April 4, 2007
The 2010 Biodiversity Target as summarised by the Convention on Biological Diversity - Quick Reference -sections highlighted in red are relevant to horticulture and gardening.
Action Plan on Cultivated Plant Conservation - summary of an RHS Symposium.
The 2010 Biodiversity Target
Goal 1. Promote the conservation of the biological diversity of ecosystems, habitats and biomes
Target 1.1: At
least 10% of each of the world’s ecological regions
effectively conserved |
Target 1.2: Areas
of particular importance to biodiversity protected |
Goal 2. Promote the conservation of species diversity
Target 2.1: Restore,
maintain, or reduce the decline of populations of species
of selected taxonomic groups |
Target 2.2: Status
of threatened species improved |
Goal 3. Promote the conservation of genetic diversity
Target 3.1: Genetic
diversity of crops, livestock, and of harvested species
of trees, fish and wildlife and other valuable species
conserved, and associated indigenous and local knowledge
maintained |
Goal 4. Promote sustainable use and consumption.
Target 4.1: Biodiversity-based
products derived from sources that are sustainably managed,
and Production areas managed consistent with the conservation
of biodiversity |
Target 4.2: Unsustainable
consumption, of biological resources, or that impacts
upon biodiversity, reduced |
Target 4.3: No
species of wild flora or fauna endangered by international
trade |
Goal 5. Pressures from habitat loss, land use change and degradation, and unsustainable water use, reduced
Target 5.1: Rate
of loss and degradation of natural habitats decreased |
Goal 6. Control threats from invasive alien species
Target 6.1: Pathways
for major potential alien invasive species controlled |
Target 6.2: Management
plans in place for major alien species that threaten
ecosystems, habitats or species |
Goal 7. Address challenges to biodiversity from climate change, and pollution
Target 7.1: Maintain
and enhance resilience of the components of biodiversity
to adapt to climate change |
Target 7.2: Reduce
pollution and its impacts on biodiversity |
Goal 8. Maintain capacity of ecosystems to deliver goods and services and support livelihoods
Target 8.1: Capacity
of ecosystems to deliver goods and services maintained |
Target 8.2: biological
resources that support sustainable livelihoods, local
food security and health care, especially of poor people
maintained |
Goal 9. Maintain socio-cultural diversity of indigenous and local communities
Target 9.1: Protect traditional
knowledge, innovations and practices |
Target 9.2: Protect
the rights of indigenous and local communities over their traditional
knowledge, innovations and practices, including their
rights to benefit sharing |
Goal 10. Ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources
Target 10.1: All
transfers of genetic resources are in line with the Convention
on Biological Diversity, the International Treaty on
Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and
other applicable agreements |
Target 10.2: Benefits
arising from the commercial and other utilization of
genetic resources shared with the countries providing
such resources |
Goal 11: Parties have improved financial, human, scientific, technical and technological capacity to implement the Convention
Target 11.1: New
and additional financial resources are transferred to
developing country Parties, to allow for the effective
implementation of their commitments under the Convention,
in accordance with Article 20 |
Target 11.2: Technology
is transferred to developing country Parties, to allow
for the effective implementation of their commitments
under the Convention, in accordance with its Article
20, paragraph 4 |
Action Plan on Cultivated Plant Conservation as presented during a two-day conference, held on 5 and 6 April 2006, with over eighty delegates, gathered together some of the key people involved in ornamental plants and gardening in the UK hosted by the RHS.
GROWING HERITAGE Garden Plants & Conservation - A Summary.
OBJECTIVE 1 - KNOWLEDGE
To decide how best to bring together, augment and disseminate more widely existing information and knowledge of cultivated plants - creating a lasting legacy of information for the future.
“A succession policy for knowledge”
Key Actions:
- RHS to identify key stakeholders for the portal project and form a small working party, initially to identify requirements for the pilot study.
- RHS to broaden the coverage of its authoritative cultivated plant names list.
- Develop standards for recording information about cultivated plants.
- RHS/RBGE to collate and make available their information on plant collectors and their abbreviations.
- Look to secure funding for databasing nursery catalogue holdings.
OBJECTIVE 2 - EDUCATION
To determine the resources and activities required for further increasing public awareness of the role of gardens and gardeners in the conservation of plants.
“Our cultivated plant heritage matters”
Key Actions:
- Using the currently recognized audiences (given below) each organization to ensure that their interpretation is fully inclusive and carries appropriately ‘levelled’ conservation messages.
- NCCPG to research and develop a series of key stories about heritage and cultivated plants for garden staff/interpreters/marketers/communication teams that they can use to raise awareness with public and other audiences.
- Explore the integration of concepts on conservation of heritage and cultivated plants into the formal education structure to inspire young people.
- Work with examining boards, colleges and universities to make cultivated plant conservation a theme within horticultural qualifications.
- Initiate a National Campaign by developing something like a ‘Plant Heritage’ week (with a logo such as, "Save it - grow it!") and link this to and promote it through major gardening events.
OBJECTIVE 3 - STRATEGY
To agree strategies to engage with decision-makers to enhance support for cultivated plant conservation.
“Greater support for cultivated plant conservation”
Key Actions:
- Create succession plans to ensure that the skills required to curate plant stocks are passed on.
- Establish measurable targets to emphasize the direction of policy and to help engage with other bodies, align targets to be consistent with wider objectives.
- Set up pilot projects to analyse what we hold, especially in terms of genetic diversity of plants in cultivation.
- Foster a network of interested parties to take forward the recommendations and key actions from the Plan, to link in with organizational planning and budgetary processes as well as policy development.
- In partnership with Botanic Gardens and other institutions, ensure that horticultural issues are considered in further policy development both at the national level and at CBD/ABS negotiations.
OBJECTIVE 4 - ENHANCING DIVERSITY
To define concerns and establish how private collectors and commercial growers might be assisted to enhance the pool of plants available for cultivation within the changing regulatory climate.
“New plants coming into the UK - working within regulations”
Key Actions:
- Encourage greater and more effective horticultural representation in the informal stakeholder meetings facilitated by DEFRA on the Convention.
- Create and publicise a web page linking existing sources of CBD information relevant to horticulturists.
- RHS and HTA to develop proposals for a symposium on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing in horticulture.
- Review the level of horticultural expertise available in biodiversity-rich countries, identifying where support is needed.
- NCCPG to lead on producing a Red Data Book for cultivated plants.
- Increase genetic diversity research.
- Identify original genotypes and ensure their priority for conservation.
- NCCPG to agree prioritization criteria for cultivated plants.
- Enhance stability of preservation of genotypes.
- NCCPG to develop a succession policy for National Plant Collections and explore the feasibility of Virtual Plant Collections1.
- Promote the value of UK holdings in plant conservation.
OBJECTIVE 5 - BEST PRACTICE
To identify priorities and best practices for the conservation of plants in cultivation involving all branches of horticulture.
SIMPLY: How we should best look after and enhance existing genetic diversity in the UK
“Maintaining our plant heritage”
Key Actions:
