BG jo Journal of Botuanic Gardens Cronservatinon ... · Volume4•Number2•July2007 20 YEARS...

Botanic gardens andclimate change

Special 2007anniversary issue

BGjournalJournal of Botanic Gardens Conservation International

Volume 4 • Number 2 • July 2007

20YEARS

1987-2007

Contents

020309

13

17

22

26

3034

36

Editors: Etelka Leadlay and Sara Oldfield

Co-editor: Suzanne Sharrock

Cover Photo: Species such as the Quiver Tree (Aloedichotoma) are under threat due to the impact of climatechange (see page 36) (Photo: Nicholas Wray)

Design: John Morgan, SeascapeE-mail: [email protected]

Submissions for the next issue should reach the editorbefore 8th October, 2007. Please send text on disketteor via e-mail, as well as a hard copy. Please sendphotographs as original slides or prints unless scannedto a very high resolution (300 pixels/inch and 100mm inwidth); digital images need to be of a high resolution forprinting. If you would like further information, pleaserequest Notes for authors.

BGjournal is published by Botanic Gardens ConservationInternational (BGCI). It is published twice a year and issent to all BGCI members. Membership is open to allinterested individuals, institutions and organisations thatsupport the aims of BGCI (see page 32 for Membershipapplication form).

Further details available from:• Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Descanso

House, 199 Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3BWUK. Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5953, Fax: +44 (0)20 8332 5956Email: [email protected], www.bgci.org

• BGCI-Russia, c/o Main Botanical Gardens,Botanicheskaya st., 4, Moscow 127276, Russia.Tel: +7 (095) 219 6160 / 5377, Fax: +7 (095) 218 0525,E-mail: [email protected], www.bgci.ru

• BGCI-Netherlands, c/o Delft University of TechnologyJulianalaan 67, NL-2628 BC Delft, NetherlandsTel: +31 15 278 4714 Fax: +31 15 278 2355email: [email protected]

• BGCI-Canarias, c/o Jardín Botánico Canario Viera yClavijo, Apartado de Correos 14, Tafira Alta 35017,Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Spain.Tel: +34 928 21 95 80/82/83, Fax: +34 928 21 95 81,E-mail: [email protected]

• BGCI- China, 723 Xingke Rd., Guangzhou 510650 China.Tel:(86)20-37252692. email: [email protected]/china

• BGCI – South East Asia, c/o Registry, Singapore BotanicGardens, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569.Email: Bian.Tan @bgci.org,

• BGCI-Colombia, c/o Jardín Botánico de Bogotá,Jose Celestino Mutis, Av. No. 61-13 – A.A. 59887,Santa Fe de Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. Tel: +57 630 0949,Fax: +57 630 5075, E-mail: [email protected],www.humboldt.org.co/jardinesdecolombia/html/la_red.htm

• BGCI-Deutschland, c/o Botanische Gärten derUniversität Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 171, 53115 Bonn,Germany. Tel: +49 2 2873 9055, Fax: +49 2 28731690,E-mail: [email protected]

BGCI is a worldwide membership organization establishedin 1987. Its mission is to build a global network for plantconservation. BGCI is an independent organizationregistered in the United Kingdom as a charity (Charity RegNo 1098834) and a company limited by guarantee, No4673175. BGCI is a tax-exempt (501(c)(3) non-profitorganization in the USA and in Russia.

Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarilyreflect the views of the Boards or staff of BGCI or of itsmembers

BGjournal replaces BGCNews and is published twice ayear. BGjournal has been given a new name as the newssection of BGCNews and Roots (Botanic GardensConservation International Education Review) is nowcontained in Cuttings which is published quarterly.There are 31 issues of BGCNews published twice yearlyfrom 1987-2003.

Editorial – Responding to climate change

The response of botanic gardens to climate change

The Millennium Seed Bank Project delivering Target 8 of theGlobal Strategy for Plant Conservation

Chicago Botanic Garden’s conservation and outreach efforts onclimate change

Case studies on the effect of climate change on the flora ofMexico

Research on biodiversity and climate change at the RoyalBotanic Garden Edinburgh

The potential impact of climate change on native plant diversityin Ireland

Climate change and Africa: an ecological perspective

Report on the 3rd Global Botanic Gardens CongressWuhan, China

Biodiversity and climate change:a resource list

How to join Botanic GardensConservation International

BGjournal• Vol 4 (2) 01

22

26 30

0317

09

Climate change is now generallyaccepted to be one of the bigchallenges of our time. Steps tomitigate and adapt to new and oftendramatic climatic conditions are beingwidely debated and encouraged bypoliticians and the media.Environmentalism is fashionable butstill the value of maintaining plantdiversity is not given the attention itdeserves. Explaining the links betweenplant diversity, ecosystem functionsand the global climate is a key role forbotanic gardens. At the same timesafeguarding plant diversity in the faceof increased environmental threats isever more important.

In this issue of BGjournal the impact ofclimate change on plant species invarious parts of the world is describedand the responses that can be made bybotanic gardens are considered. It isvital that we act and demonstrate theactions that are being taken so that thework of botanic gardens is seen asrelevant and part of the solution. BGCIis developing major initiatives inresponse to climate change and theseare set out in our new Five Year Plan2007-2012 (see BGCI website).Facilitating exchange of ideas andexpertise between our globalmembership and associated botanicgarden networks remains invaluable indelivering the Plan. Climate change wascertainly a key topic for discussion atthe highly successful 3rd Global BotanicGardens Congress held in April this yearand some of the papers presented hereresult from these discussions.

Provision of accurate information onthe impact of climate change on wildplants will be crucial to guide andprioritise conservation action. BGCI ispreparing a baseline report on thistopic that will be available by the endof this year. The baseline report will bemade available to policy makers andwill be used to develop a response toclimate change within the framework ofthe Global Strategy for PlantConservation (GSPC).

It is likely that increasing political andpopular attention will focus onbiodiversity and its relationship toclimate change in the run up to the2010 Biodiversity Target, “to achieveby 2010 a significant reduction of thecurrent rate of biodiversity loss at theglobal, regional and national level as acontribution to poverty alleviation andto the benefit of all life on earth”.We have to ensure that plant diversityis at the forefront of discussions.The successful implementation of theGSPC, building on five years ofsuccessful initiatives to promote andimplement the targets, will help toensure the security of the world’svegetation and thereby reduce theamount of carbon emissionssignificantly. Professor StephenHopper, Director of the Royal BotanicGardens, Kew has pointed out thatconserving the world’s naturalvegetation will reduce carbonemissions by an amount more thanequivalent to those generated by theworld’s combined transport systems.

Using the baseline report as a startingpoint, BGCI is also planning a web-based information service on theimpact of climate change on wildplants. This will link with ourPlantSearch database, providinginformation on threatened plants likelyto be at most urgent risk as a result ofincreasing temperatures, rising sealevels, altered hydrological patternsand other consequences of changingclimatic conditions. The informationservice will be designed to provideclear messages and resources for theeducation and public awareness workof botanic gardens and to highlightongoing activities around the worldthat people can get involved in.

There is much that we can all do todecrease our carbon footprints andBGCI is reviewing its own internalpolicies to make sure that we minimiseour impact. We welcome suggestionsand ideas to guide our review and lookforward to working with all ourmembers in addressing the challengeof climate change.

Sara OldfieldSecretary General, BGCI

BGjournal• Vol 4 (2)02

Editorial -Responding to climate change

During the last 30 years or so, botanicgardens have modernized their outlookand their fundamental role to becomeincreasingly active in the conservationof plant diversity. As a response to thebiodiversity crisis as envisaged duringthe last two decades a considerablenumber of gardens have developedprogrammes of research, horticultureand environmental education particularlydealing with the conservation of rareand threatened species. Indeed, botanicgardens now have much to offer theconservation world not only as theprincipal centres for ex situ conservationbut also as supporting institutions forthe conservation of plants in situ. Manygardens have developed not only livingcollections but also importantgermplasm banks or seed banks for thelong-term storage of threatened plantsas an insurance policy againstextinction.

With the development of BGCI, BotanicGardens Conservation International, theworld’s botanic gardens have alsobecome a major voice for plantconservation in the international forum.This has been demonstrated by thelead taken by botanic gardens in thedevelopment of The Gran CanariaDeclaration calling for a Global Programfor Plant Conservation (BGCI, 2000)which resulted in the Global Strategyfor Plant Conservation (CBD, 2003).The Global Strategy proposed anumber of conservation targets to beachieved by the year 2010. Many ofwhich have direct relevance for botanicgardens and in many countries gardens

have made a major effort to progresstowards these objectives. However,there is concern that now, in the middleperiod for achieving the targets, a newchallenge has to be faced, climatechange, that was not originally a majorelement of the Global Strategy.

This new, most alarming threat to plantconservation, global climate change ormore popularly “global warming” hascome on to the scene since the GlobalStrategy was developed over five yearsago. The world is changing andprobably more quickly than at any timein human history and the mostdisruptive and perhaps leastpredictable alteration concerns thepotentially disastrous effects of arapidly changing global climate. Therehas been major governmental activityand alarm over the probableconsequences of climate change.For instance, the Stern Review on theEconomics of Climate Change for theBritish Government has really helped to

focus on the need to take urgent,immediate measures (Stern, 2006).However, when the Global Strategy wasoriginally developed, climate changewas an issue to be resolved andreversed by the control of greenhousegas emissions and the major emphasiswas on the Kyoto Accord under whichgovernments would take the necessarymeasures to limit their emissions. Overthe past two or three years, however,the real extent of the problem isbeginning to be understood and thefact that the weak measures that cameout of Kyoto are not sufficient toprevent changes which potentially willbe devastating for plant diversity andbiological diversity in general. TheKyoto measures are, indeed, even ifthey were fully implemented, notsufficient to reverse climate change.The new challenge is, therefore, abouthow the Global Strategy and nationalstrategies are taken forward for plantconservation in the face of suchpotentially devastating change.

BGCI • 2007 • BGjournal• Vol 4 (2) • 03-08 03

Left: Gran

Canaria Group

of international

experts who

formulated a

second Gran

Canaria

Declaration on

Climate Change

and Plant

Conservation in

Las Palmas de

Gran Canaria,

April, 2006

The response of botanic gardens toclimate change

Author: David Bramwell

The most recent models based on atemperature rise of 2-3ºC over the next100 years suggest that up to 50% ofthe 400,000 or so higher plant specieswill be threatened with extinction.Furthermore, a recent study of sixbiodiversity-rich regions of the worldcovering 20% of the land area indicatesthat up to 37% of all species in theseregions will be extinct by 2050including for example up to 40% ofSouth Africa’s Proteaceae (Thomas etal., 2004). Models by Carlos Nobre fromBrazil suggest that the wet tropicalforests of the Amazon Basin will all butdisappear with huge losses ofbiodiversity (2004). In Africa, Lovett andhis fellow researchers predict that thetropical forests of west and centralAfrica will be seriously affected and thatbetween 50 and 80% of species willhave their range severely reduced,many to the point of extinction (Lovettet al., 2005; McClean et al., 2006). Arecent report on the effects of climatechange on the tropical rainforests ofnorthern Queensland, Australia statesthat “the impact on biodiversity is likelyto be very serious and could becatastrophic under some scenarios”(Krockenberger et al., 2004). It goes onto say that “Research, based on currentmodels, shows that many species ofanimals and plants are at highlyincreased risk of extinction as a resultof climate change, even under the leastextreme of scenarios”. Even a 1ºC risein temperature will cause a decline of50% of the taxa in the area occupiedby the highland rainforests ofQueensland. The Queensland reportgoes on to make a very important andrelevant statement for botanic gardenswith respect to the conservation ofbiodiversity under such circumstances,“consideration of climate change mayshow that ex situ is the only realistictool for some of the most at-riskspecies….”. Some examples of thepredicted impacts of climate change atthe species level are shown in Box 1.

Thus, faced with climate change andthe prospect of mass extinction ofbiodiversity, it is necessary to seeplants not only as essentialcomponents of ecosystems but also asthe most important natural resourcesfor the future of mankind. It isnecessary to face up to the majorproblems of conserving ecosystems ina changing environment and, at the

same time make sure that theindividual components of theecosystems are not lost, that is thespecies. There are no ecosystemswithout species! Therefore, botanicgardens need to be very concernedwith creating reserve collections ex situas an insurance policy for facing theeffects and the impacts, on localhuman communities of drasticenvironmental change and thedepletion of their currently availableplant resources (Bramwell, 2006).

The challenge for botanic gardens is:how do they contribute to this species-based insurance policy in the comingyears and after 2010 when the GlobalStrategy achievements will bereviewed? The Global Strategy givesmany of the guidelines needed but inthe light of the new challenge ofclimate change the members of theGran Canaria Group of internationalexperts who produced the first GranCanaria Declaration leading to theGlobal Strategy have formulated asecond Gran Canaria Declaration onClimate Change and PlantConservation and are currentlyengaged in preparing an action plan tofacilitate the adaptation of current plantconservation policies to meet thischallenge (BGCI & Cabildo de Gran

Canaria, 2006). BGCI surveyed itsmember gardens on their response toclimate change for this meeting andthe main results are given in Box 2.

The first major step is to redefine thepriorities. Current thinking onendangered species is anchored to theassignment of IUCN Red ListCategories. Thus the principles forassessing the conservation status andextinction risk for species are based onpast and current areas of distributionand on the fluctuation of numbers ofindividuals and populations. Withclimate change, however, plants will befaced with a whole new series ofthreats and current concepts of whatare threatened species and how theyare defined will need to be completelyreconsidered and revised! Withoutdoubt botanic gardens will have amajor role in adapting both science andliving collections to the new climatechange situation. They form a uniqueinternational network of over 2500plant-orientated institutions throughoutmost countries of the world and theyhave amongst their numbers some ofthe world’s leading plant researchcentres, for example the Royal BotanicGardens, Kew, UK (RBG), the BotanicGardens Trust, Sydney, Australia andMissouri Botanical Gardens, USA.


A European research group developed a modelcalled “EUROMOVE” which used climate datafrom 1990 to 2050 as compiled from the IMAGE2 model, and determined climate envelopes forabout 1400 plant species by multiple logisticregression analysis. The climate envelopes wereapplied to the projected climate to obtainpredictions about plant diversity anddistributions by 2050. The results indicated thatthe species show differing responses to theforecasted climate change. For some species,their total area will increase while for otherspecies their area will decline. Some examplesinclude:

• Scleranthus perennis (Perennial Knawel), aperennial herbaceous plant of the carnationfamily with a European distribution willpotentially undergo dramatic area reductions,with only 59% of its current distribution arearemaining. The species will remain only in thecentre of Central Europe, and will disappearfrom large parts of its distribution area inwestern Europe and western Russia. Itsnorthern distribution area will slightly expand,mainly in the southern part of Finland.

• Botrychium lunaria (Common Moonwort), aDutch red list species with an Atlantic andnorthern distribution is predicted to decreasedramatically by 2050 and it is calculated toremain in only less than half of its currentarea (47%). Hardly any new areas becomesuitable by 2050, and Botrychium lunaria willretreat into western Scandinavia, Iceland,Scotland, and the Alps.

• Parietaria judaica is a Mediterranean speciesgrowing on walls along the Atlantic andMediterranean. Its climatically suitable areawill remain largely unchanged (93%);calculations predict a potential increase of itscurrent area (128%), primarily extendingeastward into Germany and Denmark.Parietaria judaica is predicted to disappearfrom southern Portugal and Spain.

Bakkenes, M., Alkemade, J. R. M., Ihle, F.,Leemans, R. and Latour, J. B., 2002. Assessingeffects of forecasted climate change on thediversity and distribution of European higherplants for 2050. Global Change Biology8: 390-407.

Box 1. Some examples of the predicted impacts of climate change at the species level

Many other gardens are also movingvery quickly towards becomingimportant regional and local focalpoints for conservation-orientated plantresearch. Botanic gardens are visitedby several hundred million people eachyear making them probably theprincipal public interface for connectingwith plant conservation and forenvironmental education in general.

Climate change is taking place quicklyand the recent meeting of the GranCanaria Group, leading to the secondGran Canaria Declaration, calls ongovernments to take urgent action toprotect plant diversity from the threatsof climate change. The groupemphasized, in its discussions andreport, the increasing importance of exsitu conservation as a means of savingvital natural resources for the future.The role of botanic gardens as centresof ex situ conservation was alsorecognized, not only as repositories forliving collections but also through theirhistorical relationship with seed storageand exchange. Many gardens round theworld have developed effective seedbanks for conserving germplasm of wildplant species and the establishment ofmore regional and local seed banks inbotanic gardens is strongly advocated.Perhaps the most important one todate is RBG’s Millennium Seed Bank,a major investment for the long-termfuture of plant diversity (see article inthis issue of BGjournal). However, evensome smaller gardens have importantregional seed banks and participate inregional programmes such as the

European Native Seed ConservationNetwork (ENSCONET) (ENSCONET,2007). In Spain, there are goodregional examples, the Andalusian seedbank at Cordoba Botanic Garden(Hernández Bermejo & ClementeMuñoz, 1996), an inter-regional networkof Mediterranean Seed Banks(GENMEDOC) (GENMEDOC, 2007) andthe Macaronesian Islands RegionalSeed Bank (BASEMAC) at the “Viera yClavijo” Garden on Gran Canaria withits partner centres on Madeira and onFaial in the Azores (Roca Salinas et al.,2004; Bramwell, 2007). If adapting toclimate change is to be successful,however, current seed-bankpartnerships need to be developed intoa worldwide network of seed bankswith the objective of conserving the

seeds of wild plants on a global scale.This would be a major contribution toconservation and the custody of naturalresources in the post 2010 climatechange circumstances when increasingglobal population and reduced availablenatural resources will undoubtedlysooner or later precipitate a majorsurvival crisis for large parts ofhumanity. The building of such anetwork should be one of the majorobjectives between now and 2010 andthen beyond.

In a future world where vegetation andwhole ecosystems will be changingand will generally be depleted byclimate change, such a global reserveof germplasm of wild plants will be vitalfor human adaptation throughrestoration, reintroduction and even forthe total replacement of lostecosystems. Germplasm banks willalso be a source of plants and geneticdiversity for the development of newcrops and for the adaptation of oldones, for medicinal plants, greenenergy sources and other uses. If, ascurrently predicted, large numbers ofspecies do become extinct in the wildthen the world’s seed banks, willbecome the only source to humankindof those species and their germplasmin the future.

There are schools of thought thatconsider that in some situations, themigration of plants will mitigate theeffects of climate change. However,both the time scale for migration andfactors such as natural barriers,


Above: Echium

wildpretii

Barcelona

Botanic Garden,

Spain. Canary

Island endemic

(Photo: BGCI)

Left: Variations

of the Earth’s

surface

temperature for

the past 140

years (global)

and the past

1000 years

(Northern

Hemisphere)

Source:

Intergovernmen

tal Panel on

Climate Change

(see page 36)

dispersal mechanisms, absence ofpollinators, absence of available areafor colonization, sea level rise as wellas man-made barriers such asagricultural zones and urban sprawl aspoor people migrate to the cities willput severe limitations on both thenatural movement of plantcommunities and on the creation ofmajor migratory corridors. Themovement of seed and living plantsthrough seed banks and botanicgardens has the potential however, tobecome one of the most importantman-made “migratory corridors” for there-establishment of plant communitiesin the future (termed an assistedmigration process by the author). Inmany cases it will probably be the onlyway of moving even the most basic setof species for any communityrestoration and as a source of naturalresources for adaptation to newcircumstances. Certainly theexperience and skills that botanicgardens staff have acquired overseveral centuries of growing bothnative and exotic plant species will beof vital importance if assistedmigrations are to succeed.

A second area in which botanicgardens can play a major role is in thelocal monitoring of the effects ofclimate change. Many gardens have,over the years, accumulated aconsiderable amount of informationabout their local or regional floras. Thisinformation will become increasinglyvaluable as the local effects of risingtemperatures are observed and, ifpossible protective measures initiated.Species distribution, vegetation mapsand plant community data can all play

a major role in monitoring change.As more and more research potentialand economic resources at universitiesare taken up by molecular studies andbiochemistry, botanic gardens arebecoming the only sources (even thelast bastions) of whole plant biologists,taxonomists and field ecologists for thefuture. This lack of foresight byuniversities and research councils inthe majority of developed countriescan only become an acute problem inthe years to come. Currently, molecular

biology might seem a more excitingarea for research and it doubtless hasa value in the advancement of science,but its emphasis, even its hegemony tothe detriment of whole-plant science,taxonomy and field ecology, will notcontribute to the practical future ofhumanity in the face of global climatechange.

However, much more accurate andrefined climate change models on alocal or regional scale will be neededbecause corrective measures for theconservation of floras and ecosystemswill have to be taken at these levels.This implies that the role of botanicgarden taxonomists and field botanistswill become more and more importantfor monitoring changes in vegetationdistribution, species composition in


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Right: Seed

capsules in the

seed bank of

the Jardín

Botánico “Viera

y Clavijo” – an

insurance policy

for the future

(Photo: BGCI)

Far right:

Botanic

gardens, the

main interface

between plants

and the public

(Photo: David

Bramwell)

Right: Projected

Changes in

global

temperature:

global average

1856-1999 and

projection

estimates to

2100

Source: Climatic

Research Unit,

University of

East Anglia,

Norwich, UK.

Projections:

IPCC report 95

(see page 36)

plant communities andspecies distribution on alocal scale. This willprovide better data aboutclimatic effects on localplants and communities formodelling the future andalso by functioning as aplants threat early warningsystem. Furthermore, botanic gardenshave a wealth of data on how plantscan tolerate different climatic regimesthrough garden records andobservations and the experience ofgrowing plants including exotics. Innorthern Europe tropical plants are notgrown under exactly the sameconditions as in their native habitatsbut in rather varying greenhouseconditions that mimic different climateregimes. This is especially true fortemperature tolerance, rainfall (wateringregimes) and atmospheric humidity sothat by studying garden records andcalling on the wisdom accumulated bythe gardeners, an estimate can bemade of the tolerance range of thespecies grown and of what mighthappen to them in their natural habitatduring global climate change. Suchestimates of species tolerance cancontribute important hard data both toclimate change modelling, ecosystemmanagement and to the selection ofspecifically vulnerable species for usein monitoring climate change effects.

So where does this lead in defining therole of botanic gardens in relation toclimate change? The recent realizationat a political level, of the importance ofthe effects of global climate change onthe world’s economy and on biologicaldiversity will mean that a majorinternational effort will be made over thenext 20 years or so to conserve naturalresources and minimize potentialbiodiversity loss due to global warming.From a plants point of view the GlobalStrategy will need to be adjusted and itsterms of reference extended wellbeyond the initial proposal of 2010.The role of botanic gardens will becomeincreasingly important in the period after2010 because the effects of climatechange will be seen on an increasingscale. The changing nature of threatsand the large numbers of endangeredspecies including many not currentlyconsidered to be threatened will beincreasingly apparent. Those gardensparticipating in the international network


BGCI undertook a survey of its members in

November 2005. The following questions were

asked:

• Does your institution maintain meterological

or phenological records?

• Is your garden involved in any research on

plants and the impact of climate change?

• Have you modified your planting schemes in

response to climate change?

• Is your garden involved in any public

awareness or education activities on this

topic?

• Are you undertaking any steps to reduce or

off-set carbon dioxide emissions?

A more recent survey (2007) has indicated that

88% of gardens responding are taking, or plan

to take action related to climate change.

Summary of results

Maintenance of meteorological orphenological records and monitoringPhenological records are being collected by

botanic gardens around the world, including

gardens in Europe, North America, China,

Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mexico,

Malaysia and Russia. Many gardens also

maintain meteorological records, often going

back over long periods of time. For example,

Bogor Botanic Garden in Indonesia has kept

records for more than 30 years as has the

Botanic Garden of the Institute of Crop Botany

in Bangladesh. In Austria, the University Botanic

Garden, Innsbruck has kept meteorological

records at its main Botanic Garden (600m) since

1995 and at the Alpine Garden (1950m) since

1994. Furthermore, the Landesmuseum Kärnten

in Austria stores a series of photos of the

Carinthian Alps mountain tops, which clearly

shows glaciers receding. In addition, the

Regional Botanic Garden of Cadereyta in

Mexico has observed its local alpine region

getting warmer and drier. For example, the

cactus Thelocactus leucacanthus was previously

reported as occurring at a maximum height of

1900m, but has recently been recorded at

2600m. Similarly, the Botanic Garden at

Syktyvkar, Russia, has noted a change in tree

development and life history that was previously

constrained by the long period of extreme cold

e.g. Quercus robur usually bears fruits only once

every 4-5 years, but this recently occurred in

both 2004 & 2005.

ResearchMany examples were cited, including:

• The Argotti Gardens in Malta is involved in

research on the drought resistant conifer

Tetraclinis articulata.

• Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Australia are

carrying out research on the drought

tolerance of rare and threatened plants.

• The Forest Research Institute, Malaysia is

assessing the carbon stocks and

sequestration potential of the natural and

plantation forest in Malaysia.

• Olso University Botanic Garden, Norway is

predicting future plant immigrations and

vegetation changes in Svalbard due to global

warming.

• The Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG),

Melbourne, Australia is involved with the

management of weeds, biosecurity and pest

management in relation to climate change -

the tropical palm disease “pink rot” has

made an appearance in the last two years in

their gardens, growing on the indigenous

Archontophoenix spp.

• Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden,

China has carried out research on

microclimate changes in the tropical

rainforest fragments of the region.

• The National Botanic Garden of Wales, UK

has a 3 year study of the potential

evolutionary changes of Senecio cambrensis

induced by climate change.

Modified planting schemesMany gardens (approximately one third of

respondents) reported changes in the plants

they grow in their gardens, with for example,

gardens now growing palms outside which

could previously only be grown in greenhouses.

The Diomides Botanic Garden in Greece has

stopped cultivating some species requiring

exposure to low temperatures and

Mediterranean rather than alpine plants now

thrive at the Landesmuseum Kärnten in Austria.

RBG Melbourne is planning its planting and

management for reduced water availability,

including C4 grasses for turf while the

Georgetown Botanic Gardens in Guyana stated

“we have done a complete new scheme to cater

for our climate change”. In a related response to

climate change, Oxford University Botanic

Garden has extended its opening season from

May 20-Oct 31 to April 1-Nov 30, in response to

earlier flowering of bluebells, and later autumn

colours.

Education and public awarenessAbout one third of respondents had education

resources focused on climate change. Some

gardens had static exhibits on the subject, but

many undertook lectures to visiting school

children, or to the general public. These

gardens ranged from those in the UK

(EdenProject, Oxford, Wales), to those in

Georgia, USA and Bangladesh.

Reducing carbon emissionsAbout one third of respondents noted measures

for improved efficiency, such as better boilers

and reducing fossil fuel use. Some gardens

noted that they used electric carts in the

garden, and others suggested that their

plantings contributed to offsetting carbon.

Chester Zoological and Botanical Garden, UK

offset carbon emissions of air travel and the

Eden Project offers a reduced admission rate for

public transport users.

Box 2. Climate change: the botanic garden response

Above: Cover

of The Gran

Canary

Declaration II

on Climate

Change and

Plant

Conservation

of seed banks will be aiming at newtargets for the long-term storage ofseed collected from the wild andconcentrating on saving plant resourcesfor the future. The same will apply toliving collections, especially in the caseof species with recalcitrant seeds.These are predominant in some of thehumid, tropical ecosystems which will,according to the models, be undersevere threat from climate change.The future of many such species willprobably depend on what botanicgardens can do for them in terms ofcultivation (field gene banks) and eventhe possibility of assisted migrationprovided that new habitats are available.

Climate change will open up furtherfields for research such as reproductivebiology, molecular population genetics,the ecology of colonization of newhabitats but they must not be embracedto the detriment of classical taxonomy.Inventories and classification will still beneeded if knowledge about biodiversityis to be learnt before it is too late.Therefore, the capacity for botanicalexploration must be increased and theskills required for taxonomic revisionand the description of new speciesdeveloped. From a biodiversity point ofview, it has been said that Linnaeusdescribed about 9000 species.Currently, the same number are beingdescribed each year but in order tofinish the catalogue, of even the mostconservative estimates of the totalbiodiversity of the planet, 400 and 500years will be needed. The enormity ofthis task should be appreciated and, inthe face of a new phase of rapid massextinction brought on by climatechange, scientists should urgepoliticians to provide sufficientresources to attend to cataloguing andconserving biodiversity. Indeed, thereshould be a major UN-led programmeto do this but it will be up to thescientific community to propose itperhaps through the climate changeaction plan for plants proposed by theGran Canaria Group. Botanic gardens,as a major world network for plantconservation, can, if they are givensufficient resources in the periodcoming up to 2010 and then beyond,be important contributors to such aprogramme and have a major role infulfilling the task of understanding andconserving the biological diversity of theplanet in the face of climate change.

References

�BGCI, 2000. The Gran CanaryDeclaration calling for a GlobalProgram for Plant Conservation.BGCI, London, UK.

�BGCI & Cabildo de Gran Canaria,2006. The Gran Canary DeclarationII on Climate Change and PlantConservation. BGCI, London, UK &Cabildo de Gran Canaria, LasPalmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.

