Securing a future for China's plant biodiversity through an integrated conservation approach

The severely threatened Chinese flora urgently needs a new, well adapted to China and properly formulated conservation strategy. The present review provides a detailed conservation methodology that complements previously described guidelines for preservation of plant species with extremely small populations(PSESP) in China. This review adds to the above concept in several aspects, making it relevant to all threatened Chinese plant species. The proposed integral conservation strategy has the following crucial components:-ecoregional basis for conservation planning and implementation;-a unified scoring system that is used in regional systematic planning for reserve design,monitoring and assessment of efficiency of a reserve network, and creation of seed banks and living collections;-a focus on population demography and the presence of naturally occurring regeneration as the key criteria for defining the conservation status of a species and the appropriate major focus of the species recovery plan;-creation of multi-species living collections that preserve species genetic variation and provide material for in situ actions;-experimental translocation of threatened species into multiple locations within and outside their known range.Adopting and implementing these strategies successfully and more fully in China requires that the country changes PA legislation and improves PA management, the National Science Foundation of China(NSFC) re-prioritizes the type of research that receives research funds, and local scientists improve their approach toward information sharing.

Plant conservation in the Anthropocene-Challenges and future prospects

Despite the massive efforts that have been made to conserve plant diversity across the world during the past few decades, it is becoming increasingly evident that our current strategies are not sufficiently effective to prevent the continuing decline in biodiversity. As a recent report by the CBD indicates,current progress and commitments are insufficient to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by 2020.Threatened species lists continue to grow while the world's governments fail to meet biodiversity conservation goals. Clearly, we are failing in our attempts to conserve biodiversity on a sufficient scale.The reasons for this situation are complex, including scientific, technical, sociological, economic and political factors. The conservation community is divided about how to respond. Some believe that saving all existing biodiversity is still an achievable goal. On the other hand, there are those who believe that we need to accept that biodiversity will inevitably continue to be lost, despite all our conservation actions and that we must focus on what to save, why and where. It has also been suggested that we need a new approach to conservation in the face of the challenges posed by the Anthropocene biosphere which we now inhabit. Whatever view one holds on the above issues, it is dear that we need to review the effectiveness of our current conservation strategies, identify the limiting factors that are preventing the Aichi goals being met and at the same time take whatever steps are necessary to make our conservation protocols more explicit, operational and efficient so as to achieve the maximum conservation effect. This paper addresses the key issues that underlie our failure to meet agreed targets and discusses the necessary changes to our conservation approaches. While we can justifiably be proud of our many achievements and successes in plant conservation in the past 30 years, which have helped slow the rate of loss, unless we devise a more coherent, consistent and integrated global strategy in which both the effectiveness and limitations of our current policies, action plans and procedures are recognized, and reflect this in national strategies, and then embark on a much bolder and ambitious set of actions,progress will be limited and plant diversity will continue to decline.

Plant conservation in Australia:Current directions and future challenges

Australia is a large, old and flat island continent that became isolated following the breakup of the Gondwanan super continent. After more than 40-50 M years of independent evolution, approx. 600,000-700,000 species now call Australia home. More than 21,000 of these species are plants, with at least84% of these being endemic. Plant taxa are protected, conserved and managed under a range of legislation at the State-and Territory-level as well as Federally for matters of national significance. This can create issues of misalignment among threatened species lists but generally there is co-operation among conservation agencies to reduce misalignments and to manage species irrespective of jurisdictional borders. Despite significant investment in programs designed to assist the recovery of Australian biodiversity, threatened plants in particular appear to be continuing to decline. This can be attributed to a range of factors including major threatening processes associated with habitat loss and invasive species,lack of public awareness of the cultural and socio-economic value of plant conservation, and our relatively poor understanding of basic species taxonomy and biology, especially for those species that have specific interactions with pollinators, symbionts and herbivores. A recent shift in Federally-based conservation programs has been to identify 30 key plant species for recovery through the setting of measurable targets, improving the support provided to recovery teams and encouraging industry,business and philanthropy to support conservation actions.

