Target 1: A List of All Plants

A Widely Accessible Working List of Known Plant Species, as a Step Towards a Complete World Flora

A working list of known plant species is considered to be a fundamental requirement for plant conservation.

The target is considered to be attainable by 2010, especially given that is to be a working rather than a definitive list, and it is limited to known organisms (currently about 270,000, which may increase by 10 – 20% by 2010). Some 900,000 scientific names are known for these 270,000 species.

In effect the target will require the compilation and synthesis of existing knowledge, focusing on names and synonyms, and geographical distribution. Both national flora and compilations and international initiatives are important in this respect. The list could be made accessible through the World Wide Web, complemented by CD-ROM and printed versions.

Further work on national and regional floras is necessary to lay the basis for the longer term aim of developing a complete world flora, including local and vernacular names.

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The Internet Directory for Botany
The Internet Directory of Botany is an index to botanical information available on the Internet, compiled by Anthony R. Brach. It started as a personal bookmark list of botanical sites and is now a large resource for the botanical community.

Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Biodiversity and biodiversity information are essential to a sustainable future for society. GBIF is making recorded knowledge about biodiversity available to everyone using the Internet. Anyone with records of biodiversity can send data into GBIF to help build an online image of life on earth.

BioNET
BioNET is an international not-for-profit initiative dedicated to promoting taxonomy. Its Mission is to "contribute to human well-being and biodiversity conservation by building capacity to discover, name, and classify the world's living organisms."

Tips on Using Databases
"If the users can't use it, it doesn't work - If it doesn't work, the users can't use it". If your non-profit has to deal with tech matters but you don't know a great deal about it, you will do well to look at this website. It introduces you to databases and lots of other tech matters, clearly.

Flora of China Online
Efloras brings together electronic floras into an online interface. Users can browse online floristic treatments by volume, family, and genus, and can search by name, distributional data, and text. With the use of web forms, editors and authors with permissions can correct and update the data.

Australian Botanical Databases
The Australian National Botanical Gardens and the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research have compiled lists of databases relating to Australasian flora. The site is also rich with information about plants of Australia, including photographs and horticulture, and about botanic gardens in the area.

Grasses Database
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has made available their comprehensive databases on grass species and synonymy.
 

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14th November 2006
Principles of Conservation Biology (Gary Meffe et al, 2004)
This is the most comprehensive textbook on conservation biology, and is for the use of practioners, researchers, teachers and students alike. It introduces the major themes and concepts of the diverse and dynamic field of conservation biology, including its social and biological aspects.
Taxonomy and Plant Conservation
BGCI's Etelka Leadlay tells how good taxonomy is essential to successful plant conservation. This book is a key guide to anyone working in this field.
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