�Bramwell, D., 2006. Los JardinesBotánicos y el reto del cambioclimático. Rincones del Atlantico3: 244-249.http://www.rinconesdelatlantico.com/num3/botanicos.html accessed25th June, 2007.

�Bramwell, D., 2007. The role ofbotanic gardens and seed banks inbiodiversity conservation after 2010.Ensconet Bulletin in press.

�CBD Secretariat, 2003. GlobalStrategy for Plant Conservation.CBD Secretariat, Montreal, Canada.http://www.cbd.int/programmes/cross-cutting/plant/default.aspaccessed 4th July, 2007.

�ENSCONET, 2007http://www.ensconet.com/accessed 25th June, 2007.

�GENMEDOC, 2007. An inter-regional network of Mediterraneanseed banks.http://www.genmedoc.org/default.htm accessed 25th June, 2007.

�Hernández Bermejo, J.E. &Clemente Muñoz, M., 1996.Strategies and ex situ ConservationTechniques in the Cordoba BotanicGarden: the Germplasm Bank. InProceedings of the ThirdInternational Botanic GardensConservation Congress, Hobson, C.(ed.).http://www.bgci.org/congress/congress_rio_1992/bermejo.htmlaccessed 25th June, 2007.

�Krockenberger A.K., Kitching R.L. &Turton S.M. (eds.). 2004.Environmental crisis, ClimateChange and Terrestrial Biodiversityin Queensland. Report 28.Rainforest CRC, James CookUniversity, Cairns, Australia.

�Lovett, J.C., Midgley, G.F. &Barnard, P., 2005. Climatechange and ecology in Africa.African Journal of Ecology 43:167-169.

�McClean, C.J., Doswald, N., Küper,W. et al., 2006. Potential impacts ofclimate change on Sub-SaharanAfrican plant priority area selection.Diversity and Distributions 12: 645-655.

�Nobre, C. A., 2004. Climate ChangeScenarios and Impacts on theBiomes of South America.WWW.aiaccproject.org/meetings/Buenos_Aires/Nobre accessed 25thJune, 2007

�Roca Salinas, A., Vilches Navarrete,B., Jardim, et al., 2004. TheMacaronesian Seed Bank(BASEMAC). A programme forrational conservation of plantdiversity. In 2nd World BotanicGardens Congress, Barcelona 2004.http://www.bcn.es/medciencies/botanicgardens2004/abstracts/pdf_abstracts/Alicia_Roca_final.pdfaccessed 25th June, 2007http://www.bgci.org/barcelona04/postcongress/oral.html accessed25th June, 2007

�Stern, N., 2006. The Stern Reviewon the Economics of ClimateChange. Cabinet Office, HMTreasury, UK Government.http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm accessed 25thJune, 2007.

�Thomas, C.D., Cameron, A., Green,R.E., et al., 2004. Extinction riskfrom climate change. Nature427:145-148.http://stephenschnieder.stanford.edu/Publications/PDF_Papers/ThomasEtAl2004.pdf, accessed25th June, 2007.

David BramwellJardín Botánico “Viera y Clavijo”Cabildo de Gran Canaria, ElPalmeral 15Tafira Alta, 35017Las Palmas de Gran CanariaCanary Islands, SpainE-mail:[email protected]:http://www.step.es/jardcan/


Right: Lotus

berthelotii

(Lobster Claw)

Jardín Botánico

“Viera y Clavijo”

Canary Island

endemic

(Photo: BGCI)

Introduction

The Millennium Seed Bank Project(MSBP) International Programme is aten year global conservationprogramme (2000-2010), conceivedand managed by the SeedConservation Department at the RoyalBotanic Gardens, Kew (Smith et al.,1998). The two principal aims of theProject are to:

• Collect and conserve 10% of theworld’s wild seed-bearing flora,principally from the drylands, by theyear 2010.

• Develop bilateral research, trainingand capacity-building relationshipsworldwide in order to support andto advance the seed conservationeffort

The MSBP currently works withpartners in around 50 countries acrossfive continents, and its main outputsand activities are: effectivepartnerships, high quality collections;removing researchable constraints;technology transfer and publicawareness.

The focus of the seed collecting andconservation programmes in partnercountries depends on national andinstitutional priorities. In many casesthe emphasis is on the collection ofrare and threatened species towardsachieving Target 8 of the GlobalStrategy for Plant Conservation: ‘60 percent of threatened plant species inaccessible ex situ collections,

preferably in the country of origin, and10 per cent of them included inrecovery and restoration programmes.’

This paper represents a progressreport, including up to date statisticson seed banking of threatened species,problems encountered in achieving thistarget, and case studies of how suchcollections are being used forconservation purposes.

Progress towards Target 8amongst MSBP partners

Table 1 shows progress towardsachieving Target 8 of the GSPCamongst MSBP partner institutionswhere collection and reintroduction ofthreatened species is a central aim ofthe country programme.

For the purposes of this analysis,threatened species include extinct inthe wild, critically endangered,endangered, vulnerable, nearthreatened and data deficient taxa, orcategories equivalent to these. Leastconcern species are not included in theanalysis.

Western Australia is the onlystate/country to have achieved Target 8at the time of writing, with both 70% ofthreatened species conserved, and13% of threatened speciesreintroduced. The United Kingdom hasachieved the threatened speciesconserved target (78%), but not thereintroduction target. MSBP partnercountries that are likely to haveconserved more than 60% of theirthreatened flora ex situ by 2010 are


The Millennium Seed Bank Projectdelivering Target 8 of the GlobalStrategy for Plant Conservation

Authors: Paul P. Smith, Clare Trivedi, Anne Cochrane,Andrew Crawford and Michael Way

Left: Millennium

Seed Bank

scientist at work

Botswana, Namibia and SouthAustralia. Most countries are unlikely toachieve the second part of the Target -10% of threatened species in recoveryand restoration programmes. Thereasons for this are discussed below.

The seed conservation programmewith INIA Chile is typical of an MSBPpartnership. This programme hassuccessfully made over 700 collectionsof seed, of which over 70% of the taxaare endemic to Chile. Amongst thecollections is Menodora linoides(Oleaceae), a shrub which wasconsidered extinct, but was recentlyrediscovered in the wild (see picture,below).

Other endangered species from whichseed has been collected include Daleaazurea (Critically Endangered); Placealutea (Rare); Tigridia phillipiana (Rare);Adesmina resinosa (Vulnerable); and A.balsamica (Rare). Reproductive biologytrials of Dalea azurea are currentlyunderway to ensure that adequatenumbers of seedlings can be re-introduced to the wild in coordinationwith local authorities.

Problems encountered inachieving Target 8

Absence of a red list or up todate, accurate information on

threatened speciesIn MSBP partner

countries such asBurkina Faso,

Mali, Lebanon andJordan no national

red list of plants isavailable to our

institutional partners. Inother countries, such asMadagascar, Kenya,Botswana and Malawi,existing red lists havedeficiencies.

For example, Of the43 taxa on theBotswana red list(Golding, 2002) 22 are

data deficient, 13 havemisspelled author’s or

species names, and 10 namesare either out of date or have

ambiguous taxonomies (Smith &Balding, 2007). In addition, 14 rare,endemic taxa are not on the red list.

The MSBP has tackled this problem byemploying a team of 12 people in KewHerbarium, comprising specimendigitisers, literature researchers,Geographical Information System (GIS)

specialists and conservationassessment officers. This team,working with in-country partners,digitises specimen information whereno up to date red list assessments areavailable in order to producepreliminary conservation assessments.In this methodology specimen datafrom rare or threatened taxa aremapped in a GIS and used to calculateextent of occurrence and area ofoccupancy. From this a preliminary redlist assessment is calculated using asimple algorithm. Where possible,other information is taken into account,such as habitat intactness estimatedfrom satellite imagery, number ofpopulations inside or outside protectedareas etc. In addition, where speciesare designated data deficient or thereare taxonomic problems, the team isable to add new information. To datethe MSBP herbarium team andpartners have produced 4500preliminary conservation assessments(Target 2 of the Global Strategy) in 10countries. The taxa that this analysisidentifies as most threatened areprioritised by MSBP seed collectionteams

Absence of accessible data on thelocality, phenology and identification ofthreatened speciesKnowing the names of your threatenedspecies doesn’t necessarily make iteasy to find and collect seed from


Country/state Species No. of Total no. of Percentage of No. offocus* threatened threatened threatened species

species from species on list species reintroducedwhich seed collectedcollected

Australia -Northern Territory R,T 5 1191 0.5 1China R,T 2 234 1 0Australia-Tasmania R,T 23 734 3 0Austalia-Victoria R,T 39 967 4 5South Africa R,T,U 147 2683 5.5 4Georgia R,T,U 15 156 10 0Australia-New South Wales R,T 56 572 10 2Chile R,T 64 402 16 3Malawi R,T,U 33 206 16 1South Australia R,T 61 356 17 17Namibia R,T,U 8 24 33 7Botswana R,T,U 14 39 36 0Western Australia R,T 259 372** 70 48

815 2618*** 31United Kingdom R,T 219 282 78 5

* R= rare; T= threatened; U= utilitarian ** Declared Rare Flora *** Declared Rare and Priority Flora.

Table 1: Progress towards Target 8 amongst Millennium Seed Bank Project institutional

partners, where threatened species are the focus of seed collecting programmes

Right:

Seed of

Medicago

polymorpha

them. Seed collectors need accuratelocality and phenology information, andthey need plant descriptions andimages in order to recognise the plantwhen they are in the field. To this end,the same specimen information that isused to produce preliminaryconservation assessments can be usedto locate and identify species in thefield. The MSBP herbarium team haveproduced 26 collection guides covering2255 taxa from 10 countries to date.For each taxon covered in a collectingguide there is detailed locality data, aphenology chart showing when theplant is likely to be in seed, a detaileddescription of the taxon, and at leastone image. These guides enable ourseed collectors to be in the right placeat the right time and able to identify thetarget plant.

Absence of infrastructure forprocessing and storage of seedSeed storage for orthodox species(about 90% of plant species) is not ahigh technology procedure. Seedsneed to be dried down to 5-7%moisture content then stored in a coldroom, usually at 4°C for short termstorage or -20°C for long term storage.The drying stage is particularly criticalbecause if a seed is not dry whenfrozen it will be killed. The MSBP hasprovided drying and freezer facilities toca. 30 partner institutions over the pastseven years. Advice has been providedon seed bank design to 19 institutionsin 10 countries worldwide.

Absence of skills enabling collection,handling and storage of seedHaving good facilities and equipment ispointless unless you know how to usethem. For this reason, the MSBP hasexpended a considerable amount oftime, effort and money on trainingpeople in seed conservationtechniques. This training hascomprised formal courses delivered atthe MSB and regionally, exchangetechnical visits to the MSB andinformal training on the job. The mainfocus areas for training have been seedcollecting, seed handling, seedgermination and seed storage. To date,the MSBP has trained 1181 people inseed conservation techniques,including 64 exchange visits and 31PhD programmes.

Constraints associated with using seedin reintroduction programmesThe major challenge associated withTarget 8 is species reintroduction.Few countries carry out speciesreintroduction programmes. This ispartly because reintroductions are seenas a last resort, but also because theycan be expensive and may fail for awide number of reasons (see below).The first step towards using seeds forreintroduction is successfulgermination. The MSB currently carriesout more than 10,000 germination testsa year. Every collection of over 500seeds that is accessioned into thebank is tested for germinability.However, achieving germination is notalways straightforward. For most of thespecies accessioned into the MSBnobody has tried to germinate thembefore. In addition, some taxa exhibitdormancy mechanisms that need to beovercome if successful germination isto result. Dormancy may be physical,morphological or physiological, and notonly does the mechanism have to beelucidated, but procedures for breakingit have to be developed beforegermination can be achieved in thelaboratory or nursery (Baskin & Baskin,1998).

If germination can be achieved,successful establishment in situ doesnot always follow. There are many

reasons for this. Using appropriateecotypes of the right provenance orensuring adequate genetic diversity inreintroduced populations may becrucial (e.g. see Vilas et al., 2006).Microbial symbionts, such as rhizobialbacteria or mycorrhizal fungi may beimportant, as will pollinators, seeddispersers and associated plantspecies. Alternatively, natural attritionthrough disease, predation or droughtmay be enough to knock out smallpopulations of reintroduced species inthe process of acclimation.Western Australia’s Department ofEnvironment and Conservation (DEC)Threatened Flora Seed Centre (TFSC)currently holds 815 (or 31%) of theextant taxa on Western Australia’s 2006Declared Rare and Priority Flora list(see Table 1 above). This includes 70%of the extant taxa on the Declared RareFlora list. These collections have beenmade over a 14 year period from late1992 to the present. The MSBpartnership has enabled the ThreatenedFlora Seed Centre to accession 474 ofthese 815 conservation-listed taxa.Since 1998 DEC has established 48threatened (DRF) plant reintroductions.Thirty-three of these have utilised seedfrom the Threatened Flora Seed Centre.This amounts to 13% of the DeclaredRare Flora being used in recovery.Although TFSC collections of DRF taxaexceed Target 8 of the Global Strategy


Below:

Millennium

Seed Bank

scientist at work

for Plant Conservation, many of theexisting TFSC conservation collectionsare small, and do not adequatelyrepresent the diversity of the taxon.In addition, collections are ofinsufficient size to meet recoveryefforts. Further collection is needed forongoing conservation, maintenance,duplication, distribution and recovery.

Conclusions

The examples above show that Target8 is achievable. The strength of theMSBP network is in the diversity ofexperience and expertise of thepartners. From the increasing numberof examples of reintroductionprogrammes in the literature, it is clearthat for reintroductions to besuccessful, a multidisciplinaryapproach needs to be employed, usingmolecular, ecological and horticulturalknowledge to maximise survival andlong term establishment. In most of theMSBP partner countries, this kind ofexpertise and experience is in shortsupply. The rationale going forward is

to use the expertise that does exist inplaces like Australia to promote bestpractice throughout the network.

This paper has concentrated on thetechnical challenges associated withachieving Target 8. As has beenshown, these are surmountable.The biggest constraints to successremain lack of political will and funding.A technical network such as theMillennium Seed Bank Projectpartnership comes at a cost - £50million to secure 10% of the world’sflora in safe storage in 10 years. Themodel is proven, but further fundingwill be needed to extend the networkfurther, and to start to tackle thetechnical challenges associated withspecies reintroductions and habitatrestoration. The CBD and its signatorygovernments need to enable thetechnicians to get on and achieve thetargets that the CBD has set. TheGSPC is a test of credibility for theCBD – will it ever actually achieveanything useful, or will it remain anexpensive talking shop?