Conserving our global botanical heritage:The PSESP plant conservation program

It is a fundamental truth of ecology that most species are rare.And this rarity extends beyondmeasures of abundance to geographic distribution.In a global context,very few species are truly abundant,and most are more or less restricted geographically.In the world of plants,where there are several hundred thousand species,the number of species with especially small population sizes and small fragmentary ranges is extremely large.One recent assessment,the most exhaustive undertaken so far,based on 200 million observations taken from herbarium records,ecological surveys and other sources,suggests that of the more than 400,000 species of land plants,ca.36%are“exceedingly rare”(Enquist et al.,2019).

Floristic Characteristics of the Rare and Endangered Plants and the Conservation Countermeasures in Tibet, China

The floristic elements and the geographical distribution are analyzed in thispaper based on statistics of elements of rare and endangered plants in Tibet. The results have beengained as following: (1) According to 'the National Important Wild Conservative Plants List (List1)' and 'the National Important Wild Conservative Plants List (List 1)', there are a total of 54plant species (48 genera and 33 families); (2) The geographical elements are very complicated inTibet with 12 of 15 distribution patterns of genera classified by academician Wu; (3) There areobvious temperate genera with 28 genera accounting for 60. 4% of the total genera; (4) There areabundant endemic species accounting for 18. 52% of total species but poor endemic genera; (5) Thegeographical distribution is uneven and a great of species distribute in the areas between 1 000 mand 3 500 m above sea level; (6) To protect the rare and endangered plants efficiently, sixconservation measures are proposed, and 35 species are suggested for the conservative plants of theautonomous conservation level.

In-situ Protection Management and Conservation Study of Some Medicinal Plants

In-situ study on eleven commercially important species viz; Adiantum capillus-veneris L, Bergenia ciliata (Haw) Sternb, Colchicum luteum Baker, Polygonum amplexicaule D.Den, Cuminum cyminum L, Dioscorea deltoidea Wall Kunth,L Morchella esculenta L, Paeonia emodi Wall ex H Kf, Podophyllum hexandrum (Royle) Chatt & Mukh, Valeriana wallichii DC and Viola serpens Wall ex Roxb was conducted in four locations viz; Malam (1 400 to 2 000?m),Bargin (1 700 to 2 300?m),Biakand (1 500 to 2 100?m) and Shinko (2 100 to 2 700?m).The data was recorded from both protected and unprotected sites of each site.Each site had 3 altitudinal sampling point.The density, herbage coverage and fresh biomass were determined in each locations for every species.All the investigated parameters generally showed an increase of 3 to 6 times over unprotected sites in each locations. Morchella esculenta,Dioscorea deltoidea,Colchicum luteum and Podophyllum hexandrum were absent in all unprotected sites while other species had low values in these sites.The investigated parameters of Colchicum luteum,Bergenia ciliata,Paeonioa emodi,Dioscorea deltoidea and Podophyllum hexandrum generally increased with the increasing elevation.Soil analysis,soil and air temperatures were recorded for each site.The air and soil temperature were slightly higher in open areas than in the protected site and showed decrease with increasing elevation.While the soil fertility was relatively high in protected sites as compared to unprotected area.The study shows that protection promotes the growth, distribution and occurrence of medicinal plants.It is possible with the participation of local communities to conserve these resources.

Traditional knowledge, use and conservation of plants by the communities of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya

Rural communities in Kenya largely depend on plant resources for their livelihood.The utilization of these resources depends on the availability of plant resources and the level of knowledge of the residents.We conducted an ethnobotanical study in Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya to determine the knowledge and utilization of various plant species by the local communities.The study was conducted in four major administrative regions from June 2018 to February 2019,involving interview schedules using semi-structured open-ended questionnaires and guided field collections with 48 informants.A total of 214 plant species distributed in 73 families and 169 genera with 616 Use Reports(URs)were documented.Fabaceae was the highest family cited by the informants(31 species)followed by Lamiaceae and Euphorbiaceae(each with 11 species).Trees(49%)and shrubs(32%)were the top life forms of the plants frequently utilized by the local residents.The general plant uses reported were medicinal,food,fodder,construction,fuel,pesticidal,religious,live fencing,and making crafts.Zanthoxylum gilletii,Prunus africana,and Solanum incanum were found to be highly valued by the local communities.Plant utilization as food and medicinal uses against snake-bite related problems had the highest Informant Consensus Factor(ICF).Only 29(13.6%)of the species reported had their status assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN).Conservation measures,alongside awareness creation in this region,are highly recommended for the species endemic to the region,highly depended on by the community,and those threatened according to IUCN standards.

Diversity of Tropical Plant Resources in Yunnan Province and Its Conservation

Tropical regions in Yunnan Province are endowed with abundant biodiversity resources, and the number and application range of plants are increasing gradually with local development. Based on the fi eld investigation, laboratory specimen identifi cation, establishment of voucher specimen and relevant documents, tropical plant resources in Yunnan Province were analyzed systematically. Tropical plant resources in Yunnan have great social and economic benefi ts, so we should explore reasonable development and sustainable utilization of local resources. Further exploration of the status of tropical plant resources in Yunnan, the risk factors and conservation measures were important.

The future of plant conservation and the role of botanic gardens

1.Introduction The papers included in this special issue are mostly based on presentations made at the IABG international conference held at Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden.China,November 2016,which addressed the roles that botanic gardens,both in China and elsewhere,can play in national biodiversity conservation stra-

The Study of Homegarden Agrobiodiversity, Practices of Homegardening and Its Role for <i>In-Situ</i>Conservation of Plant Biodiversity in Eastern Hararghe, Kombolcha Town Oromia Regional State Ethiopia

Homegarden plays a vital role for the livelihood of the people living in town. Homegarden agrobiodiversity was studied to highlight homegarden frequency, types, plant species, growth form and associated indigenous knowledge. The research was conducted during January to April 2017. A total of 180 randomly selected households were included in the survey. Ethnobotanical data were collected from purposively selected 60 homegardens using observations and semi-structured interviews while markets survey was conducted through structured questionnaire for homegarden products. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and similarity and Shannon wiener diversity index. The results indicated that 128 (71%) of the households were practicing home gardening. The homegarden plant composition gave 78 species belonging to 35 families. The representative families and number of species under each family were founded that the family Solonaceae, and Rutaceae rank top of the list (6 species) each followed by Fabaceae and Lamiaceae (5 species each) and Asteraceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae and Brassicaceae (4 species) each. Catha edulis, Lantana camara and Ruta chalepensis had the highest frequency of species followed by the families Asteraceae, Rutaceae and Poaceae. Catha edulis, Rhammus prinoides and Ruta chalepensis were among the families found in homegardens. It can be concluded that homegrdens of Kombolcha are rich in biodiversity. The present study showed the existing status of homegardens and local knowledge contribution to the farming systems in conservation of the biological diversity. In addition, plant species providing substantial benefits and factors combined to determining homegarden diversity are documented.

Ethnobotanical Study towards Conservation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Upper Catchments of Dhauli Ganga in the Central Himalaya

