Integrated plant conservation through the Global Conservation Consortia

Area of Science:

• Botany
• Conservation Biology
• Ecology

Background:

• The 2020 State of the World's Plants and Fungi report highlights that 40% of plant species are threatened with extinction.
• Plants provide essential ecosystem services and human uses but receive disproportionately fewer conservation resources than animals.
• Existing conservation frameworks have initiated action but are insufficient to meet the urgent need for scaling up global plant conservation efforts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and describe the Global Conservation Consortia (GCC) framework as a novel approach to coordinated plant conservation.
• To detail the design and implementation of GCC, focusing on three U.S.-led tree consortia (cycads, magnolias, oaks).
• To provide case studies of conservation actions and preliminary outcomes, highlighting successes and challenges of the GCC model.

Main Methods:

• Development and description of the Global Conservation Consortia (GCC) framework for collaborative plant conservation.
• Focus on three specific U.S.-led consortia targeting cycads, magnolias, and oaks.
• Review of consortia design, implementation strategies, and case studies of conservation actions.

Main Results:

• The GCC framework facilitates collaboration among institutions and experts to develop comprehensive extinction prevention strategies for threatened plant groups.
• Case studies demonstrate the application of the GCC model to specific taxonomic groups, including cycads, magnolias, and oaks.
• Preliminary successes and challenges in implementing the GCC approach are identified, offering insights for future conservation efforts.

Conclusions:

• The Global Conservation Consortia (GCC) offers a scalable and coordinated strategy to address the urgent threat of plant extinction.
• The GCC framework's applicability extends beyond the reviewed tree groups, providing a versatile model for diverse plant taxa.
• Continued development and implementation of GCC are crucial for enhancing the global conservation of threatened plant species.