Right:

Collecting

Ecballium

elaterium,

Lebanon

References

�Baskin C.C. & Baskin J.M., 1998.Seeds: ecology, biogeography andevolution of dormancy andgermination. Academic Press, SanDiego/London.

�Golding J.S. (ed.), 2002. SouthernAfrican Plant Red Data List.Southern African Botanical DiversityNetwork Report Series No. 14. pp.135-156. National BotanicalInstitute, Pretoria, South Africa.

�Smith P. P. & Balding S., 2007.The taxonomic impediment toconservation of biodiversity: anexample from Botswana. In prep.

�Smith, R.D, Linington S.H. &Wechsberg G.E., 1998. TheMillennium Seed Bank, theConvention on Biological Diversityand the dry tropics. In: H.D.V.Prendergast, N.L. Etkin, D.R. Harris& P.J. Houghton (eds), Plants forfood and medicine, pp 251-261.Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

�Vilas C., San Miguel E., Amaro R. &Garcia C., 2006. Relativecontribution of inbreedingdepression and eroded adaptivediversify to extinction risk in smallpopulations of shore Campion.Conservation Biology 20(1): 229-238.

Paul P. Smith, Clare Trivedi, AnneCochrane, Andrew Crawford andMichael WaySeed Conservation DepartmentRoyal Botanic Gardens, KewWakehurst Place, ArdinglyWest Sussex, RH17 6TN UKE-mail: [email protected]: http://www.kew.org/msbp/

Editor’s Note: This paper was given atthe 3rd Global Botanic GardenCongress (3GBGC) held in Wuhan,China in April, 2007.

On January 4, 2007, giant snowdrops(Galanthus elwesii) bloomed at theChicago Botanic Garden (CBG). Thisbroke the previous record for earliestsnowdrop bloom date, set in 2006, by25 days. Hundreds of calls were loggedat CBG’s Plant Information Serviceregarding the anomalous bloom time.Ten reporters from local television,radio and newspapers questionedGarden staff about the relationshipbetween global climate change andbloom times. The significant publicresponse to this event underscores theinterest in, and need for, publiceducation on our changing climate andits impact on natural systems.

Ecological changes connected withtrends in increasing temperatures andthe earlier onset of spring are well

documented across the globe usingplant phenology data (Schwartz andReiter, 2000, Abu-Asab et al., 2001,Cayan et al., 2001, Schwartz, 2003).These data are observations ofphenological events (e.g. leafemergence, first flower, peak flowering)recorded each year over an extendedperiod of time. Phenologicalobservations are highly intuitive fromboth interpretation and data collectionstandpoints and are thereforeaccessible to the general public.Nature and science museums, sciencecentres, and botanic gardens andarboreta are well suited to delivercritical science and environmentalcontent in an informal, self-directedmanner. US botanic gardens, oftenwith associated natural areas, enjoy abroad public audience (50 million

visitors per year) and are particularlyappropriate to connect global climatechange concepts to potential impactson plant species and ecosystems.

The Chicago Botanic Garden hasseveral programmes underway or indevelopment to introduce the public toclimate change issues and to engagethem in collecting data relevant topredicting plant responses to climatechange. As illustrated by the snowdropexample, the public is often aware ofclimate effects, but individuals may notconsider their observations scientificallyvaluable. The Garden’s projects willcapture the public’s observations andprovide further opportunities to engagein citizen science. While data collectionactivities in this project are primarilydesigned to educate and involvelearners, the data will also contribute tocritical climate change research andprediction tools. There is precedencefor the efficacy of citizen collected datain several very valuable phenology andplant distribution datasets that are theresult of hobby or volunteerobservations (e.g., Beaubien &Johnson, 1994, Bradley et al., 1999,Fitter & Fitter, 2002, Wolfe et al., 2005,Vitt et al., in review) and each hasfurthered scientific understanding of thenatural world.

Project Budburst

Piloted in 2007, this national project isa collaborative effort developed byseveral organizations, includingChicago Botanic Garden, and


Chicago Botanic Garden’sconservation and outreachefforts on climate change

Authors: Kayri Havens, Pati Vitt, Jennifer Schwarz,Barron Orr and Theresa Crimmins

Above:

Tetraneuris

herbacea.

Species

monitored by

Plants of

Concern

programme

(Photo: Carol

Freeman)

Left: Susanne

Masi (left),

manager of

Plants of

Concern

programme

with a volunteer

monitor (Photo:

Robin Carlson)


universities that are members of theUS National Phenology Network (NPN).The NPN is a network of scientists andeducators that collaborate to facilitatecollection and dissemination ofphenological data to support globalchange research. Project Budburstengages citizen scientists, includingyouth, to record phenologicalobservations, such as first flower, firstleaf, peak flower and others, on awebsite (www.budburst.org). About 60native wildflowers, shrubs and trees,from Eastern Columbine (Aquilegiacanadensis) to California Poppy(Eschscholzia californica), weretargeted in the pilot campaign, butpeople can submit information on anyplant species. A few commonly usedlandscape species, such as Forsythia(Forsythia x intermedia) and Lilac(Syringa vulgaris) and two weeds,Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) andWhite Clover (Trifolium repens) are alsoincluded, so people could participateeven if they could not get out to anatural area. In the first year, nearly

900 observations from 38 states werereceived, the majority submitted bychildren under 12. Next year, it isplanned to expand the website toaccept historical datasets (since manycitizen scientists have volunteered todonate their datasets going backdecades in some cases) and allow datasubmission year round.

Global Climate ChangeMonitoring Gardens

This project, under development for a2008 launch, consists of “globalclimate change monitoring gardens”which will be planted at 13 botanicgardens (Table 1), thus creating anationwide “ecological antenna” wherecitizen scientists record climate dataand a standard set of phenologicalevents. After piloting the monitoringgardens at the 13 botanic gardens,monitoring gardens will be provided tocommunity organizations working withurban and underserved youthaudiences. The monitoring gardens aredesigned to hold genetic varianceconstant and standardize growingconditions. Environmental responsevariables – to be measured byparticipating community youth, gardenvisitors, and scientists – will include:date of first open flower, peakflowering, first fruit ripened, last fruitripened, total flowering period, andfecundity. Each garden will containgenetically-identical cloned plantswhich will act like a network of climatesensors or “phytometers.” The GlobalClimate Change Monitoring (GCCM)gardens will include native species thatare long-lived and exhibit a variety ofbreeding systems. Gardens will alsoinclude both a C3 and a C4 grass;these contrasting photosyntheticpathways are expected to responddifferently to elevated CO2 levels.Target species, including False Indigo(Baptisia australis), Summer Phlox(Phlox paniculata), Bee Balm (Monardafistulosa), Indian Grass, a C4 grass(Sorghastrum nutans), and WesternWheatgrass, a C3 grass (Pascopyrumsmithii), have wide geographic ranges,which allow them to be planted at theparticipating gardens; have floweringtimes that are initiated by temperature,as opposed to daylength; are easy toclone; and are attractive in a gardensetting. Plant responses to the differentclimates of the 13 participating

gardens will allow inferences abouthow the species might respond tofuture climate change. Repeat photoswill be displayed on a project website,enabling website visitors to seephenological changes and patternsthrough time, as well as spatiallyacross all participating sites. This“ecological antenna” will allow thefollowing conservation researchquestions to be addressed: (1) How doclones respond phenologically tovarious bioclimatic zones? (2) Isphenologic behaviour different acrossbioclimatic zones? (3) Canobservations be related to futureclimatic shifts in the region? and, (4)Over time, how do the cloned plantsrespond phenologically to the changingclimate in each of the bioclimatic zoneswhere they are located?

At eight of the 13 gardens, climate andphenological observations in thegardens will be interpreted in a regionaland national context at anaccompanying public access computerkiosk and display, as well as on theproject website available to all. Displayof these products will be accompaniedby additional evidence that representsthe current understanding of howclimate is changing globally. Figure 1illustrates the relationships between theclimate change gardens at botanicgardens, at associated communityorganizations and the programmingteam at University of Arizona.

Right:

Sisyrhinchium

montanum.

Species

monitored by

Plants of

Concern

programme

(Photo: Carol

Freeman)

Above: Card of

Project Budburst

Right:

Platanthera

leucophaea,

Species

monitored by

Plants of

Concern

volunteers

Figure 1. Schematic design ofrelationships and linkages betweenmonitoring gardens, kiosks, servers,data and the University of Arizonaprogramming team (Diagram: AnneThwaits, University of Arizona).

Plants of Concern

The global climate change monitoringgardens will provide information on theresponse of plants in a controlleddesign to different environmentsnationally. It is alos interesting to findout how rare and invasive plantspecies respond, both phenologicallyand demographically, over time in thewild. Plants of Concern (POC), foundedin 2001, is a citizen-science monitoringprogramme designed to collect thesetypes of data on rare plants in thenortheastern Illinois region. To dateover 300 volunteers have monitoredover 400 rare plant populationsrepresenting 145 species. Thevolunteer retention rate over the life ofthe programme is quite high (61%).Volunteer data quality has been verifiedexperimentally, and there were nosignificant differences between staffand volunteer collected data (Vitt,unpublished data).

In 2008, it is planned to expandthe programme, bothgeographically andconceptually, to includeinvasive plant monitoring.Of the many factorsinvolved in theendangerment ofnative plants, invasivespecies rank secondonly to habitat loss,and issues such asnative plant rarity,invasive species, andhabitat destructionare entwined. Manyinvasive speciesthrive in disturbedecosystems, andclimate change is onetype of disturbancethat is predicted toincrease for theforeseeable future. Thuscontinued invasion maybe favoured by climatechange (Dukes & Mooney, 1999), whilerare species are more likely to benegatively impacted.

For the invasive species monitoringcomponent, data on all fields in theNorth American Weed ManagementAssociation (NAWMA, 2007) standardswill be collected, as well as additionalphenological (flowering and fruitingtimes) and demographic (percent of

plants flowering and fruiting,seedling recruitment,

senescence, etc.) data.Species selected forthis study include well-established regionalinvasives andincipient invasivespopular inhorticulture.Aggregate reportdata will allowconservationbiologyresearchers toanswerquestionssuch as: How

fast do theseemerginginvasivespeciesspread, anddoes rate ofspread

change asclimate changes?

Which non-nativespecies are becoming

invasive? Do certain regions (such asurban areas) serve as refugia foremerging invasive species?

Are there certain populationcharacteristics that could help identifyemerging species?

Taken together, these projects leadlearners through one or more, loosely,yet systematically, linked informaleducation opportunities toward anincreasing awareness of how individualbehaviour can affect climate change.Ultimately, it is hoped that individualbehaviour will be influenced to reflectboth an understanding of climatechange and to create awareness that


Far left and left:

Sorghastrum

nutans (Indian

Grass) a C4

grass and target

species for the

Global Climate

Change

Monitoring

Gardens Project

Far left: Taken

from Hitchcock,

A.S., 1950.

Manual of the

grasses of the

United States.

USDA Misc.

Publ. No. 200

Left: Taken

from R.H.

Mohlenbrock,

USDA SCS.

1991. Southern

wetland flora:

Field office

guide to plant

species. South

National

Technical

Center, Fort

Worth.

(Courtesy of

USDA NRCS

Wetland Science

Institute

individuals can positively affect thisenvironmental issue. In addition, theseprojects provide valuable data that theGarden and others will use to improvepredictions about how plant specieswill respond as the climate changes.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank thecollaborators and funders on all ofthese projects. Project Budburstcollaborators include SandraHenderson and Kirsten Meymaris(National Center for AtmosphericResearch), Carol Brewer and BrookeMcBride (University of Montana),Susan Mazer and Brian Haggerty(University of California-Santa Barbara),Sarah Wright (University of Wisconsin)and other members of the NationalPhenology Network. Project Budburstwas funded in 2007 by the Bureau ofLand Management and PlantConservation Alliance. Global ChangeMonitoring Garden collaboratorsinclude Jim Ault and Laura Altergott at

Chicago Botanic Garden and StuartMarsh, Wim van Leeuwen, MichaelCrimmins, Wolfgang Grunberg, andAnne Thwaits at the University ofArizona and participating gardens (seeTable 1). Plants of Concern is managedby Susanne Masi at Chicago BotanicGarden and funded by ChicagoWilderness, State of Illinois

References

�Abu-Asab M, Peterson, P.M.,Shetler, S.G. & Orli, S.S., 2001.Earlier plant flowering in spring as aresponse to global warming in theWashington, DC area. Biodiversityand Conservation 10(4):597-612.

�Beaubien, E.G. & Johnson.D.L.,1994. Flowering plantphenology and weather in Alberta,Canada. International Journal ofBiometeorology 38(1): 23-27.

�Bradley, N.L., Leopold, A.C., Ross,J. & Huffaker. W.,1999. Phenologicalchanges reflect climate change inWisconsin. Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences ofthe United States of America 96(17):9701-9704.

�Cayan, D.R., Kammerdiener, S.A.,Dettinger, M.D., Caprio, J.M &Peterson, D.H., 2001. Changes inthe onset of spring in the westernUnited States. Bulletin of theAmerican Meteorological Society82(3): 399-415.

�Dukes, J.S. & Mooney, H.A., 1999.Does global change increase thesuccess of biological invaders?Trends in Ecology and Evolution14(4): 135-139.http://globalecology.stanford.edu/DGE/Dukes/Dukes_TREE1.pdfaccessed 26th June, 2007.

�Fitter, A.H. & Fitter R.S.R., 2002.Rapid changes in flowering time inBritish plants. Science 296: 1689-1691.

�NAWMA, 2007. North AmericanWeed Management Association.http://www.nawma.org/ accessed26 June, 2007.

�Schwartz, M. D. (ed.), 2003.Phenology: An IntegrativeEnvironmental Science. Springer,New York, USA.

�Schwartz, M.D. & Reiter, B.E., 2000.Changes in North American spring.International Journal of Climatology20: 929-932.

�Vitt, P, Havens, K., Kendall, B.E. &Knight T.M., in review. Community-level management increases theviability of Tomanthera auriculata, aRare Prairie Annual. EcologicalApplications.

�Wolfe, D.W., Schwartz, M.D. Lakso,A.N. et al., 2005. Climate changeand shifts in spring phenology.International Journal ofBiometeorology 49: 303-309.

Kayri Havens, Pati Vitt andJennifer SchwarzInstitute for Plant Biology andConservationChicago Botanic Garden1000 Lake Cook RoadGlencoe, IL 60022Email:[email protected]:http://www.chicagobotanic.org/andBarron Orr and Theresa CrimminsUniversity of Arizona


Above and

far right:

Pascopyrum

smithii (Western

Wheatgrass) a

C3 grass and

target species

for the Global

Climate Change

Monitoring

Gardens Project

Above: Taken

from Hitchcock,

A.S., 1950.