The present study broadly focused on medicinal plant species collected from wild by the villagers for different purposes in the upper catchment of Dhauli Ganga in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve(NDBR),in the central Himalaya.A schedule based survey was conducted during the years 2003-2005 in 15 villages of Chamoli district part of the NDBR.Information was collected from collectors, vaidya(medicine man)and those dealing with domestication and marketing of the medicinal plants. The aim of the study was to understand the prioritiesed medicinal plants,their mode of collection and document their ethnobotanical uses by the Bhotiya tribal communities,in this world heritage site. During the survey,50 medicinal plants belonging to 31 families and 44 genera were documented.Out of these,70% were harvested from the wild,22% were cultivated and 8% were cultivated as well as wild harvested.Of the cultivated species,8% were found growing in the kitchen gardens and 14%in the agricultural fields.However,42%of the plants had their roots and rhizomes used followed by leaves (26%),seeds(10%),seed and leaf(8%),bark and whole plant(6%)and flower(1%).Most plants were reported to be used for rheumatism(16),followed by stomach disorder(14),cold and cough(11),and jaundice(9).Thirty three plants species were reported to have more than one therapeutic uses,while 17 species were reported to be used against single ailment.The distance of villages from road head was one of the factors contributing to the decline in the medicinal plant population in their natural habitats. The availability of medicinal plants increased with increase in distance from road head and also the peoples'dependence on them.Documentation of the traditional knowledge will help in conservation of knowledge and also opportunity for using it for future training and use.The result of this study will help in promoting sustainable cultivation and implementation in conservation protocol of those species,which are in the verge of extinction in this region.

Woody Plants as Resources in China, Their Conservation and Use

This paper deals with species of the woody plants in China and their conservation problems. The floristic elements of woody plants was computed and the results indicate that the elements of Tropical Asia accounts for the largest number of genus while the proportion of the elements of Temperate Asia is relatively small. For each of eight vegetation region, the number of woody plants was established and a list of the endangered and rare species was compiled. In regard to the problems of protecting the endangered precious and rare species at present we propose some workable solutions.

Diversity of Flowering Plants in Nubri Valley, Manaslu Conservation Area, Central Nepal

Central Nepal has long history in the field of botanical investigation in contrast with different parts of the nation. Nevertheless, the present study area (Manaslu Conservation Area) is still under-explored. The present floristic study was carried out with the aim of fulfilling this gap by giving particular attention on flowering plants and their documentation. Two field visits were directed in May-June 2012 and September-October 2012 in two unique seasons with a specific end goal to gather plant samples of both seasons. On the contrary, herbarium specimens were prepared and later identified at Tribhuvan University Central Herbarium (TUCH) and National Herbarium and Plant Laboratory (KATH). The present study uncovers the presence of 276 species of flowering plants belonging to 78 families and 200 genera of which 63 families belong to dicotyledons and 15 families belong to monocotyledons. Among these, 17 species (6.15%) of climbers, 178 species (64.49%) of herbs, 58 species (21.01%) of shrubs and 23 species (8.33%) of trees are found. Economically important flowering plants comprise about 156 species where 75 species are used as medicine, 29 species as fuel wood, 23 species as fodder, 29 species are edible, 6 species are for religious purpose, 5 specifically for construction purpose, 10 for ornamental and 13 species reported to have miscellaneous uses. MCA accounts to 9 flowering plant species for research and development and agro-technology development and 12 species are listed under IUCN and CAMP threatened categories. MCA and its affinity are likewise house to 10 endemic flowering plants. As from the study it can be inferred that Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA) is a treasure hub of flowering plants that not only represent its economic importance rather it is also a house to threaten and endemic flowering plants. Thus, proper management plans must be implemented for the conservation of resources in MCA.

Assessment of Diversity, Distribution, Conservation Status and Preparation of Management Plan for Medicinal Plants in the Catchment Area of Parbati Hydroelectric Project Stage-Ⅲ in Northwestern Himalaya

