September 2014: The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat has released CBD Technical Series No. 81, titled ‘Plant Conservation Report 2014: A review of progress towards the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation 2011-2020.’ The report was prepared to contribute to the mid-term review of the CBD’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the associated Aichi Biodiversity Targets, as well as the fourth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO 4).

The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), adopted by the CBD in 2002 and updated in 2010, provides a framework for plant conservation at the global and national levels, and includes 16 targets covering all aspects of plant conservation and sustainable use. This report reviews progress made towards achieving the GSPC’s targets, and finds that progress is not being made quickly enough to achieve them by 2020.

While the GSPC has been successful, conservation efforts have been inhibited by: a lack of information on the distribution and conservation status of plants; and a decrease in botanical capacity and funding for plant conservation, in many places. The paper thus urges governments to further engage with partners to best use the available expertise and resources, as well as fully involve indigenous and local communities and other stakeholders, to enhance plant conservation and ensure full implementation of the GSPC.

The report recalls that the first consolidated list of the world’s plants (The Plant List) was completed in 2010, and now includes over 350,000 plant names, and the development of a World Flora Online is expected by 2020. Many plant species are restricted in range with a significant number being single country endemics, and islands being home to 35% of the world’s endemic plants. The combined effects of habitat loss, pollution, invasive species and climate change are threatening plant diversity worldwide. However, the problem’s scale remains unclear, as no list of globally threatened plants exists, but estimates suggest that at least one in five of plant species are threatened by extinction. [Publication: Plant Conservation Report 2014: A review of progress towards the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation 2011-2020]