Manual of the

grasses of the

United States.

USDA Misc.

Publ. No. 200)

Far right: Taken

from R.H.

Mohlenbrock,

USDA SCS.

1989. Midwest

wetland flora:

Field office

illustrated guide

to plant species.

Midwest

National

Technical Center,

Lincoln

(Courtesy of

USDA NRCS

Wetland Science

Institute)

Arboretum at FlagstaffBerry Botanic GardenChicago Botanic GardenCincinnati Zoo & Botanic GardenCornell PlantationsDenver Botanic GardenHolden ArboretumMissouri Botanical GardenThe Morton ArboretumNew England Wild Flower Society atGarden in the Woods

North Carolina Botanical GardenSanta Barbara Botanic GardenUniversity of Washington BotanicGarden

Table 1 Global ClimateChange Monitoring Gardenproject partners

Mexico belongs to a natural biologicalregion that extends from southern USAto northern Central America. Thisregion is called ¨MegaMexico 3¨(Rzedowski, 1993). It is characterizedby rich biological diversity, which ismainly restricted to the Mexicanterritory. Mexico is considered amegadiverse country, and is probablythird in the world with 8-12% of theglobal biodiversity (Caldecott et al.,1996; Mittermeier & Mittermeier, 1992).With regard to reptiles, Mexico has themost species in the world, with 717species (Flores, 1993), with regard tomammals, Mexico takes second place,with 456 species and fourth place withregard to amphibians, with 285 species.Finally, Mexico has approximately25,000 plant species (Rzedowski, 1993;Villaseñor, 2003). In addition, theendemism rate in different plant groupsis usually high. For example, of the 900Cactaceae species found in Mexico,687 are endemic. In the Compositae(>3,000 species), the endemism rate isabove 50% (Turner & Nesom, 1997;Villaseñor et al., 1998) and in the

Leguminosae (>2,200 species), theendemism rate is also more than 50%(Sousa & Delgado, 1993).

Unfortunately, this unique biodiversityis rapidly being lost. Official reportspoint out that more than 500,000hectares of natural forest are being lostor severely degraded every year,especially in the S-SE of Mexico. Otherassessments state that the annualdeforestation rate in the country hasreached 1.5 million ha (CCE, 2007) oreven 75,000 to 2 million hectares peryear (Lund et al., 2002). The FAOassessments, since the 80’s estimatedthe loss of 350,000 to 650,000 ha ayear. A recent assessment of thedeforestation in Mexico indicates thatfrom 1976 to 1993, 29,765 km2 offorest was lost and from 1993 to 2000,about 54,306 km2 disappeared.Therefore, the annual deforestation ratehas increased from 175,000 to 775,800ha (Velásquez et al., 2002).

The National Commission ofBiodiversity of Mexico (CONABIO) hasmade important efforts to build asystem of Priority ConservationTerrestrial Regions (RTPs) in thecountry (Arriaga et al., 2000), including151 areas that cover about 500,000km2. However, its biological andenvironmental richness representationis inadequate (Cantú et al., 2004).

So far, the efforts undertaken regardingbiodiversity conservation, with a fewexceptions, have not considered theeffects of global climate change,especially regarding plants. It is onlyrecently that research projects havetried to assess the effects of differentenvironmental conditions caused byglobal climate change on the currentdistribution patterns of plant groups.

Since 2003, the Facultad de EstudiosSuperiores Iztacala (FES, Iztacala),Universidad Nacional Autónoma


Case studies on the effect of climatechange on the flora of Mexico

Authors: O. Téllez, P. Dávila, M. Ayala,K. Gutiérrez & I. Melchor

Above:

Mammillaria

napina in the

Tehuacan-

Cuicatlán

Biosphere

Reserve

(Photo:

Oswaldo Téllez-

Valdés)

Left: Ferocactus

haematacanthus

in theTehuacan-

Cuicatlán

Biosphere

Reserve (Photo:

Oswaldo Téllez-

Valdés)

México (UNAM) have undertakenprojects related to the conservation ofthe natural resources of the arid andsemi-arid regions of Mexico. Theefforts include in situ and ex situconservation and incorporate the goalof assessing the effects of globalclimate change, as a long-termconservation criterion (Téllez-Valdés &Dávila-Aranda, 2003; Villaseñor &Téllez-Valdés, 2004; Téllez-Valdés etal., 2006). Accordingly, three mainprojects are currently being developed:1) Sustainable management andhuman development; 2) Ex situconservation of the natural resourcesof the arid and semi-arid regions ofMexico; 3) Conservation assessments.

These projects target different aspectsrelated to the conservation of naturalresources. In particular conservationassessments aim to assess differentfuture climate scenarios, based on theuse of ecological niche models inwhich the bioclimatic information is themain source of information. Thus, theidea is to evaluate the consequencesof future climate change on theconservation of the flora and to analyzethe role that the RTPs and the NaturalProtected Areas of Mexico are playingto conserve its future biodiversity.

Due to the uncertain magnitude ofclimate change, a comprehensivestudy was undertaken to includevarious proposals that suggest differentscenarios. In particular, the modelincludes information which emergedfrom the IPCC studies (Canziani &Diaz, 1998; Giorgi et al., 1998; Karl,1998; Neilson, 1998) and the Canadiangeneral models of circulation (HadCM2and HadCM2a). A conservativescenario (HHGSDX50), assumes a CO2

increment of 0.5% per year, whereas

the most drastic one(HHGGAX50) proposes aCO2 increment of 1%each year. With thisinformation it is possibleto generate differentscenarios in the countrybetween 2030 and 2100.For instance, 1) aconservative scenariothat considers an increment of 0.5°Cand annual precipitation reduction of10%; (2) an intermediate scenario witha temperature increment of 1-1.5°Cand an annual precipitation reductionof 10%; and 3) a drastic scenario witha temperature increment of 2-2.5°Cand an annual precipitation reductionof 10%.

One of the most important in situprojects is the assessment of theconservation status of endangered orthreatened Cactaceae of the Tehuacan-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve. In thisproject, the distribution patterns andreproductive capacity of these speciesare being evaluated and their habitatand the effects of land use are alsobeing studied. Finally, the effects ofclimate change on their survival and

future distribution patterns, especiallythose species that are more sensitiveto climate conditions, are beingassessed. This Reserve is unique as itrepresents the southernmost semi-aridregion of North America and is one ofthe most diverse areas, with almost3,000 vascular species in an area of10,000 km2. As part of this project,

a database of 5,000 records of 82Cactaceae species growing in thereserve, including 21 that are endemicis being analyzed.

The possible future distribution of theCactaceae species in response toglobal climate change has beenevaluated. The distribution of the 82species of Cactaceae show differentresponses to climate change, bothincrease and reduction (Figures 1 & 2).In general terms, only a few speciesextend their distribution area underclimate change. In fact, almost 95% ofspecies drastically reduce their areasand 50% seem to have no distributionpossibly because they will be extinctby 2100. It is clear also, that most ofthe habitats associated with the latterspecies will also be lost. However, in


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0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

20

Widespread species

Are

alo

st-g

aine

d(%

)

21002025Figure 1. Changes in potential distribution after climate

change scenarios for different widespread species of

Cactaceae in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve

Taxa from left to right:

1. Pachycereus grandis, 2. Hylocereus undatus,

3. Opuntia tomentosa, 4. Opuntia pubescens,

5. Stenocactus crispatus, 6. Pachycereus marginatus,

7. Pachycereus weberi, 8. Cylindropuntia kleiniae,

9. Neobuxbaumia mezcalaensis,

10. Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, 11. Opuntia decumbens

Right:

Mammillaria

crucigera in the

Tehuacan-

Cuicatlán

Biosphere

Reserve (Photo:

Ulises Guzman)

other cases, the area appears tooccupy a more protected region athigher altitudes, where the species canfind a refuge in the Reserve. This effectmight already have occurred in theCuicatlán Canyon, where thedistribution of many columnarCactaceae and their pollinatorscoincides very well.

The differential response to globalclimate change shows interestingresults. There are various species(Mammillaria crucigera, M.huitzilopochtli, M. kraehenbuellii, M.napina and M. pectinifera) with currentrestricted distribution patterns thatseem to be less sensitive to climatechange by showing lower reductionrates, than those with wider patternssuch as Cephalocereus columna-trajaniand Neobuxbaumia tetetzo, which intheory have a higher genetic diversity

and can occupy various habitats withdifferent environmental conditions(unpublished Thesis).

There is also information about thebehaviour of other endemic cactispecies with less than 10 currentlyknown populations (Ferocactushaematacanthus, F. macrodiscus,Mammillaria huitzilopochtli, M.kraehenbuellii, M. napina, M. pectiniferaand Stenocactus crispatus). In thesecases the effects of climate change arealso very interesting. For instance,Mammillaria kraehenbuellii, M. napinaand Ferocactus haematacanthus, havehigh habitat specificity and veryrestricted distribution patterns; the twospecies of Mammillaria showed anincrease in their distribution while F.haematacanthus, even in the drasticscenario, only seemed to have a slightreduction (see Figure 3).

In the future, it is hoped to include datarelating to the dispersion rate of thespecies, as an indicator of their“escaping capacity” to find new andmore adequate habitats, under thepressure of global climate change.In general, the Cactaceae arecharacterized by producing fleshy fruitsthat are dispersed by animals (especiallyinsects, birds and bats), which couldplay an important role for the dispersionof the seeds to other areas, where theycould probably establish and grow.

In addition, there is a current projectwhich aims to regionalize the flora ofthe Baja California Peninsula, on thebasis of the climate and conservationstatus of the species. This Peninsula islocated in northwest Mexico andrepresents an arid region with 0-22 mmof precipitation. In this project priorityareas for conservation usingbioclimatic models are being selectedthat enable the incorporation ofclimate-change scenarios, as animportant tool to assess its long-termconservation value. Within theframework of this project twodatabases have been analyzed.One includes 40,000 records withinformation on about 3,000 vascularplant species. The second has 6,000records of 500 endemic species.

Considering possible future scenariosin different timeframes based on anincrease in temperature from 0.9-1.2ºCand 1.5-2ºC and decrease inprecipitation of about 5-10%, thespecies show different responses tothese changes. However, in generalterms, most of the species seem toshow a drastic reduction of theirdistribution (Figure 4).


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-80

-60

-40

-20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Local endemic species

Are

alo

st-g

aine

d(%

)

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

2020102025

Figure 2. Changes in potential distribution after climate change scenarios for different local and regional endemicspecies of Cactaceae in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve

Taxa from left to right: 1. Cephalocereus columna-trajani, 2. Coryphantha pycncantha, 3. Mammillariakraehenbuehlii, 4. Neobuxbaumia macrocephala, 5. Ferocactus haematacanthus, 6. Mammillaria pectinifera,7. Mammillaria napina, 8. Polaskia chende, 9. Mitrocereus fulviceps, 10. Ferocactus recurvus, 11. Mammillariasupertexta, 12. Echinocactus platyacanthus, 13. Polaskia chichipe, 14. Mammillaria crucigera, 15. Ferocactusrobustus, 16. Ferocactus flavovirens, 17. Mammillaria discolor, 18. Mammillaria huitzilopochtli, 19. Pachycereushollianus, 20. Neobuxbaumia tetetzo, 21. Opuntia parviclada, 22. Mammillaria oteroi, 23. Opuntia tehuacana

Above and left:

Mammillaria

pectinifera in the

Tehuacan-

Cuicatlán

Biosphere

Reserve (Photo:

Irving Rosas-

Ruiz)

It is evident that in most cases, theareas where plant species are currentlyliving will change latitudinally andaltitudinally or the species will evendisappear. Consequently, these modelscan help to propose future in situ andex situ conservation strategies thatassess the long-term role of theprotected areas.

Future projects for 2008

In 2008, the effect of global climatechange on the areas and distributionpatterns of wild relatives of cultivatedplants will be assessed. Mexico is thecentre of origin of several plant speciesthat have been domesticated andplayed an important role as main foodcrops for humans. Wild species ofsome families such as theCucurbitaceae and Gramineae will bestudied in order to propose strategiesthat can mitigate the reduction of theirdistribution or avoid extinction by exsitu conservation.

In addition, conservation priority areasof the drylands of Mexico will bestudied and selected. In this project,FES Iztacala, UNAM will collaboratewith the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,UK through the Millennium Seed Bank.This will assess the effects that globalclimate change will have on thedistribution of species that inhabitMexican drylands and the role thatnatural protected areas can play fortheir long-term conservation. The roleof the Seed Bank of Mexico located atthe FES-Iztacala in the conservation ofthe plant species of the country willalso be evaluated.


For example, a group of species fromthe temperate areas of the Peninsulashow an increase in distribution (Agavedeserti, Astragalus orcuttianus,Eriogonum elongatum, Eriogonumhastatum, Garrya grisea, Ipomopsiseffusa, Ipomopsis guttata, Nolinapalmeri and Quercus peninsularis).However, others that currently have awider distribution that partially enter thedrier zones show a reduction and undera drastic scenario can even disappear.

The effects that climate change willhave on the plant species of the drierareas of the Baja California Peninsulaare diverse, due to the fact that mostof the habitats in which they currentlylive will change. Some groups ofspecies will have a reduced distributionor disappear, even in the less drasticfuture scenarios. However, thosespecies inhabiting more temperateareas will probably be less affected.For instance, it seems that the wetterpine and oak forests, will contract moregradually than the dry habitats.

In summary, it is recognized that mostspecies have only a few alternatives inthe face of climate change. Forinstance, they can 1) migrate toappropriate environmental conditions;

2) adapt to the new environmentalconditions; or 3) become extinct.Evidently, it is expected that theintrinsic capacity of each taxon orgroup of taxa to respond to theseclimate changes, will result in differentbehaviours that can probably beassessed by bioclimatic modeling.Consequently, the results obtained sofar show that the effects of climatechange on the flora of Mexico,although different, is in general termsnegative to the survival of numeroustaxa inhabiting different habitats.

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-40

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0

20

105 15 20 25 30

Species assemblages

Are

alo

st-g

aine

d(%

)

35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 73

40

Figure 4. Percentage ranges of change in potential distribution after climate change scenaria on differentassemblages of species in Baja California, Mexico (numbers refer to assemblages of species).

Figure 3. Maps showing the known and potential distribution of Mammillaria kraehenbuellii in and adjacent tothe Tehuacan-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, and its distribution after several scenaria of climate change between2025-2100.