The developmental activities, particularly the construction of hydroelectric projects are causing a great loss of biodiversity in the Indian Himalayan Region. The Himachal Pradesh, a part of IHR is well known for the development of hydroelectric projects. The Parbati H.E. Project is amongst the major projects of the State. The different stages of the project are all causing loss of biodiversity of the area. Stage Ⅲ of the Parbati H.E. Project is a run of the river scheme on the Sainj River downstream of Power House of Parbati H.E. Project Stage Ⅱ. The project shall utilize regulated discharge of Parbati H.E. Project Stage Ⅱ and inflow of River Sainj for power generation, and has been contemplated as a peaking station operating in tandem with Stage Ⅱ. The present study has been undertaken to see the impact of hydroelectric project on the biodiversity, particularly on medicinal plants. A total of 104 species of medicinal plants, belonging to different life forms, i.e., trees (23 spp.), shrubs (22 spp.), herbs (57 spp.) and ferns (2 spp.) were recorded. The species have been analyzed and studied for their distribution, classification, altitudinal zones, part (s) used, indigenous uses, nativity, endemism and rarity.Different parts of these species, such as whole plants, roots (including rhizomes and tubers), leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, stems, barks, spikes, nuts and insect galls are used by the inhabitants for curing various diseases and ailments. 30 species are native to the Himalayan region, 9 species native to the Himalayan region and adjacent countries also and 65 species are non-natives. 9 species are near endemics. Considering the whole Himalaya as a biogeographic unit (sensu lato), the near endemics are endemic to the Himalaya. Among these species, Zanthoxylum armatum is categorized as Endangered and Valeriana wallichii as Vulnerable. Hedychium spicatum, Rhus javanica, Berberis lycium, Thalictrum foliolossum, Salvia lanata, Rubia cordifolia and Bergenia ligulata may be considered as threatened species due to their over exploitation for trade. 90 species are propagated by seeds, 8 species by seeds and rhizomes/roots/tubers, 4 species by seeds and cuttings, and 2 species by sori. A management plan for the cultivation and conservation of the medicinal plants in the dam submergence area, and the commercially viable medicinal plants with high value in the catchment area is suggested.

Analysis of vascular plant resources and diversity in Fanjing Mountain,Guizhou Province

Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve is located at the junction of Jiangkou,Yinjiang and Songtao counties in the Tongren region of Guizhou Province.Because of the topography and humid climate of the central subtropical monsoonal mountains,the plant species in this area are rich and diverse.The vascular plant resources and diversity of Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province were studied through field survey,literature review and specimen identification.The results show that there are 284 species of vascular plants in the region,belonging to 205 genera in 93 families,mainly angiosperms.Liliaceae,Asteraceae,Polygonaceae,Leguminosae,Ranunculaceae and Polygonum have the most species,followed by Sedum,Dioscorea,Actinidia Lindl and Thalictrum.In terms of life types,perennial herbs are the most dominant,accounting for 68.47%of the total number of species,and annual(or biennial)herbs,shrubs and vine types also present.There are 222 species identified as medicinal vascular plants,accounting for 78.2%of the total number of species.The medicinal parts are primarily found in the whole herb category,followed by the root and rhizome category.

Ex-situ Conservation of the some Medicinal Plants of Georgia

The present work concerns with ex-situ Conservation issues study of the three economical species Cyclamen vernum Sweet is a synonym of Cyclamen coum subsp.caucasicum(K.Koch)O.Schwarz(Primulaceae)Helleborus caucasicus A.Braun(Ranuculaceae)and Paeonia caucasica Schipcz)Schipcz.Is synonym of Paeonia dauricasubsp.Coriifolia(Rupr.)D.Y.Hong distribution in Georgia.These species are under strong anthropogenic stress,Its populations are collected in nature as a decorative and traditional medicinal properties.It is of urgent necessity to take conservation measures for these species through both ex-situ and in-situ protection methods.For this purpose it is of critical importance to collect data on the distribution of the above species and vitality and fertility of their populations.Processes of seed production and seed multiplication have been studied.The ex-situ base of the seed and live collection bank was created.The work is done in Great Britain within the framework of the“Millennium”Seed Bank Partnership of Kew Botanical Garden.The seeds are placed in the National Seed Bank,duplicates together with Herbarium sample are sent in the millennium seed bank.The live collection obtained from seeds is placed on the collection plot of Plant Conservation Department of the National Botanical Garden of Georgia.

