Plant Diversity Challenge - Plantlife

Objective 1: Understanding and Documenting Plant DiversityTarget 3:Providing methods for plantconservation based on best practiceOngoing actions contributing tomeeting the targetThere are already a very wide range ofongoing actions on this target, and anexhaustive list is not possible. Here, however,are some examples of relevant ongoingactivity:• Integrating in situ and ex situ conservation:action in this area should be developed inconjunction with target 8• Maintaining threatened plants withinecosystems: much information alreadyavailable, further action to be linked withwork on target 7• Balancing sustainable use with conservation:action in this area should be developed inconjunction with target 12• Developing methods for monitoringconservation and sustainable use activities:all of targets 4-13 will need to bemonitored to reveal conservation gain andmethodologies require further development• Developing a prototype informationexchange mechanism for UK biodiversityresearchMedium priority additional work• Developing a central web-based informationsystem which provides thematic lists ofrelevant information sourcesDevelopment of models with protocols for plantconservation and sustainable use, based on research andpractical experience.ScopeResearch is essential to underpin both conservation and sustainable use of plantdiversity. In recent years there has been a huge blossoming of such research, andthere is now much experience in the UK and Europe which can be drawn upon toinform conservation programmes.This target acknowledges that ‘best practice’examples, which draw on existing and new research and practical experience ofmanagement, are needed for plant conservation.Target 3 therefore seeks to providethe impetus for the development of such models, based on sound applied scientificapproaches.This target is cross-cutting, underlying the implementation of many ofthe other targets.Current situationThe technical review of this target undertaken for the CBD provided a series of keyareas in which the development of models with protocols is required.These are: theintegration of in situ and ex situ conservation, maintenance of threatened plantswithin ecosystems, applying the ecosystem approach, balancing sustainable use withconservation, methodologies for setting conservation priorities, and methods formonitoring conservation and sustainable use activities.The UK already possesses aconsiderable number of models in these areas, although the ecosystem approach andsustainable use are relatively new areas of research and need to be furtherdeveloped.The UK Biodiversity Research Advisory Group provides a focal point foridentifying research priorities, co-ordinating research programmes and disseminatingthe results of research.Looking to the futureThe key to achieving this target is ensuring wide dissemination of all the models thatare developed.The development of a single information point listing all the relevantinformation sources would be of great importance.SIMON WILLIAMS/PLANTLIFEUpdated and electronically availablemonitoring techniques will underpin ourconservation efforts.18