Recommendations for a Global Strategy for Plant Conservation

Volume 3 Number 8 - June 2002

Peter Wyse Jackson

The Conference of the Parties:

Recognizing that plant diversity is a common concern of humankind, and an essential resource for the planet,

Concerned that as many as two thirds of the world's plant species may be in danger of extinction in nature during the course of the twenty first century, and that this threatens humankind's expectation of using plant diversity to build sustainable, healthy and better lives for the future,

Taking note of the proposal contained in the Gran Canaria Declaration (UNEP/CBD/COP/5/INF/32), calling for the development of a Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, as well as the resolution of the XVI International Botanical Congress, held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America, in August 1999, and taking into account the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation, the Global Invasive Species Programme, and the Plants Programme of the IUCN Species Survival Commission,

Recognizes that the Convention on Biological Diversity is a leading international convention for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and further recognizes the cross-cutting nature of plant conservation;

Recognizes also the important role of other existing initiatives, in particular the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and is aware of current efforts to revise the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations;

Decides to consider, at its sixth meeting, the establishment of a Global Strategy for Plant Conservation;

Requests the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice to make recommendations to the Conference of the Parties, for consideration at its sixth meeting, regarding the development of a Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, which would be aimed at halting the current and continuing unacceptable loss of plant diversity;

In order to better enable the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice to carry out this task, requests the Executive Secretary to solicit the views of Parties, and to liaise with relevant organizations, including, inter alia, the Global Plan of Action of the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Man and the Biosphere Programme of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, in order to gather information regarding plant conservation, including information on existing international initiatives. This information is to be reported to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, together with advice on the relationship between plant conservation and the thematic work programmes.

SBSTTA Recommendation VII/8 on a Global Strategy for Plant Conservation

The Subsidiary Body for Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice,

Recalling its decision V/10 (of the 6th Conference of the Parties of the CBD – Nairobi, 2000),
Noting the call from the XVIth International Botanical Congress, in August 1999, for plant conservation to be recognized as an outstanding global priority in biodiversity conservation,
Further noting that the Gran Canaria Declaration of April 2000 called for the development of a Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the support for such a strategy by the second IUCN World Conservation Congress, in September 2000,
Recognizing ongoing international initiatives that contribute to plant conservation, such as the FAO Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Strategic Plan and work of the Plants Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme, the International Agenda for Botanical Gardens in Conservation, the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Plant Conservation Programme, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP), activities of the International Association of Botanic Gardens; and the WWF/UNESCO people and plants initiative,
Recognizing also that the thematic and cross-cutting programmes of work of the Convention contain elements aimed at plant conservation,
Noting the importance of national actions, in accordance with national priorities, to the achievement of plant conservation, and the urgent need to strengthen national capacities,
Recognizing regional initiatives such as the European Plant Conservation Strategy developed by the Council of Europe and Planta Europa as valuable contributions to global plant conservation,

1. Recommends that the Conference of the Parties, at its sixth meeting:

(a) Consider for adoption a global strategy for plant conservation, which should include outcome-oriented global targets for 2010, developed on the basis of the proposals in Annex 1 and taking into account the results of the inter-sessional work described in paragraph 2, 3 and 4;

(b) Invite relevant international organizations to adopt these targets, in order to promote a common effort towards halting the loss of plant diversity;

(c) Note that the targets provide a flexible framework within which national and/or regional targets may be developed, according to national priorities and capacities taking into account differences in plant diversity between countries;

(d) Invite Parties and Governments to develop national and/or regional targets, and, as appropriate, to incorporate them into relevant plans, programmes and initiatives, including national biodiversity strategies and action plans;

(e) Emphasize the need for capacity building, particularly in developing countries, small island states, and countries with economies in transition, in order to enable them to implement the strategy;

(f) Consider the need to ensure financial support, for country driven activities and capacity building for the implementation of the strategy;

(g) Review, at its eighth and tenth meetings, the progress made in reaching the global targets, and provide additional guidance in light of those reviews;

(h) Consider the global strategy for plant conservation as a pilot approach for the use of outcome targets under the Convention within the context of the Strategic Plan and, also consider the wider application of this approach to other areas under the Convention, including other taxonomic groups;

(i) Request the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice:

To take the targets into consideration in its periodic reviews of the thematic and cross-cutting programmes of work of the Convention;
To develop ways and means, within the Convention’s thematic and cross-cutting programmes of work, for promoting implementation of the global strategy for plant conservation, and for monitoring and assessing progress; and to report to the Conference of the Parties at its seventh meeting;
Welcome the contribution of the “Gran Canaria Group” in developing this strategy, and invite the organizations involved, and other relevant organizations, in collaboration with the Executive Secretary, to contribute to the further development, implementation and monitoring of the strategy.