Performance of a No-Till Vegetable Transplanter for Transplanting Thai Round Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) in Conservation Agriculture

Vegetables are vital for human health and are consumed five days a week in Cambodia.However,the production cannot meet domestic demands due to labor-intensive farming and production costs related to soil tillage.Mechanization is needed along with soil quality and sustainability improvements by the adoption of CA(Conservation Agriculture).The research aimed to compare the performance of the no-till vegetable transplanter with punch-planter in CA and hand transplanting in CT(Conventional Tillage).The study was conducted at the Royal University of Agriculture,Cambodia,starting from January to September 2020,by firstly growing sunn hemp as a cover crop and then transplanting Thai round eggplant.A randomized complete block design was used with three treatments,replicated three times.Each plot was 2 m by 15 m,with 0.2-m row spacing.The results showed that the transplanter speed was 0.54 km􀁸h^-1,almost two times the speed of punch planter and 9 times the speed of hand transplanting.The highest working capacity was also achieved with the transplanter.However,different transplanting did not affect plant spacing,or plant density.Plant spacing was 1 m,and plant density varied from 10,300 to 11,500 plants􀁸ha-1.Plant growth and yield were also not influenced by the transplanter in CA,or hand transplanting in CT.Average fruit diameter,fruit weight,fruit number,and yield were 38 mm,31.4 g􀁸fruit-1,15.7 fruits􀁸plant-1 and 3.9 t􀁸ha-1,respectively.The maximum working area of the transplanter and its break-even area were 25.2 ha·y^-1 and 18.3 ha·y^-1,respectively.Using the no-till transplanter may save both time and labor,but its use in combination with CA was unlikely to affect plant growth and yield in the short term.

Stakeholder Perspectives on Use,Trade,and Conservation of Medicinal Plants in the Rasuwa District of Central Nepal

People's livelihood in several Himalayan regions largely depends on collection,use,and trade of medicinal plants.Traditional use is generally not a problem,but commercial gathering of selected species to meet increasing national and international demand can result in over-exploitation.Sustainable management of medicinal plants requires a clear understanding of the respective roles,responsibilities and viewpoints of the various stakeholders involved.Through personal interviews and group discussions,this study aimed at investigating the views of two stakeholder groups on use,trade and conservation of medicinal plants in the Rasuwa district of Nepal.Local people and district and national organizations agreed that medicinal plants are collected for a combination of commercial and personal uses.Perceptions on market availability differed significantly:100 % of the respondents from district and national organizations saw markets as easily available,against only 36 % for local people.This could explain why medicinal plants were perceived by local people to contribute less to income generation than to livelihood improvement.Different viewpoints were also expressed concerning the status of medicinal plants in the district:81 % of the respondents from district and national organizationsconsidered that medicinal plants were threatened,compared to only 28 % for local people.Despite this disparity,both stakeholder groups agreed upon potential threats to medicinal plants:over-harvesting;habitat loss due to land-use change and deforestation;and over-grazing by livestock.Several challenges were identified regarding sustainable management of medicinal plants,such as ambiguous policies;lack of resources,information and infrastructures;habitat degradation;and over-exploitation.Despite these challenges,respondents agreed that the medicinal plants sector offers huge opportunities in the Rasuwa district,given resource availability,community awareness and motivation,and the priority given to the sector by governments and other agencies.Proper collaboration,communication and coordination among stakeholders are needed to grab these opportunities.

The Alpine Seed Conservation and Research Network–a new initiative to conserve valuable plant species in the European Alps

Safeguarding plants as seeds in ex situ collections is a cost effective element in an integrated plant conservation approach.The European Alps are a regional centre of plant diversity.Six institutions have established a regional network covering the European Alps which will conserve at least 500 priority plant species and which will improve the conservation status of plant species in grassland communities in the subalpine,alpine and nival altitudinal belts.Targeted research will expand the knowledge of the ecology of target species.Public engagement activities will raise the awareness for the importance of specific conservation actions in the European Alps.