Biosphere ReserveTehuacan-Cuicatlán

Known records

Current potentialdistribution

Known records

After climatechange 2025

Known records


Known records





Finally, it is worth mentioning theincreased concern of society and theacademic world in relationship toenvironmental issues, including globalclimate change. In many ways theyhave been supportive and havefinanced research activities that areneeded to provide the necessaryinformation. For example, most of thiswork has been supported (2007-2008)by the FES, Iztacala, other UNAMinstitutions, the automotive companyVolkswagen which through itsprogramme ‘For love of the Planet’ hasgranted US$ 100,000 and the RoyalBotanic Gardens, Kew contributed US$50,000.00. Evidently, due to the largesize of Mexico, more funds are neededfor research to understand and if it ispossible, to protect the 25,000-30,000Mexican plant species from globalclimate change.

References

�Arriaga L., Espinoza, J.M., Aguilar,C. et al. (Coordinadores), 2000.Regiones Terrestres Prioritarias deMéxico. Comisión Nacional para elConocimiento y Uso de laBiodiversidad, México.

�Caldecott, J.O., Jenkins, M.D.,Johnson, T.H. & Groombridge, B.,1996. Priorities for Conserving GlobalSpecies Richness and Endemism.Biod. and Cons. 5: 699-727.

�Cantú, C., Wright, R.G., Scott, J.M. &Strand, E., 2003. Assessment ofcurrent proposed nature reserves ofMexico based on their capacity toprotect geophysical features andbiodiversity. Biol. Cons. 115: 411-417.

�Canziani, O.F. & Diaz, S., 1998. LatinAmerica. Pages 187–230 In: R.T.Watson, M.C. Zinyowera, R.H. Mossand D.J. Dokken (eds.). The regionalimpacts of climate change: anassessment of vulnerability. Specialreport of the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change WorkingGroup II. Cambridge UniversityPress, Cambridge, UK.

�CCE, 2007. Consejo CoorindinadorEmpresarial, 2007.http://www.cce.org.mx

�Flores, V.O., 1993. Herpetofauna ofMexico: Distribution and Endemism.Pages 253-280. In: Ramamoorthy,T.P., R. Bye, A. Lot, F. Fa (eds.).Biological Diversity of Mexico:Origins and Distribution. OxfordUniversity Press, New York. USA.

�Giorgi, F., Meehl, G.A., Kattenberg,A. et al., 1998. Simulated changesin vegetation distribution underglobal warning. Pages 427–437 In:R.T. Watson, M. C. Zinyowera, R.H.Moss and D.J. Dokken (eds.). Theregional impacts of climate change:an assessment of vulnerability.Special report of theIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange Working Group II.Cambridge University Press,Cambridge, UK.

�Karl, T.A., 1998. Regional trends andvariation of temperature andprecipitation. Pages 411–425. In:R. T. Watson, M.C. Zinyowera, R.H.Moss and D.J. Dokken (eds.). Theregional impacts of climate change:an assessment of vulnerability.Special report of theIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange Working Group II.Cambridge University Press,Cambridge, UK.

�Lund, H.G., Torres, V., Turner, A. &Wood, L., 2002. México. Análisiscrítico de los estimados disponiblesde deforestación. USAID-SEMARNAT.

�Mittermeier, R.A. & Mittermeier,C.G., 1992. La Importancia de laDiversidad Biológica de México. In:J. Sarukan, and R. Dirzo (eds.).México ante los retos de laBiodiversidad. CONABIO, México.

�Neilson, R.P. 1998. Simulation ofregional climate change with globalcoupled climate models andregional modelling techniques.Pages 439–456 In: R.T. WatsonM.C. Zinyowera, R. H. Moss, and D.J. Dokken (eds.). The regionalimpacts of climate change: anassessment of vulnerability. Specialreport of the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change WorkingGroup II. Cambridge UniversityPress, Cambridge, UK.

�Rzedowski, J. 1993. Diversity andorigins of the phanerogamic Flora ofMexico. Pages 129-146. In:Ramamoorthy, T.P., R. Bye, A. Lot, F.Fa (eds.). Biological Diversity ofMexico: Origins and Distribution.Oxford University Press, New York.USA.

�Sousa, S.M. & Delgado, S.A., 1993.Mexican Leguminosae:Phytogeography, endemism andorigins. Pages 459-512. In:Ramamoorthy, T.P., R. Bye, A. Lot, F.

Fa (eds.). Biological Diversity ofMexico: Origins and Distribution.Oxford University Press, New York.USA.

�Téllez-Valdés, O. & Dávila-Aranda,P., 2003. Protected Areas andClimate change: A case study of thecacti of the Tehuacán-CuicatlánBiosphere Reserve, México. Cons.Biol. 17: 846-853.

�Téllez-Valdés, O., Dávila-Aranda, P.& Lira-Saade, R., 2006. The effectsof climate change on the long-termconservation of Fagus grandifoliavar. mexicana, an important speciesof the Cloud Forest in EasternMexico. Biod. and Cons. 15: 1095-1107.

�Turner, B.L. & Nesom, G.L., 1997.Biogeografía, diversidad y situaciónde peligro o amenaza de Asteraceaede México. Págs. 545-561. In:Ramamoorthy, T.P, R. Bye, A. Lot &J. Fa. (eds.). Diversidad Biológica deMéxico. Orígenes y Distribución.Instituto de Biología UniversidadNacional Autónoma de México,México D. F. Mexico.

�Velásquez, A., Mas, J.F., Díaz-Gallegos, J.R. et al., 2002. Patronesy tasas de cambio de uso del sueloen México. Gaceta 62: 21-37.Instituto Nacional de Ecología.SEMARNAT, México.

�Villaseñor J.L.,2003. Diversidad ydistribución de las Magnoliophytade México. Interciencia 28: 160-167.

�Villaseñor, J.L., Ibarra, G. & Ocaña,D., 1998. Strategies for theConservation of Asteraceae inMexico. Cons. Biol. 12: 1066-1075.

�Villaseñor, J.L. & Téllez-Valdés, O.,2004. Distribución potencial de lasespecies del género Jefea(Asteraceae) en México. Anales Inst.Biol. Univ. Nac. México, Ser. Bot.75: 205-220.

O. Téllez, P. Dávila, M. Ayala,K. Gutiérrez & I. MelchorLaboratorio de Recursos NaturalesUBIPROFacultad de Estudios Superiores,Iztacala (FES, Iztacala)Universidad Nacional AutónomaMéxico (UNAM), Av. de los Barrios1, Los Reyes, TlalnepantlaEstado de México, 54090. Ap.postal 314, MexicoE-mail: [email protected]: http://www.iztacala.unam.mx/index.php


The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh(RBGE) in Scotland holds livingcollections of 15,600 species acrossfour gardens, over 2.5 millionpreserved herbarium specimens, andprovides expertise in the science ofbotanical diversity, e.g. taxonomy,systematics, evolutionary biology,population genetics and conservationbiology of plants and fungi. Thisrepresents a valuable scientificresource directly relevant to majorchallenges posed by climate change.Human-induced global warming willsignificantly threaten levels ofbiodiversity (Hannah et al., 2002;Parmesan & Yohe, 2003; Travis, 2003;Thuiller et al., 2005) with concerns overthe subsequent loss of ecosystemservices - biological resources,environmental services and ecosystemfunction (Hooper et al., 2005; Diaz etal., 2006; see Figure 1).

This importance of biodiversity as thenatural framework underpinning socialand economic sustainability isinternationally recognized and waslegally ratified by the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD Secretariat,2007) and its lower-level frameworks(Europa, 2007; UK Biodiversity ActionPlan, 2007); accordingly, biodiversityscience provides a fundamental linkbetween the physical process ofclimate change and subsequentimpacts on social and economic well-being (Figure 1).

Climate change science at RBGE canbe grouped into three interrelatedthemes: prediction, monitoring andevolutionary response (Fig. 2). RBGEresearch uses statistical models topredict the impacts of climate changeon biodiversity (e.g. the response ofspecies to IPCC scenarios) indicatingwhich species or vegetation types maybe threatened by climate change andshould be closely monitored orprotected (e.g. by translocation or themitigation of other stresses).Monitoring seeks to observe theresponse of sensitive elements ofScottish biodiversity to climate change,providing a robust measure of changein the flora, and identifyingopportunities for mitigation. However,monitoring is itself an importantmechanism with which to verify modelprojections and thereby calibrate andimprove the predictive ability ofmodelling studies. Prediction andmonitoring thus describe the impactsof climate change on species,

providing a base-line for conservationstrategies (e.g. adaptation andmitigation); however, at a fundamentallevel the impact of climate change onbiodiversity will be determined bypopulation genetic processes (e.g.metapopulation dynamics and theability of species to migrate throughfragmented landscapes and thepotential for genetic adaptation todifferent and possibly novel climates).This work is supported by research intothe effect of past climate change onvegetation structure and function(Brncic et al., 2006. Ellis & Rochefort,2004, 2006).

Figure 2 Research themes at RBGEwhich provide a base-line for strategiesto mitigate the impact of climate or forspecies to adapt to climate changeimpact, adaptation and mitigation.

A number of individual research projectsdealing with climate change are nowwell-developed and others are in the‘development stage’ (project planning,grant applications pending etc.).

BGCI • 2007 • BGjournal• Vol 4 (2) • 22-2522

Research on biodiversity and climatechange at the Royal Botanic GardenEdinburgh

Authors: Christopher Ellis and Mary Gibby

Climate Change

Biodiversity

Sustainability

Biological resources:genetic variationmedicinal productsfood

Environmental services:clean air, water etc

Ecosystem function:land-atmospherechemical flux

Monitoring

Prediction Evolutionary Response

Figure 1 Biodiversity science is anessential link between the process ofclimate change and futureenvironmental, social and economicsustainability – it is the naturalframework supporting ecosystemprocesses and services.

Phenology Programme

Phenology is the study of recurringseasonal events, such as flowering andleaf-fall in plants and hibernation andmigration in animals. Parameters suchas the date and duration of floweringcan be compared with climaticparameters such as temperature, rainfalland humidity to see if there is anycorrelation. Phenological research atRBGE dates back to 1850, when theCurator, James McNab first recordedthe flowering dates of more than 40species. The current phenologyprogramme at RBGE has been runningfor the past five years and involvesrecording the frequency and duration offlowering and stages with eachflowering season and changes in foliagefor over a hundred species. These datawill increase the understanding of themechanism in plants which responds toclimate changes and will enablescientists to predict how plants willrespond to climate change. Over thepast five years early spring has beengetting warmer and some spring-flowering plants flower more than twoweeks earlier (see Figure). It is a uniqueexperimental opportunity comprisingplants from regions across the world,growing at a single site, and subject tothe same approximate climatic variation.

The phenology programme based atRBGE is in collaboration between staffand research associates in the Scienceand Horticulture Divisions andvolunteers. The programme includes adaily monitoring project, a weeklymonitoring project and the specialexamination of Rhododendron species.These studies include the development

of semi-quantitative rapid-surveymethods for monitoring phenologicalcharacters (Harper et al., 2004; Harper& Morris, 2006).

The Scottish Forestry PhenologyProject aims to establish a network ofsites based on RBGE’s climaticallycontrasting Scottish gardens (atEdinburgh, Dawyck, Logan andBenmore) and including DundeeBotanic Garden. The details of theproject remain to be resolved, though itis envisaged that it would beundertaken in collaboration with keystakeholders in Scottish forestry andwould provide information relevant tothe forest industry (i.e. phenology ofmaterial of known genetic stock underdifferent climatic conditions).

The International Phenology GardensProject is coordinated by HumboldtUniversity (Berlin), with sitesthroughout continental Europe. Theproject monitors the phenology ofcloned material for a range of treespecies. RBGE is currently establishinga site at its garden at Dawyck which,for Scotland, has an unusual coolcontinental climate and will provideimportant new data for the project.

Cryptogam projects

A significant body of climate relatedresearch focuses on monitoring andpredicting the impact of climate changeon Scottish cryptogams. Cryptogamspecies (i.e. mosses, liverworts, lichens,fungi and ferns) are one of Scotland’smost important contributions tointernational biodiversity (Mackay et al.,2001; Gibby, 2003). RBGE studies

include research to optimise patterns ofhabitat structure (e.g. patterns ofwoodland isolation and connectivity)aimed at ensuring the effectiveresponse of Scotland’s internationallyimportant cryptogam communities tofuture climate change (Ellis & Coppins,2006, 2007a, 2007b).

Snow-bed ferns: In the UK, the fernAthyrium distentifolium is expected tobe threatened by the effects of climatechange. It is restricted to areas of latesnow lie in the Scottish mountains and acurrent research monitoring programmehas already shown that populations canbe devastated by reduced snow coverin winter (McHaffie, 2006). The Scottishendemic Athyrium distentifolium var.flexile differs in its reproductive capacityfrom A. distentifolium (e.g. producingripe spores earlier in the season), and itmay show a different response to thechanges in climate (McHaffie et al.2001).

Species-response: Research usingpredictive models to examine theprojected response of lichen species toclimate change, including theinteraction between climate-responseand habitat structure (i.e. patch extent,fragmentation and limits to dispersal).This predictive information aims toguide the decision making process fora long-term conservation strategy.Greater understanding of the interactionbetween climate and habitat is essentialin developing mitigation strategies forsustainable forestry projects.

Climate indicators: Lichens arepopularly applied as sensitivebioindicators. Research currently in thedevelopment phase is seeking to setup a network of monitoring sites, toexamine the response of lichen speciesto changes in climate. Selectedspecies will potentially include sensitivearctic-alpine elements of Scotland’smontane flora. This project will beestablished to complement studies inspecies-response (above), contributingto calibrating predictive models.

Snow-bed bryophytes: A new study iscurrently setting up long-termpermanent plots, aimed at monitoringthe response to climate change ofScotland’s bryophyte-rich snow-bedcommunities. The study is inpartnership with Scottish Natural


Left:

Rhododendrons

at Gang Ho Ba,

Hengduan Mts,

Yunnan

(Photo: RBGE)

Heritage.Molecular Projects

Molecular ecology at RBGE continuesto make an international contribution tobiodiversity research and conservation,and this research programme has beenextended to address geneticadaptation to climate change andpossible mitigation of the effects of thechanges in climate.

Bluebells: A project examining theecology of native and non-nativebluebells includes experimental work toexamine the competitive performanceof different species along climaticgradients. The study aims to broadenthe debate from a single species-response to climate change to a greaterunderstanding of species interactions.It also provides an important practicalassessment for the potential effects ofclimate change on a threatened nativeand non-native species.

