The global strategy for plant conservation and UK plant conservation

At the Hague in April 2002, the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation was endorsed, the long-term objective being to halt the continuing loss of plant diversity. Sixteen outcome-oriented targets for plant conservation were set, to be completed by the global community by 2010. The UK is committed to implementing the strategy and Plant Diversity Challenge is its response - the first by any nation.

On 17th February 2004, Elliot Morley MP presented Plant Diversity Challenge. The report was compiled on behalf of the Government by a partnership between the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Plantlife International and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched at the seventh conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In his foreword to the report, Morley comments 'In the UK we have risen to the challenge of the Global Strategy by producing this response within two years. It takes each target in turn and gives an assessment of the existing state of understanding and the action currently underway. But most importantly, it assesses in detail what more needs to be done to meet the targets and whether the action is of high, medium or low priority.'

The report focuses on these challenges e.g. we do not have a complete inventory of the plants of the world, but it is estimated that the total number may be in the order of 300,000 species. Of particular concern is the fact that many are in danger of extinction, threatened by habitat transformation, alien invasive species, pollution and climate change. The disappearance of such vital biodiversity sets one of the greatest challenges for the world community: to halt the destruction of the plant diversity that is so essential to meet the present and future needs of humankind.

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