Plant Diversity Challenge - Plantlife

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Plant Diversity ChallengeThe importance of plants and fungi in the UKThe range and diversity of habitats across the United Kingdom are home to a widevariety of plant and fungus species (see Table). From the blanket bogs of the FlowCountry to the Serpentine flora of the Lizard, from the famous fritillary meadows ofthe Thames and East Anglia to the Atlantic oak woods of western Britain; and fromimportant fungus areas such as Epping Forest in Essex and Cloughey Dunes inCounty Down, the UK public are seldom far from our fascinating flora. It is a flora,however, that has been heavily influenced by humans.The diversity of fungi and wild plants in the UKGROUP NUMBER OF NATIVE SPECIESAlgae (including stoneworts) c.15,000Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) c.1,000Fungi (including slime moulds) c.12,000Lichens c.1,700Vascular plants (seed plants and ferns) c.2,300When humans arrived in the UK 10,000 years ago, the tundra was still in the processof retreating and the habitats and flora present were very different to those we areused to now. Fairly soon, humans started small-scale grazing and cultivation of landfor growing vegetables and crops. Some species flourished under this new regime,while others struggled to survive. However, in the last 150 years or so, the changingagricultural practices and other land uses have had a dramatic impact on our wildplants. Now nearly 70% of the UK’s land area is actively managed for forestry andagriculture.The challenge is for plants and humans to co-exist in harmony. Ourhistoric interest in gardening and trade in crops amongst other things have led toover 1,000 non-native vascular plant species being introduced and becomingestablished in the UK.PETER WILSON/NATURAL IMAGEPlants provide for all of our needs; fromshelter, as seen here in Dorset, to food,medicine, and clothing.The UK has few endemic species but it is particularly important in an internationalcontext for bryophytes and lichens. About 65% of the known European bryophyteflora occurs in the UK which has a unique blend of northern Atlantic, Mediterraneanand Lusitanian elements.We also hold internationally important plant assemblagessuch as oceanic western and Atlantic alpine communities, and have a responsibility forspecies for which we have a large proportion of the world’s population. For example,between 25-49% of the world’s bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta population is foundin the UK. Furthermore, a number of our flowering plants are growing at the edge oftheir range, some recognised as endemic subspecies. Finally, the UK’s position at thejunction of cold and warm temperate latitudes means that our coastal waters arerich in algal species and two thirds of the UK’s seaweeds are endemic to the Atlanticcoastline.The cultural and ecological interest in the UK flora therefore compensates for therelatively low species number when compared with other European countries.10
The global imperativeThe Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, at its sixthmeeting in 2002, adopted decision VI/9 on the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation,including outcome-oriented targets for 2010. Implementing the Strategy willcontribute to meeting the 2010 target to reduce significantly the rate of biodiversityloss agreed at the World Summit in Johannesburg and the more challenging target tohalt the decline in biodiversity by 2010 agreed by EU countries and the EnvironmentMinisters in the pan-European region.The 16 targets are arranged under fiveobjectives:Plant Diversity Challenge• Objective 1: Understanding and Documenting Plant Diversity• Objective 2: Conserving Plant Diversity• Objective 3: Using Plant Diversity Sustainably• Objective 4: Promoting Education and Awareness about Plant Diversity• Objective 5: Building Capacity for the Conservation of Plant DiversityThe UK responseMany of the actions required under the Global Strategy are already in train in thiscountry (see plant conservation framework in Appendix 2).The most recentplatform for UK plant conservation was established by the UK Plant ConservationStrategy in 1994 as a response to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Currentefforts in the conservation of areas important for plant diversity through Areas/Sitesof Special Scientific Interest and recovery plans and programmes for threatenedplants listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plans have greatly improved the state ofour wild plants.The UK BAP, the Biodiversity Strategies for England, NorthernIreland and Scotland and the Biodiversity Action Plan for Wales now represent thebroad framework against which much of the action to help deliver the GlobalStrategy will take place.We also have a strong institutional framework to help deliver action.We havebotanic gardens of international reputation at Kew and in Edinburgh.We haveexpertise in the country nature conservation agencies and renowned researchcentres at the Natural History Museum and in universities. Moreover, we have astrong history of documenting our plants and fungi both by professional scientistsand by amateur botanists and mycologists through the learned societies.TheGovernment’s Countryside Survey has equally helped to document change in ourhabitats over the past 30 years.This report therefore details more specifically what the targets mean for the UK toclarify the scale and extent of the huge challenge for all of us in implementing thisStrategy – our ‘Plant Diversity Challenge’. Following consultation we have attemptedto capture what we are already doing to help implement the targets and identify anyadditional action that will need to be done.As part of this process we have alsoattempted to make a judgement about priorities.We have therefore categorisedaction as:Like a ‘plant extra’ from The Lord of the Ringsthis ancient oak woodland in Dartmoor is aclassic example of the diversity of life thishabitat supports.BOB GIBBONS/NATURAL IMAGE• Ongoing actions contributing to meeting the target which are already beingimplemented as part of existing work programmes11
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