scholarly journals Towards a working list of all known plant species

2004 ◽  
Vol 359 (1444) ◽  
pp. 681-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eimear Nic Lughadha

A complete listing of the world's known plant species has long been considered desirable but has remained an elusive target for generations of botanists. The adoption of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation has reinforced the urgent need for a global plant checklist to support, facilitate and monitor the conservation and sustainable use of plant diversity worldwide. The increasing availability of large databases of biological information over the Internet has demonstrated that many of the obstacles to the collation and dissemination of vast, shared datasets can be overcome. We examine the challenges that still remain to be addressed if the botanical community is to achieve its ambitious objective of delivering a working list of all known plant species by 2010.

Check List ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gh. Hassan Dar ◽  
Akhtar H. Malik ◽  
Anzar A. Khuroo

The current paper provides a taxonomic inventory of the vascular plant species collected by the authors during the last two decades from the Rajouri and Poonch districts, located along the Pir Panjal range in the Indian Himalayan State of Jammu and Kashmir. The inventory records a total of 352 species, which belong to 270 genera in 83 families. Of the total taxa, the angiosperms are represented by 331 species in 253 genera and 77 families; gymnosperms by 12 species in 9 genera and 3 families; and pteridophytes by 9 species in 7 genera and 3 families. Asteraceae is the largest family, contributing 42 species; while Artemisia is the largest genus, with 5 species. The inventory is expected to provide baseline scientific data for further studies on plant diversity in these two border districts, and can be used to facilitate the long-term conservation and sustainable use of plant resources in this Himalayan region.


Author(s):  
David Rae

The background to, and development of, the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation is described and the agreed global targets for 2010 are listed. The 16 targets are arranged in five groups as follows: understanding and documenting plant diversity, conserving plant diversity, using plant diversity sustainability, promoting education and awareness about plant diversity and building capacity for the conservation of plant diversity


Author(s):  
Paul Smith

Botanic gardens and arboreta offer the opportunity to conserve and manage a wide range of plant diversity ex situ, and in situ in the broader landscape. The rationale that botanic gardens have a major role to play in preventing plant species extinctions is based on the assumptions that (1) there is no technical reason why any plant species should become extinct, and (2) that, as a professional community, botanic gardens possess a unique set of skills that encompass finding, identifying, collecting, conserving and growing plant diversity across the entire taxonomic spectrum. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is the pivotal centre of a global network of c. 2,600 botanic gardens and arboreta, which includes living collections representing at least one-third of known plant diversity; world class seed banks, glasshouses and tissue culture infrastructures; and technical knowledge networks covering all aspects of plant conservation. Following the example of the crop conservation community, BGCI is promoting the concept of a cost-effective, rational,botanic garden-centred Global System for the conservation and management of plant diversity.This system will aim to collect, conserve, characterise and cultivate samples from all of the world’s rare and threatened plants as an insurance policy against their extinction in the wild and as a source of plant material for human innovation, adaptation and resilience.


Rodriguésia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 1603-1612
Author(s):  
Tania Maria Cerati

Abstract Engage, educate and raise public awareness of the importance of plant diversity is the means through which plant conservation can be achieved. The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) is a programme to halt the loss of plant diversity and recognize botanical gardens as a partners. This paper investigates the implementation of targets 14 and 15 GSPC in Brazilian botanic gardens specially in education and awareness about plant diversity and trained people. A survey was carried out on the institutional websites of 21 gardens registered in the National System of Botanical Gardens Registration to identify actions that follow the guidelines of these two targets. Websites outdated, difficult access and lack online resources for the public shows us that internet tools are poorly used to divulgation. The target 14's activities performed in most gardens are educational visits and environmental interpretation and explore collections in situ and ex situ from representative species of regional flora. Trained people is held in all gardens but some stand out as important research centers and graduate programs. Despite the efforts Brazilian botanical gardens need improve the public communication and develop strategies to measure the targets progress.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2371
Author(s):  
Elinor Breman ◽  
Daniel Ballesteros ◽  
Elena Castillo-Lorenzo ◽  
Christopher Cockel ◽  
John Dickie ◽  
...  