Gene Flow and adaptation: Existingmolecular studies use data to examinethe potential of species to adapt toenvironmental change (i.e. throughsexual reproduction and selection).Populations might acquire adaptivevariation from elsewhere (i.e. theremight be a potential to introducegenetic variation from other populationsof the species either artificially ornaturally if seeds/pollen can travel overlarge distances). Molecular studies canexamine the dispersal ability of specieswhich will estimate their potential tomigrate through patchy or fragmentedhabitats in response to changedclimate. Recently such studies havefocussed on conservation priorityspecies. The current programme isexamining diversity in species ofScotland’s Caledonian pinewoods incollaboration with the MacaulayInstitute and Scottish Crops ResearchInstitute. This addresses the amount ofclimate related genetic variationbetween and among populations and

the in situ adaptive capacity of species,i.e. can adaptive variation relevant tocontrasting climates be dispersedacross a species’ range?

Flora projects

Flora projects contribute principallytowards RBGE’s commitment tobiodiversity research and education.However, a number of projects haverecently adapted this role to providedata relevant to climate changeresearch.

Socotra: Research on the flora ofSocotra has included student projectsto examine the effect of climate changeon areas of relict woodland (includingsites on the Yemen mainland). However,the climate of Socotra is stronglycontrolled by small-scale topographicvariation (e.g. effect of altitude), whichcombined with a lack of high resolutionclimatic data make this type of researchespecially challenging. The team arepursuing opportunities aimed atimproving the predictive potential ofclimate-response models, and continueto work with local communities onissues relating to climate change andsustainable land-use.

Nepal: The flora of Nepal project hasexpanded its data collection fromtaxonomically relevant morphologicalcharacters to include additionalspecies functional traits. These dataare potentially relevant to monitoringand predicting the response of thevegetation structure and ecosystemfunction to climate change, and havestrong potential for an integrated studywith the phenology project (above). Theteam have established strong links inNepal and they provide botanicalexpertise to organisations undertakingstudies to investigate and mitigate theeffect of climate change on plants (e.g.IUCN Nepal and WWF Nepal). Theteam are working with the BritishCouncil in Nepal to facilitateeducational events that aim to promoteclimate change awareness, and withsupport from Darwin Initiative fundingfor 2007/2008 will supervise aNepalese MSc student in a climatechange study.

Tropics: The tropical group usephylogenetics and population geneticsto understand how tropical species

have responded to past environmentalchange. This includes palaeoecologicaldata to examine the response ofvegetation structure and function topast human socio-economy andclimate change, as well as comparingreconstructed speciation rates to pastperiods of environmental change. Theirprojects examine the evolutionarypotential of species to adapt andrespond to climate change in the long-term (Pennington et al., 2005).

China: 1. Professor Yang Yong-ping,Deputy Director of Kunmimg Instituteof Botany, is developing a long-termmonitoring project to examineenvironmental change in the HengduanMountains of China. The foundation forthis work is the capture of informationon all the plant records from the region,through digitisation and databasing ofherbarium records. With its richcollections of plants from Yunnan,dating back over 100 years, RBGE willbe a partner in this project to provideinformation from our collections. 2.This work will be underpinned bycurrent research on palaeoecology,vegetation history and climate changefrom the Quaternary to the present day.This research is a collaboration ofRBGE with Professor Li Cheng Senand his students at the Institute ofBotany, Beijing. 3. Finally, the RBGEarchive collections of photographs ofYunnan by George Forrest thatillustrate past vegetation distributionsand extent of glaciers will alsocontribute to the project.

Other resources

RBGE also provides indirect thoughimportant contributions to climatechange science, for example:

Archives: RBGE photographic archiveshave been used by internationalscientists in time series studiesexamining landscape change (e.g. thealtitudinal migration of floristic zones,


-30

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

200720062005200420032002

Ind

ex(d

ay/t

axon

late

rth

anin

2002

)

Edinburgh Spring Index

Right:

The Edinburgh

Spring Index

takes an average

of first-flowering

dates for a

selection of

spring flowers.

This graph

shows the

average number

of days by which

the first-

flowering dates

are earlier than

2002

Right:

Volunteers

Sandra Stewart

(left) and Lyn

Blades monitor

plants each

week (Photo:

RBGE)

or shifts in glacial features). Suchstudies include scientists from theJoint Nature Conservancy Council (UK)and Lakehead University (Ontario,Canada), and Kunming Institute ofBotany. The archives also house amassive amount of phenological data(1906-1939) which has been extractedand examined by University ofEdinburgh researchers.

Diatoms: RBGE undertakesfundamental research in the systematicsand identification of diatoms. Diatomsare photosynthesising, microscopicalgae; they have a siliceous skeletonand are found in almost every aquaticenvironment including fresh and marinewaters and soils. Diatoms provide oneof the most powerfulpalaeoenvironmental indicators and areused in palaeoclimatic studies as thebasis into knowledge of the climatesystem. Principal palaeoresearchgroups both in the UK andinternationally consult with thetaxonomic work carried out at RBGE, inorder to resolve and interpretpalaeoenvironmental records.

Education

Climate change is a rapidly developingtheme in RBGE’s programme ofeducation and public outreach. With itspopularity and range of visitors, RBGEis uniquely placed to engage in widerpublic education and discussion onclimate change issues. The GatewayProject under development will includeas part of its major thematic events andexhibitions: ‘Climate Change –Scotland’ and ‘Climate Change –Global’.

References

�Brncic, T.M., Willis, K.J., Harris, D.J.& Washington, R., 2006. Culture ofclimate? The relative influences ofpast processes on the compositionof the lowland rainforest.Philosophical Transactions of theRoyal Society 362B: 229-242.

�CBD Secretariat, 2007. Conventionon Biological Diversity.http://www.cbd.int/default.shtmlaccessed 4th July, 2007.

�Diaz, S., Fargione, J., Chapin, F.S. &Tilman, D., 2006. Biodiversity lossthreatens human well-being. PublicLibrary of Science, Biology 4: 1300-1305.

�Ellis, C.J. & Coppins, B.J., 2006.Contrasting functional traits maintainlichen epiphyte diversity in responseto climate and autogenic succession.Journal of Biogeography 33: 1643-1656.

�Ellis, C.J. & Coppins, B.J., 2007a.Climate change and historicwoodland structure interact to controlfuture diversity of the Lobarionepiphyte community in Scotland.Journal of Vegetation Science 18:725-734.

�Ellis, C.J. & Coppins, B.J., 2007b.Predicted response of the lichenepiphyte Lecanora populicola toclimate change scenarios in a clean-air region of northern Britain.Biological Conservation 135: 396-404.

�Ellis, C.J. & Rochefort, L., 2004.Century-scale development of HighArctic polygon-patterned tundrawetland, Bylot Island (73 oN). Ecology85: 963-978.

�Ellis, C.J. & Rochefort, L., 2006.Long-term sensitivity of a High Arcticwetland to Holocene climate change.Journal of Ecology 94: 441-454.

�Europa, 2007. Habitats Directive(92/43/EEC)http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/nature_conservation/eu_nature_legislation/habitats_directive/index_en.htm accessed 7th July, 2007.

�Gibby, M., 2003. Overview of Scottishplant conservation: problems,research needs and policy issues.Botanical Journal of Scotland 55: 1-5.

�Hannah, L., Midgeley, G.F., Lovejoy,T., et al., 2002. Conservation ofbiodiversity in a changing climate.Conservation Biology 16: 264-268.

�Harper, G.H., Mann, D.G. &Thompson, R.,2004. Phenologicalmonitoring at the Royal BotanicGarden Edinburgh. Sibbaldia 2:33-45.

�Harper, G.H. & Morris, L., 2006.Flowering and climate change – partI. Sibbaldia 4: 71-86.

�Hooper, D.U., Chapin, F.S., Ewel, J.J.,et al., 2005. Effects of biodiversity onecosystem functioning: a consensusof current knowledge. EcologicalMonographs 75: 3-35.

�McHaffie, H.S., Legg, C.J. & Ennos,R.A., 2001. A single gene withpleiotropic effects accounts for theScottish endemic taxon Athyriumdistentifolium var. flexile. NewPhytologist 52: 491 – 500.

�McHaffie, H. S., 2006. Alpine LadyFerns: are they suffering with climatechange? Pteridologist, 4: 162-164.

�Mackay, E.C., Shaw, P., Holbrook, J.et al., 2001. Natural Heritage Trends:Scotland 2001. Scottish NaturalHeritage, Perth.

�Parmesan C. & Yohe, G., 2003. Aglobally coherent fingerprint ofclimate change impacts acrossnatural systems. Nature 421: 37-42.

�Pennington , R.T., Lavin, M., Prado,D.E., Pendry C.A. & Pell, S., 2005.Climate change and speciation inneotropical seasonally dry forestplants. In: Y. Malhi & O.L. Phillips(eds.), Tropical forests and globalatmospheric change. pp. 199-214.Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

�Thuiller, W., Lavorel, S., Araújo, M.B.et al., 2005. Climate change threatsto plant diversity in Europe.Proceedings of the NationalAcademy of Science 102: 8245-8250.

�Travis, J.M.J., 2003. Climate changeand habitat destruction: the deadlyanthropogenic cocktail. Proceedingsof the Royal Society, London B 270:467-473.

�UK Biodiversity Action Plan, 2007.http://www.ukbap.org.uk/

Christopher Ellis and Mary GibbyRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh20A Inverleith RowEdinburgh EH3 5LR UKE-mail: [email protected]: www.rbge.org.uk


Left: Dracaena

cinnabari,

Dragon’s blood

woodland in

Socotra (Photo:

RBGE)

Below:

Part of James

MacNab’s

register of first

flowering dates

(extract from

Transactions of

the Botanical

Society of

Edinburgh,

vol. V, part III,

p. 173)

Climate change has become a majorissue of concern for governments andinternational agencies over the last fewyears as the realization has grown thatclimate change is becoming a reality,rather than what might have beenperceived in the past as an illconsidered ‘doomsday’ prediction bysome scientists and environmentalists.With this growing concern, publicopinion and understanding of climatechange issues has heightened too.This is partly as a result of apparentlyincreasingly unpredictable weatherpatterns in many parts of the world,which are attributed to climate change(although it is often unclear whetherthis is really always the case). Whileclimate change is now seen as a realitythat must be addressed as a commonconcern of humanity, there is, by andlarge, still seriously little concern for itsimpact on biodiversity in general andplants in particular.

In a foreword to Ireland’s NationalClimate Change Strategy 2007-2012published this year, the Irish PrimeMinister (Taoiseach), Bertie Ahern T.D.,recognized that ‘Climate change isamong the greatest challenges of ourtime’ (Government of Ireland, 2007).Nevertheless the Strategy itself payslittle attention to the impact of climatechange on Ireland’s biodiversity butinstead concentrates on issues suchas energy supplies, transport, industry,agriculture and waste – although itdoes acknowledge that “ecosystemsare vulnerable to climate change withthe risk of extinction for certain

species, loss of tundra and certainforest areas”. In its section onAgriculture, Land-use and Forestry,the Irish Plan recognized that extensiveplanting of broad-leaved trees andhedgerows can help to contribute tocarbon sequestration, but does notconsider whether the species plantedmay themselves be impacted byclimate change in the future.

At the international level specificproposals and actions are howevernow being considered to address thethreats to biodiversity from climatechange. For example, the UNConvention on Biological Diversity(CBD) at its forthcoming meeting of the

Subsidiary Body on Scientific,Technical and Technological Advice(SBSTTA 12) in Paris in July 2007 willinclude climate change and biodiversityas an agenda item, supported by adiscussion document prepared by theCBD’s Executive Secretary, thatproposed the integration of climatechange activities within theprogrammes of work of theConvention, including options formutually supportive actions addressingclimate change within each one of theRio Conventions(CBD Secretariat,2007a). In addition, the MillenniumEcosystem Assessment identifiednumerous links between biodiversityand climate change (Millennium


The potential impact of climatechange on native plant diversityin Ireland

Author: Peter S. Wyse Jackson

Right: View of

National Botanic

Gardens of

Ireland (Photo:

BGCI)

Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). Theseinitiatives recognized that to integratebiodiversity and climate change actionsit will be necessary to:

a) Identify vulnerable regions, sub-regions and ecosystem types,including the components ofbiodiversity within these areas;

b) Assess the threats and likely impactsof climate change on biodiversity inthe vulnerable areas identified;

c) Evaluate the climate changeadaptation and mitigation optionsand measures proposed in relationto impacts on biodiversity, and

d) Implement and monitor the impacton biodiversity of adaptation andmitigation plans and measuresadopted.

The CBD has also convened severalmeetings of an Ad Hoc TechnicalExpert Group on Biodiversity andClimate Change, which has developeda methodology to evaluate the risks tobiodiversity from climate change,results of which are included in theCBD Technical Series No. 25. TheCBD has also prepared a furtherimportant document in relation toclimate change and biodiversity whichinclude abstracts of important casestudies contributed by expertsworldwide, to support the SBSTTAmeeting in Paris in July 2007 (CBDSecretariat, 2007b). In that publicationthe United Nations Secretary General,Ban Ki-Moon, noted that it isappropriate that the 2007 InternationalBiological Diversity Day should focuson “Biodiversity and Climate Change”as integrating the mutual concerns ofboth will be fundamental to theachievement of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals.

Despite the above developments, thespecific issue of climate change andplant conservation has been littleconsidered to date. However, TheGran Canary Declaration II on ClimateChange and Plant Conservation is animportant new awareness-raisingexercise and call to action, drawingnew attention to the urgency ofaddressing plant loss as a result ofclimate change (BGCI & Cabildo deGran Canaria, 2006). The Gran CanariaDeclaration II also provides a useful listof taxa that may be most significantlyimpacted by climate change:

• Taxa with nowhere to go, such asmountain tops, low-lying islands,high latitudes and edges ofcontinents;

• Plants with restricted ranges suchas rare and endemic species;

• Taxa with poor dispersal capacityand/or long generation times;

• Species that are susceptible toextreme conditions such as flood ordrought;

• Plants with extreme habitat/nichespecialisation such as narrowtolerance to climate-sensitivevariables;

• Taxa with co-evolved or synchronousrelationships with other species;

• Species with inflexible physiologicalresponses to climate variables;

• Keystone taxa important in primaryproduction or ecosystem processesand function; and

• Taxa with direct value for humans orwith potential for future use.

Internationally, significant efforts arecontinuing to improve and refine thequality of global and regional climatechange models. The Irish ClimateChange Strategy says that sustainedefforts will be required in Ireland tomaintain and develop climate modelingand down scaling capacity in order toensure that these improvements informdecision-making at national and locallevels. To date in Ireland there have notbeen significant high-resolution studiesundertaken to measure the potentialimpact of climate change on plantdiversity, applying the climate changemodels in a quantitative way to reviewlikely changes in the Irish flora andecosystems.

Predicted changes in Ireland’s climateas a result of climate change include:

• Rises in the mean annualtemperatures: between 1890 and2004 mean annual temperatures inIreland rose by over 0.7°C and six ofthe ten warmest years during thisperiod have occurred since 1995.Predicted scenarios suggest that by2050 there will be an increase ofJanuary temperatures of 1.5°C inIreland and July temperatures of2.5°C.

