimes good reasons to include a regional invasive in a gardens collection; for example, if the species is part of a specialised taxonomic collection, or if it is being used in educational programmes. Telling people not to plant particular species means little: visitors might not recognise a name, but seeing the plant, with interpretation, might help them identify it as something they have in their garden or in their neighbourhood.There is clearly a value to having botanic gardens with wide and extensive collections, but there is also no room for complacency. This is particularly the case in remoter areas, where the lack of economic activity means that there are generally fewer other opportunities for non-native species to be introduced. Ecotourism is often an early activity in remote areas, including the desire to establish a garden. This can lead to increasing anthropogenic disturbance, opening opportunities for invasive species. Such gardens should therefore focus their efforts on the conservation and display of native species, and many are already doing so.Hulme notes that only ten out of 461 botanic gardens in the USA have endorsed the ‘St Louis Declaration’ and its voluntary Codes of Conduct for alien invasive species (http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/invasives/home.asp). Although it might be true that few gardens have completed formal endorsement, we know that 19 Center for Plant Conservation institutions that are not yet endorsers are nevertheless actively engaged in controlling invasive species at 269 sites across the USA. A positive outcome from the St Louis Declaration is PlantRight in California (http://www.plantright.org), fostering partnerships between gardens, nurseries and much of the entire horticulture value chain. The initiative has resulted in the identification of key invasive species from horticulture throughout California, the finding of safe alternatives and now the potential introduction of invasive-free certification for nurseries.In Europe, the European Botanic Gardens Consortium has established an alien plants initiative to identify emerging problem taxa from within the large and diverse botanic collections in European gardens, to alert collection holders to their potential risk of invasiveness. This initiative, which is especially important in an era of climatic change, fosters vigilance through sharing early recognition of these newly or potentially problematic taxa and ensures responsible, pro-active policies across Europe.In concluding, we believe that botanic gardens are developing a new approach to their collections. We also believe that botanic gardens, because of their past experiences and current knowledge, are key to mitigating the effects of invasive species in the future.

Is there a future for the Cactaceae genera Copiapoa, Eriosyce and Eulychnia? A status report of a prickly situation

Many of Chile’s iconic cactus species are threatened by human activities and global change. In order to safeguard them from extinction, both in situ and ex situ conservation actions are urgently needed. In this paper, an overview is given of the in situ and ex situ conservation status of the mainly Chilean cactus genera Copiapoa, Eriosyce and Eulychnia, including a worldwide survey of living ex situ collections of the species of these genera. From our results, we can conclude that although the threats to Chile’s remarkable biodiversity are now recognized as an environmental problem, and efforts are underway to protect the threatened endemic flora, many of the most threatened species are currently not protected in situ. Although a higher percentage of living accessions of Copiapoa, Eriosyce and Eulychnia in ex situ collections are of known wild origin compared to results of previous studies on other plant groups, the number of available accessions is insufficient to adequately preserve the genetic diversity of the threatened species. Prospects to upscale both in situ and ex situ conservation of the studied genera are discussed.

The contribution of botanic gardens to ex situ conservation through seed banking

Target 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation calls for ‘at least 75 per cent of threatened plant species in ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and at least 20 per cent available for recovery and restoration programmes by 2020’. Botanic gardens make a significant contribution to ex situ conservation of wild species with more than a third of plant species represented in botanic gardens collections. These collections are a combination of living collection and seed banked material. Seed banking can provide an efficient form of conservation for wild plant genetic diversity. Information from Botanic Gardens Conservation Internationals (BGCI) databases (GardenSearch, PlantSearch, ThreatSearch and GlobalTreeSearch) has been analysed as well as survey data to report on global, regional and national seed banking trends. Information from BGCIs databases indicates that there are at least 350 seed banking botanic gardens in 74 countries. In total 56,987 taxa have been banked including more than 9000 taxa that are threatened with extinction. 6881 tree species are stored in ex situ seed bank collections. More than half (3562) of these tree species are single country endemics and represent species from more than 166 countries. This study suggests that institutions are increasingly conserving plant species via seed banking. However the majority of species in collections that have a conservation assessment are not threatened with extinction. This disjunction between species that are threatened and those conserved in seed banks needs to be addressed. Data from BGCIs databases can be used to enable prioritisation of threatened plant species for collection and conservation in seed banks. Further recommendations for botanic gardens involved in seed conservation are presented.

Botanic Gardens Complement Agricultural Gene Bank in Collecting and Conserving Plant Genetic Diversity

Originating in Europe in the 16th century, botanic gardens are found in nearly every country in the world. Botanic gardens have had various roles during this time, including as physic gardens, as adaptation centers for commercial crops, as pleasure gardens, and more recently as conservation institutions. The role of botanic gardens in the conservation of Crop Wild Relatives is becoming increasingly important. At least 6000 taxa related to 68 crop genera are maintained by the worlds botanic gardens with several gardens having specialist collections. The extent of infra-specific genetic diversity of these Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) being conserved is currently unknown, although based on existing evidence it is likely to be low. However, these PGRFA collections, through display and education, play a significant role in linking the public to important issues, including food security and the need to conserve crop diversity. Today there are some 2700 botanic gardens in existence, and they are visited by over 500 million people every year. The majority of these gardens are found in temperate regions. At least 30% of all known plant species are found in botanic garden collections, including 41% of threatened species. These ex situ collections are conserved in a variety of ways, including as seed bank collections. Around 350 botanic gardens together maintain seed collections of 57,000 taxa. These seed bank collections have a variety of uses, including for research and reintroduction.

Plant Conservation and the Sustainable Development Goals: A Policy Paper Prepared for the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation

Abstract The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), with its 16 plant conservation targets, was originally adopted by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2002. It was updated and revised in 2010, with targets set to be achieved by 2020. The GSPCs targets are output oriented, specific, and measurable. They address the conservation needs of wild plants as well as those of cultivated crops, pastures, and forests. Although it is generally acknowledged that greater progress has been made in conserving threatened plants than would have been made without the GSPC, there is a continued lack of mainstreaming plant conservation at the national level and a lack of comprehensive information on which plants are threatened and where. With the GSPC reaching the end of its second phase in 2020, it is important to consider how plant conservation can enhance its visibility and generate support in the future. The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were developed to succeed the Millennium Development Goals and were adopted in 2015 by the international community through the United Nations. It is expected that the SDGs will shape the actions taken by governments in the future. This paper reviews and highlights the contribution that plant conservation can make in achieving the SDGs. The SDG framework provides a helpful point of reference to demonstrate the fundamental importance of plants for the planet, and importantly, if plant conservation is not achieved, then the achievement of these goals is put at risk, suggesting that the integration and mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems, and plant protection in particular, are of fundamental importance to the achievement of sustainability on the planet.

Report on a Workshop Meeting of the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation: On "Plant Conservation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)"

A workshop of the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC) was held on 30 June 2016, organized by the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., and held in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).