(B) Conserving Plant Diversity

Targets in this theme are:

(viii) 60 per cent of threatened plant species in accessible ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and 10 per cent of them included in recovery and restoration programmes;

(ix) 70 per cent of the genetic diversity of crops and other major socioeconomically valuable plant species conserved, and associated indigenous and local knowledge maintained;

(x) Management plans in place for at least 100 major alien species that threaten plants, plant communities and associated habitats and ecosystems;

Find Out More

Plantlife International's Information on Non-native invasive plants
This site has a good explanation of invasive species and the problems they cause, and has examples of legislation that tackles this problem, and some problem species, mainly from the UK.

International Centre for Underutilised Crops
The mission of the ICUC is to promote the use of underutilised crops for the benefit of humankind and the environment. ICUC provides expertise for tropical, sub-tropical and temperate crop development, in close collaboration with partners in 19 countries in Asia and Africa.

The Global Crop Diversity Trust
An increasingly unpredictable and changing climate, and a world population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, will place unprecedented demands on agriculture. Our mission is to ensure the conservation and availability of crop diversity for food security worldwide.

IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List site includes searchable databases, image galleries, press releases and case studies of conservation successes.

Global Trees Campaign
The Global Trees Campaign was established seven years ago to save the world's most extremely threatened trees and the habitats where they grow. Many of these trees are down to just a few individuals surviving. There are ways for everyone to get involved. Learn more on the GTC website.

Millennium Seed Bank Project
The Millennium Seed Bank Project is an international collaborative plant conservation initiative. This worldwide effort aims to safeguard 24,000 plant species from around the globe against extinction. It has already successfully secured the future of virtually all the UK's native flowering plants.

Cycads: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan

Many of the 297 species and sub-species dealt with in this Action Plan are threatened by habitat destruction and plant collecting, and more than half the known cycads are classified as threatened. This publication is a working document, and provides an overview of all the cycads and their threats.

The Ex Situ Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources (Hawkes et al, 2000)

Valuable reading for professional plant conservationists and postgraduate students of plant genetics, conservation and cell biology.

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