There is a pressing need to conserve plant diversity to prevent extinctions and to enable sustainable use of plant material by current and future generations. Here, we review the contribution that living collections and seed banks based in botanic gardens around the world make to wild plant conservation and to tackling global challenges. We focus in particular on the work of Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Millennium Seed Bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with its associated global Partnership. The advantages and limitations of conservation of plant diversity as both living material and seed collections are reviewed, and the need for additional research and conservation measures, such as cryopreservation, to enable the long-term conservation of ‘exceptional species’ is discussed. We highlight the importance of networks and sharing access to data and plant material. The skill sets found within botanic gardens and seed banks complement each other and enable the development of integrated conservation (linking in situ and ex situ efforts). Using a number of case studies we demonstrate how botanic gardens and seed banks support integrated conservation and research for agriculture and food security, restoration and reforestation, as well as supporting local livelihoods.


Rodriguésia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 1539-1546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno R. Ribeiro ◽  
Eline Martins ◽  
Gustavo Martinelli ◽  
Rafael Loyola

Abstract Brazil is signatory of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which provides guidelines and directions to existing national policies. This strategy aims to halt the continuing loss of plant diversity through the achievement of 16 outcome-based targets set for 2020. One of these targets (target 7) states that at least 75% of known threatened plant species should be preserved in situ. Here, we assessed the effectiveness of the Brazilian current network of protected areas (PAs) and indigenous lands (ILs) in representing all known threatened plant species. We found that the number of species represented inside PAs and ILs varied according to data type. When using occurrence records, we found that 699 (33%) threatened plant species lie completely outside PAs (and/or ILs) and that 1,405 species (67%) have at least one record inside at least one PA (and/or IL). The number of species unrepresented decreased when we considered polygons of distribution. In this case, only 219 (10%) are supposedly unprotected. Although Brazil is almost reaching GSPC Target 7 in terms of absolute numbers, the government still needs to allocate resources for properly managing and improving the conservation status of its imperiled flora and expand the network of PAs.


Oryx ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 464-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Rivière ◽  
J. V. Müller

AbstractTo meet the international biodiversity targets of the 2011–2020 Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, it is important to assess the success of coordinated ex situ plant conservation initiatives such as the European Native Seed Conservation Network (ENSCONET), which operated during 2005–2009, and the ENSCONET Consortium, which was established in 2010. In particular, analysis of the ENSCONET database (ENSCOBASE) indicates that ex situ seed banks have been making significant progress towards meeting targets 8 (at least 75% of threatened plant species in ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and at least 20% available for recovery and restoration programmes) and 9 (70% of the genetic diversity of crops, including their wild relatives and other socio-economically valuable plant species, conserved, while respecting, preserving and maintaining associated indigenous and local knowledge) for native European species. However, the infraspecific diversity of threatened species stored in ENSCONET seed banks needs to be increased to meet research and conservation objectives.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. V. Gallagher ◽  
S. Allen ◽  
M. C. Rivers ◽  
A. P. Allen ◽  
N. Butt ◽  
...  

SUMMARYThe Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) ambitiously calls for an assessment of extinction risk for all recognised plant taxa by 20201. It is now clear that this target will not be met in the short-term; only 21-26% of known plant species have been assessed2 – a monumental shortfall in anticipated knowledge. Yet the need for risk assessments has never been more urgent. Plants are rapidly going extinct3,4 and face threats such as climate change5 and permanent deforestation6. Extinction risk assessments continue to provide the critical foundation to inform protection, management and recovery of plant species7,8, the loss of which will have clear consequences for maintaining planetary systems and human well-being9. Here, we rank countries of the world based on progress towards assessing the extinction risk to their endemic flora. Overall, 67% of country-based endemic species do not have an extinction risk assessment completed (143,294 species). We show that some of the world’s wealthiest nations, which also have relatively strong species protections, are failing to protect their unique flora by not systematically assessing risks to their endemic species.


Rodriguésia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 1529-1537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eline Martins ◽  
Gustavo Martinelli ◽  
Rafael Loyola

Abstract Brazil houses nearly 36,400 native terrestrial plant species. The country is a signatory of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) and has to develop tools to achieve GSPC targets. Target 2 states that countries must undertake risk assessments of its entire known plant species by 2020. Here, we offer a panorama on how far has Brazil gone towards achieving this target. We compiled data on all risk assessments for plant species ever made in the country and produced the first synthesis of results with respect to these assessments. We found that the Brazilian Red List Authority for plants has assessed the extinction risk of 5,646 species so far, which corresponds to 15.5% of all known flora in Brazil. Among these species, 2,738 (48%) are currently threatened. Those species are distributed across all Brazilian Biomes and states. Families with the highest number of threatened species are Asteraceae and Bromeliaceae. We conclude that Brazil is far from achieving GSPC target 2 by 2020. However, given the enormous flora of the country and the huge amount of effort and resources put into this particular task, Brazil is following a good path towards a reliable assessment of it entire flora.


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