Tropical Important Plant Areas

Directing botanical research and conservation where it matters most

Dr. Iain DarbyshireRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew

IUCN Sampled Red List Index for Plants (2012)

•1 in 5 species threatened with extinction

• Threats concentrated in the tropics

• Urgent need for effective conservation

prioritisation for plants

http://threatenedplants.myspecies.info/sites/threatenedplants.myspecies.info/files/SRLIBrochureFINAL.pdf#overlay-context=search/site/SRLIBrochure

• IPA programme led by Plantlife International since 2002 -Europe, Mediterranean and the Himalaya

• Contributes to Target 5 of the CBD’s Global Strategy for Plant Conservation

• IPAs identify priority sites for plant conservation on a national or regional scale

• TIPAs programme launched by Kew in 2015

• Identified through collections-based research, field surveys and expert botanical knowledge.

Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs): Introduction

Promote sustainable management and protection of TIPAs through engagement with:

• National policy makers, land managers, and local communities

• International conservation initiatives

TIPAs: Criteria & Activities

AThreatened

species

BBotanicalRichness

CThreatened

habitats

Range-restricted

species

Useful wild-harvested

species

Core

Activities

Species redlisting

Site-based inventories

Diversity mapping

Vegetation mapping

Habitat threat assessments

Species mapping and field survey

Id & mapping of:• crop wild

relatives• medicinal plants• timber species

etc.

Species-rich

habitats

Upson, R. (2012). Important Plant Areas of the Falkland Islands. Unpublished Report, Falklands Conservation. 80 pp.

Example 1: IPAs in the Falkland Islands• 2-yr project involving collections-based research and

extensive fieldwork

• 17 IPAs identified, based primarily on threatened species and habitats; only 3 overlap with IBAs

• IPAs now written into FI Government Biodiversity Strategy

Bolivia

Cameroon

Guinée

Mozambique

Uganda

Caribbean UKOTs*

*B.V.I.

Montserrat

Anguilla

Turks & Caicos

Cayman Is.

West Papua(Indonesian New Guinea)

7 countries / regions selected:

• strong in-country collaborations in place

• on-going research & conservation programmes

• wealth of collections-based data available

TIPAs: Phase I (2015-2020)

Example 2: TIPAs in Cameroon

• Extensive field surveys & inventories

• 7 priority site-based conservation checklists to date - candidate IPAs

• Complete checklist – 7500 spp.

• Red Data Book: 815 threatened taxa

• Contributed to the demarcation of five new protected areas by government within the last 10 years

With thanks to the following who have contributed to the initial project design and research:

RBG Kew: Steve Bachman, Martin Cheek, Colin Clubbe, Jane Crowe, Jo Ellams, Bente Klitgaard, William Milliken, Justin Moat, Eimear NicLughada, Anna Trias Blasi, Rebecca Upson, Tim Utteridge, Jenny Williams, Kathy Willis.

Plantlife International: Seona Anderson, Andy Byfield, Trevor Dines, Liz Radford.

Imperial College, London: Miranda Jones, Jean Linsky, Sophie Williams (MSc. thesis projects).

Makerere University, Uganda: Collins Bulafu, James Kalema.

National Herbarium of Cameroon: Jean-Michel Onana.

Instituto de Investigação Agrária de Moçambique (IIAM), Mozambique: Camila Sousa, Hermenegildo Matimele.

Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique: Salomão Bandeira, Celia Macamo, Alice Massingue.

Herbier National de Guinée, Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry, Guinea : Sékou Magassouba.

Universitas Papua, Manokwari, Indonesia: Charlie Heatubun.