[Inter-sessional work]:

In preparation for consideration of the draft strategy by the Conference of the Parties at its sixth meeting,

2. Requests the Executive Secretary, with the support of technical experts, in consultation with participants of the ongoing international initiatives referred to in the fourth preambular paragraph above and on the basis of advice from Parties, to refine the quantitative elements of the targets in the draft strategy providing a scientific and technical rationale in each case, and clarifying terms as necessary;

3. Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare an analysis of the opportunities for implementation of the strategy through the thematic and cross-cutting programmes of work of the Convention, including in particular the Ecosystem Approach and the Global Taxonomy Initiative, as well as through existing relevant international, regional and national initiatives, and of any gaps in these programmes and initiatives;

4. Invites Parties, Governments and relevant organizations to provide information to the Executive Secretary on relevant international, regional and national initiatives.

Annex 1: Gran Canaria Declaration Participants

Stephen Blackmore, Director, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, Scotland
David Bramwell, Director, Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Peter Crane, Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, U.K.
Braulio Dias, Director, National Programme for Biodiversity Conservation and Genetic Resources, Brasilia, Brazil
David Given, Chair, IUCN/SSC Plant Conservation Committee, IUCN Species Survival Commission, and Manager, Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Toby Hodgkin, Principal Scientist, Genetic Resources Science and Technology Group, International Plant Genetics Resources Institute, Rome, Italy
Angela Leiva, Director, Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba, La Habana, Cuba
Nancy R. Morin, Chair, Conservation Committee, American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta, and Director, Flagstaff Arboretum, Arizona, U.S.A.
P. Pushpangadan, Director, National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India
Peter H. Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
Cristián Samper, Director General, Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Bogota, Colombia
Jose Sarukhan, Chairman, DIVERSITAS and Professor, Institute of Ecology, National Museum of Mexico, UNAM, Mexico
Jameson Seyani, Director, National Botanic Gardens and National Herbarium, Zomba, Malawi, and Commonwealth Science Council, London, U.K.
Stella Simiyu, Chair, East African Plants Specialist Group, IUCN Species Survival Commission, and National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
Igor A. Smirnov, Chair, Moscow Division of Botanic Gardens Conservation, International, and Moscow Main Botanical Garden, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Peter Wyse Jackson, Secretary General, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, U.K.

Annex 2: Participants in the 1st GSPC Informal Consultation

Salvatore Arico, Programme Officer, Biodiversity, Division of Ecological Sciences, UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris, Cedex 15, France
Peter Bridgewater, Director, Division of Ecological Sciences, UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris, Cedex 15, France
Margarita Clemente Muñoz, Chair, Plants Committee-CITES, Avda De Linneo, 14004 Cordoba, Spain
Linda Collette, Sustainable Development Department, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy
David Cooper, Programme Officer, Scientific Technical and Technological Matters, Secretariat, Convention on Biological Diversity, 393 St Jacques, Suite 300, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9
Braulio Dias, Gran Canaria Group, Director for National Biodiversity Conservation and Genetic Resources Programmes, Brazil
David Given, Chair, IUCN/SSC Plant Conservation Committee, Manager, Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Alan Hamilton, WWF, Panda House, Weyside Park, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1XR, UK
Esteban Hernandez Bermejo, Secretary General, International Association of Botanic Gardens, Avda de Linneo, s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain
Alexander Heydendael, Senior Officer, Scientific Technical and Technological Matters, Secretariat, Convention on Biological Diversity, 393 St Jacques, Suite 300, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9
Jo Mulongoy, Principal Officer, Scientific Technical and Technological Matters, Secretariat, Convention on Biological Diversity, 393 St Jacques, Suite 300, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9
Cristián Samper, Director General, Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Bogota, Colombia
Jane Smart, Executive Director, Planta Europa, Plantlife 21, Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RP, UK
Wendy Strahm, IUCN Plants Officer, Species Survival Programme, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
Erie Tamale, WWF International, 27 Avenue du Mont- Blanc, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
Peter Wyse Jackson, Secretary General, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Descanso House, 199 Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3BW, UK

Annex 3: Participants in the 2nd GSPC Informal Consultation
Murthi Anishetty, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Sustainable Development Department, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy
Salvatore Arico, Programme Officer, Biodiversity, Division of Ecological Sciences, UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris, Cedex 15, France
David Bramwell, Director, Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Margarita Clemente Muñoz, Chair, Plants Committee-CITES, Avda De Linneo, 14004 Córdoba, Spain
David Cooper, Programme Officer, Scientific Technical and Technological Matters, Secretariat, Convention on Biological Diversity, 393 St Jacques, Suite 300, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9
Peter Crane, Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, U.K.
Braulio Dias, Director for National Biodiversity Conservation and Genetic Resources Programmes, Ministerio do Meio Ambiente, Esplanada dos Ministerios B1. B7o andar gabinete, 700068-901 Brasilia, DF BRASIL
Kingsley Dixon, President, Australian Network for Plant Conservation, Kings Park and Botanic Gardens, West Perth, WA 6005, Australia
David Galbraith, Head, Canadian Botanical Conservation Network, Royal Botanical Gardens, PO Box 399, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3H8, Canada
David Given, Chair, IUCN/SSC Plant Conservation Committee, Manager, Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Alan Hamilton, WWF, Panda House, Weyside Park, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1XR, UK
Esteban Hernandez Bermejo, Secretary General, International Association of Botanic Gardens, Avda de Linneo, s/n, 14004, Córdoba, Spain
Toby Hodgkin, International Plant Genetic Inst (IPGRI), Via dei Tre Denari 472/a, 00057 Maccarese (Fiumicino), Roma, Italy
Brian Huntley, Chief Executive, National Botanical Institute, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Rhodes Drive, Cape Town, Private Bag X7, Claremont 7735, South Africa
Tim Johnson, UNEP – WCMC, 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL, U.K.
Frank Klingenstein, Botanischer Garten der Universitat Bonn, Meckenheimer-Allee 170, D-53115 BONN, Germany
John Kress, Head Botany Department, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. 20560-0166, U.S.A.
Nancy Morin, Flagstaff Arboretum, 4001 S Woody Mountain Road, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, U.S.A.
Cristián Samper K., Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 2072, Balboa, Panama
Setijati Sastrapradja, Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation, Godrung Patra Jas 2nd Floor, 2nd Floor, Room IIE1, JI. Jend. Gatot Subroto Kav 32-34, Jakarta 12950, Indonesia
Jameson Seyani, Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1 5HX, U.K.
Stella Simiyu, National Museums of Kenya, PO Box 30158, Nairobi, Kenya
Jane Smart, Executive Director, Planta Europa, Plantlife 21, Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RP, U.K.
Wendy Strahm, Plants Programme, IUCN – The World Conservation Union, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
Kerry ten Kate, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AB, U.K.
Peter Wyse Jackson, Secretary General, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Descanso House, 199 Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3BW, UK
BGCI staff who attended as observers/rapporteurs were Barbara Bridge, Fiona Dennis and Lucy Sutherland.

Annex 4: Participants in the GSPC Technical Experts Meeting.

Stephen Blackmore, Director, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Scotland EH3 5LR, U.K.
David Bramwell, Director, Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Asunción Cano Echevarria, Museo de Historia Natural (UNMSM), Av. Arenales 1256, Apartado 14-0434, Lima 14, Peru
Margarita Clemente Muñoz, Jardín Botánico de Córboda, Avda. de Linneo s/n, Córdoba, Spain
David Cooper, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100, Rome, Italy
Dedy Darnaedi, Director, Botanic Gardens of Indonesia, Kebun Raya Bogor, Indonesia
Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Director, Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Esplanada dos Ministerios, Bloco B, Sala 704, Brasilia DF70068-900, Brazil
Michelle Gauthier, Secretariat, Convention on Biological Diversity, 393 St Jacques, Suite 300, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9
David Given, Chair, IUCN/SSC Plant Conservation Committee, Manager, Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Alan Hamilton, WWF, Panda House, Weyside Park, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1XR, U.K.
J. Esteban Hernandez Bermejo, Jardín Botánico de Córdoba, E-14004 Córdoba, Spain
Toby Hodgkin, IPGRI, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Via dei Tre Denari 472/9, I-00057 Maccares, Italy
Monica Morães, Instituto de Biologia, Herbario Nacional de Bolivia, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Casilla 10077 – Correo Central, Campus Unversitario, C/27 COTA COTA, Bolivia
Jan Plesnik, Chair, SBSTTA and Ministry of the Environment, The Czech Republic
P. Pushpangadan, Director, National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226 001, Uttar Pradesh, India
Dalia Salabarria Fernandez, Head of Department on Environmental Management, Environmental Information, Management and Education Centre, Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente, Calle 20 #4107 esq. 18A Playa, Habana, Cuba
Cristián Samper, Director, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 2072, Balboa, Panama
Frank Ralf Schumacher, Institute of Botany – University of Vienna, Stubenbastei 5, A-1010 Vienna, Austria
Stella Wattimah Simiyu, Research Officer, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 45166, Nairobi, Kenya
Jane Smart, 21 Elizabeth St., London, U.K.
Wendy Strahm, Plants Officer, IUCN (The World Conservation Union), rue Mauverney 28, CH-1299 Gland, Switzerland
Christopher K. Willis, National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X101, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
Peter Wyse Jackson, Secretary General, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), Descanso House, 199 Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3BW, U.K.
Nelson Zamora Villalobos, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Apdo. Postal 22-3100, Santo Domingo, Heredia, Costa Rica

The GSPC - A Plan to Save the World's Plant Species

Working through a unique partnership of international and national organisations, Parties, other Governments and NGOs, the 'Convention on Biological Diversity' has developed a "Global Strategy for Plant Conservation". Botanic gardens are getting involved and BGCI is a key player in the partnership.