Plant Conservation Report 2014: A review of progress in implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation 2011-2020

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It is impossible to overstate the importance of plants in the life of our planet. The process of photosynthesis is the fundamental way in which the energy of the sun is harnessed. Food and fossil fuels are just two of the benefits flowing to us from photosynthesis. From within the huge diversity of wild plants, estimated to number around 400,000 species, we have selected and domesticated only a small percentage. Just three crops: maize, rice and wheat provide 40% of the calories we consume. Thousands more are harvested from the wild to meet demand for food, fibres, medicines and other products from nature. But the bounty of plants goes far beyond commodities: the water cycle, carbon cycle and countless other processes in nature depend upon the rich diversity of vegetation. Without plants maintaining and renewing the biosphere, there would be no place in it for us. <br> Why then do we neglect the Earth’s green inheritance, allowing old growth forests to be converted to mere plantations, permitting once common species to become rare and driving others into extinction? Perhaps, in a world of 7 billion people, where more than half of us live in cities, we have simply forgotten how the world works. <br> This timely report on the status of the world’s wild plants comes as an urgent reminder of their significance and role in nature. It makes no claim of being encyclopaedic, but presents a snapshot of the current state of affairs in a rapidly changing world. What it shows is that there is much to be concerned about, but also that we have much to celebrate. Our planet is still home to large tracts of forest and grasslands with many of its most outstanding wild places benefitting from designation as biosphere reserves or other kinds of protected area. Our exploration of nature remains incomplete, we continue to discover new plants, some with direct value to us, and all with a part to play in the web of life. Yet, in too many places, even protected areas are threatened by development or the illegal exploitation of natural resources. Climate change adds enormously to such challenges and, with food security and poverty alleviation, is a defining issue our times. By locking away carbon, creating carbohydrates, liberating oxygen and sustaining life, plants are a vital part of the solution to all of these great challenges. As the report highlights, there are many inspiring examples of plant conservation and ecological restoration from which we can learn. <br> Today, we continue to lose plant diversity with almost casual disregard. We cannot afford to watch from the sidelines. To create the more equal and sustainable world envisaged in the post-2105 development agenda and the 2050 vision of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 requires us to invest in securing continuity in the silent work of plants. We do know how to do this. We commend the authors of this report on their skill and expertise in compiling it and hope that by reminding us why we call environmental issues “green” they secure a more active commitment to plants. <br>

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Reference Code: U14SHA01IDUS <br>

Full Citation: Sharrock, S., Oldfield, S. and Wilson, O. (2014). Plant Conservation Report 2014: A review of progress in implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation 2011-2020. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montréal, Canada and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Richmond, UK. Technical Series No. 81, 56 pages. <br>

Location: ELECTRONIC FILE - BOTANY: OTHER <br>

Keywords: plant, conservation, biological diversity <br>