• Changes in rainfall and precipitationpatterns: a marked reduction ofbetween 25% and 40% in summerrainfall is also possible, according topredictions, as well as perhapssome winter rainfall increases.

• More frequent storms: Thefrequency of severe storms comingto Ireland from the Atlantic Oceanmay increase by about 15%.

• Increase in extreme weather events:such as floods, droughts, heatwaves etc.

In 2005, work began in Ireland todevelop and subsequently toimplement a National PlantConservation Strategy (NationalBotanic Gardens, Ireland, 2007). ThisStrategy proposed a set of targets,actions, milestones and indicators forIreland to fulfill its obligations under theGlobal Strategy for Plant Conservation(GSPC) as part of its commitments tothe CBD (CBD Secretariat, 2003).

In order to contribute towards thisNational Strategy, this author undertooka preliminary qualitative assessment ofthe possible impact of climate changeon the native Irish flora, with the aim ofobtaining a clearer view of the possible(or even likely changes) in the Irish floracomposition over the next c.50 yearsand to help inform conservation


Below:

Sustainability

workshop for

school children

at the National

Botanic Gardens

of Ireland and a

Child’s

illustration of

climate change

from the

workshop

priorities and measures needed forplant diversity conservation in Ireland.A total of 850 native plant species wereassessed in relation to the list of criteriafor Climate Change-vulnerable taxagiven in the Gran Canaria Declaration II(above) and the predicted changes inthe Irish climate. The results of thisassessment are given below. It isstressed however that this is a‘qualitative’ assessment only and theresults should be regarded as verypreliminary. It is urgent therefore thatan experimental approach to theassessment of climate change-vulnerable taxa is applied in Ireland andelsewhere in order to develop predictivemodels for specific plants and groupsof plants. Such models can then beused to support and inform betterdecision-making and to guide the plantconservation measures undertaken.The potential role of botanic gardens inundertaking such research studiesshould also be stressed, utilizing theirex situ collections and wide rangingfacilities for scientific study, as well asfor plant cultivation, propagation andlong-term monitoring.

The situation in Ireland

It is suggested that the plant speciesthat will be most heavily impacted byclimate change in Ireland are thefollowing:

• Species that are already threatenedin Ireland due to a variety of factorsand reasons

• Species that occur in restricted orvulnerable habitats (such as ‘alpine’type habitats in the mountains,coastal sites, peatlands and otherwetlands, wetland margins etc).

• Species that are particularly proneto loss due to competition frominvasive alien plants.

• Species that may be adverselyaffected by related changes to thebiodiversity in their ecosystems as aresult of climate change (such asloss of pollinators, seed dispersalagents etc).

The spread of new pathogens, such asnew insect pests, vectors anddiseases, may also be an increasingconsequence of climate change andhave an impact on native plantdiversity. However, the prediction ofwhat will be the result of these onspecific plant species is difficult topredict and has not been included inthis assessment.

Using these criteria an assessment hasbeen made as to whether each nativespecies (vascular plants only) in theIrish flora is likely to be impacted byclimate change in a detrimental way ornot. The impacts on specific speciesare not listed here and only a summaryof the overall results of the study areprovided. A list of threatened plants inIreland provided on the website of theNational Botanic Gardens(www.botanicgardens.ie) was used forreference to review whether alreadyrare or endangered native plants wouldbe further threatened by climatechange. No species is currentlyincluded in this list on the basis that itis threatened by climate change.Eleven species (1%) of the Irish nativeflora are currently either ‘extinct’ or‘extinct in the wild’.

The assessments revealed that,conservatively, there are at least 171native plant species (20% of the totalnative flora) that appear to beparticularly vulnerable to climatechange during the period 2007 to2050. Of a total of 143 threatenedspecies currently included in the Irishthreatened plants list, 74 species (52%)may have their situation madepotentially worse due to climatechange. In addition, 28 (3%) speciesthat are currently not threatened inIreland are likely to become so due toclimate change.

It is also likely that plants ofwoodlands, long-lived species (such astrees) and species that are abundant inIreland are generally less likely to bethreatened by climate change, at leastnot by 2050. Species that occur in

widespread and stable habitats mayalso be only marginally affected, suchas those of hedgerows and grasslands.Species that occur in habitats that arealready subject to periodic drought and/ or inundation may also be relativelyadaptable and resistant to climatechange, such as submerged aquatics,species from dry walls and well-drained rocky places.

Nevertheless there is a wide range ofspecies that are potentially vulnerableto the predicted Irish climate changesand unless specific conservationmeasures are put in place, both in situand ex situ, it is likely that Ireland couldlose a significant proportion of its nativeplants as a result of climate change.The question has to be asked inrelation to these findings – in what waysmust the focus of the plantconservation plans and programme ofthe National Botanic Gardens of Irelandbe changed or adapted to respond toan increasingly serious plantconservation challenge? A programmeto address national targets for theGSPC has already been developed(and through them, to contribute to therelevant international targets). Thatincludes ensuring that by 2010 theGardens are involved in or contributingto the development and implementationof a range of species conservation andrecovery programmes. Our institutionaltarget includes the inclusion of allcritically endangered plants in an ex situconservation programme, with theaddition of 3 to 4 other species eachyear. The institution is also involved inseveral existing and proposed AllIreland Species Action Plans forendangered species, such as for theorchid Spiranthes romanzoffiana andthe Killarney Fern, Trichomanesspeciosum, both of which are protectedin Ireland under the European Union’sHabitats Directive (Europa, 2007). Theinstitution expects to be increasinglyinvolved in such programmes in thefuture and climate change impacts mayresult in more species becomingpriorities. However, be that as it may,the existing critically endangeredspecies will probably still remain as themost urgent priorities for action.Further initiatives that will also need tobe developed include specificmeasures and continued vigilance inrelation to existing and potentiallyinvasive species (plants and animals),


Right:

Killarney Fern

(Trichomanes

speciosum) in

cultivation

Technical Series No. 25. CBDSecretariat, Montreal, Canada.http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/cbd-ts-25.pdf

�CBD Secretariat, 2007a. Proposalsfor the Integration of ClimateChange Activities within theProgrammes of Work of theConvention.UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/12/7. CBDSecretariat, Montreal, Canadahttp://www.cbd.int/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=SBSTTA-12 accessed4th July, 2007.

�CBD Secretariat, 2007b. EmergingIssues for Biodiversity Conservation

in a Changing Climate. TechnicalSeries No. 29. CBD Secretariat,Montreal, Canadahttp://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/cbd-ts-29.pdf

�Europa, 2007. Habitats Directive(92/43/EEC)http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/nature_conservation/eu_nature_legislation/habitats_directive/index_en.htm

�Government of Ireland, 2007. IrelandNational Climate Change Strategy2007 – 2012. Department ofEnvironment, Heritage and LocalGovernment, Ireland.

�Millennium Ecosystem Assessment,2005. Millennium EcosystemAssessment: Ecosystems andHuman Well-being - BiodiversitySynthesis. World ResourcesInstitute, Washington, USA.

�National Botanic Gardens, Ireland,2007. A National Plant ConservationStrategy for Ireland (Final Draft).National Botanic Gardens,Glasnevin, Ireland.http://www.botanicgardens.ie/gspc/inspc.htm accessed 7th July, 2007.

Peter S. Wyse JacksonDirector, National Botanic Gardensof IrelandGlasnevin, Dublin 9. IrelandEmail: [email protected];Internet: www.botanicgardens.ie;


pests and diseases, so that increasedpressure on already hard-pressednatural and semi-natural ecosystemsand the species they contain can bemanaged, hopefully more effectively.The responsibility to help conserve,monitor and raise awareness of thesethreats to native plants and theirhabitats from climate change is aconsiderable challenge for botanicgardens in Ireland, as indeed it is forbotanic gardens worldwide. Our effortsto conserve endangered plants ex situ,as a back up to in situ measures, aremade even more valid and necessaryas a result of climate change, whennatural habitats for many threatenedplants may no longer be able tosupport their indigenous species.

References

�BGCI & Cabildo de Gran Canaria,2006. The Gran Canary DeclarationII on Climate Change and PlantConservation. BGCI, London, UK &Cabildo de Gran Canaria, LasPalmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.

�CBD Secretariat, 2003. GlobalStrategy for Plant Conservation.CBD Secretariat, Montreal, Canada.http://www.cbd.int/programmes/cross-cutting/plant/default.aspaccessed 4th July, 2007.

�CBD Secretariat, 2006. Guidance forpromoting synergy among activitiesaddressing biological diversity,desertification, land degradation andclimate change.

Above: View of

National Botanic

Gardens of

Ireland (Photo:

BGCI)

Left: The

curvilinear

glasshouse

range at the

National Botanic

Gardens of

Ireland (Photo:

Peter Wyse

Jackson)

Climate change and ecology

By burning fossilised plants for energyhuge quantities of carbon dioxide havebeen pumped into the Earth’satmosphere. Unlike smoke or smog itcannot be seen, but so much has beenburnt that the concentration ofatmospheric carbon dioxide hasmeasurably increased. There are anumber of interesting ecologicalchanges that appear to be related tothis increase. Firstly, as any botanistknows, the normal concentration ofcarbon dioxide is a limiting factor forphotosynthesis. Plants, or at least someplants, can grow faster when there ismore CO2, a prediction confirmed byresearch on native African plants at theSouth African National BiodiversityInstitute (SANBI, 2007). This increasedgrowth has knock-on ecological effects.For example, comparison of oldphotographs with modern landscapesby Professor William Bond of theUniversity of Cape Town, shows that inSouth Africa at least, woody plants areinvading grasslands (pers.comm.,2006). These changes in vegetationthen cause changes in the hydrology ofwater catchments. Now it is necessary

to stop and think for a moment. Usuallywhen human impact on vegetation isconsidered it is in relation to aparticular development, perhapsploughing a field or felling a forest.However, increased CO2 is differentbecause of the vast scale of thechange, which is everywhere. In theSouth African example the concern isthat the entire grassed catchment areaof the Drakensberg range will beaffected causing substantial changes toSouth Africa’s water supply.

The second ecological effect ofincreased CO2 is caused by its role as a‘green-house gas’. Together with someother gases, such as methane, CO2

acts as a planetary blanket that slowsdown the release of the Sun’s warmthfrom the Earth’s surface. The situationis complicated by factors such as cloudcover, but the general scientificconsensus now is that an observedincrease in global temperatures resultsfrom the increase in greenhouse gases,notably CO2. Again the vast scale ofchanges needed to be considered.Climate determines the extent of themajor vegetation formations and in awarmer world whole biomes are on themove. Not all the plants can keep up;research by Wendy Foden on theQuiver Tree (Aloe dichotoma) inNamibia shows that populations in thenorthern part of the range are dying asthe area experiences more droughtconditions (Foden, 2002; in press).More southerly trees are doing well withyoung plants regenerating. However thechange is happening so fast that it is

hard for a long-lived and slow growingspecies such as the Quiver Tree tokeep up. Vegetation models of theCape Floristic kingdom by SANBIscientist Guy Midgley show that thisextra-ordinary area of plant diversity willbe much reduced under future climatescenarios with a huge number ofextinctions predicted (Hannah et al.,2005, Lovett, 2005a, 2005b).

Although much of the recent researchon plants and climate change has beencarried out in South Africa, with somedramatic conclusions, the impacts willbe continent-wide (McClean et al.,2006; McClean et al., 2005). Whenglobal temperatures increase there arehuge changes to the world’s weathersystems with all sorts of knock-oneffects. For example, Africa producesabout half of the world’s dust, much ofit coming from the Sahara and Sahel.The dust modifies climate by reflectingsolar energy, provides nutrients forcarbon-dioxide absorbing plankton inthe ocean and helps fertilize Amazonsoils. If rainfall in the Sahara and Sahelwere to increase thereby causingincreased vegetation cover, and thereare indications that this is currently thecase, then there could be changes in


Climate change and Africa:an ecological perspective

Author: Jon C. Lovett

Above: Wendy

Foden

measuring a

specimen of

Quiver Tree

(Aloe

dichotoma)

(Photo: SANBI)

Right:

Quiver Tree

(Aloe

dichotoma)

Karoo Desert

National

Botanical Garden

(Photo: SANBI)

the amount of dust. More storms in theSahel are also associated with a higherfrequency of Atlantic hurricanes.Extreme weather conditions that cancause great economic damage incountries around the Gulf of Mexicoseem to start in the highlands ofEthiopia, travel westwards across Africaand then over the Atlantic to wreakhavoc on the sea-board of the USA andCaribbean countries.

However, long-term predictions are fora drier western Africa and expansion ofthe Sahara southwards into what arenow the Congo rainforests (see Figure1). Interestingly, it appears that this hashappened before during previous globalclimate change as the present-dayforests are growing on desert sands.Models of vegetation shifts suggestthat forest plants will move southwardsinto Angola and up into the mountainsof the central rift. The wetter parts ofcentral Africa, which are the coastalregions of Cameroon and Gabon, arepredicted to retain more plant diversitythan elsewhere, as are the mountains ofeastern coastal Africa. Compared withthe past, these predictions matchlocations of proposed African rainforestrefugia, even though the refugia wereduring times of a colder, drier climateinstead of a hotter one. There areseveral possible reasons for this. Firstlyit is rainfall that determines where therainforests are. So in times of droughtthe rainforests will contract in bothhotter and drier climes. Secondly,mountains tend to be wetter as they actas condensers of moisture; and thirdly,mountains offer plants the chance tomove to a different climate in a shortdistance. Simply by going up a fewhundred metres in elevation a plant canfind a cooler habitat, unlike the poorQuiver Tree, which has to movehundreds of kilometres.

Climate change and society

Humans live under all kinds of climaticconditions. In Africa people live on highaltitude grasslands, in the deep forestand driest deserts. But the type ofclimate plays an important role in howsocieties are organised and if theclimate changes then social structureswill need to change too. This can beseen in African history. Drying of theSahara from about 5300 years ago hasbeen associated with the rise of the

Pharaohs along the Nile. Collapse ofthe city of Mapungubwe in 1290 AD insouthern Africa and subsequent rise ofGreat Zimbabwe can be linked todrought followed by a wetter climate.More recently, drought contributed tothe ecological shocks of cattle diseaseand small pox experienced in easternAfrica at the end of the 19th century,known by the Maasai as the Emutaiperiod. The rains failed completely in1897 and 1898. The Austrian explorerDr Oscar Baumann, who travelled inMaasailand in 1891, wrote chilling eye-witness accounts of the horrorexperienced by the Maasai people:

“There were women wasted toskeletons from whose eyes themadness of starvation glared ... warriorsscarcely able to crawl on all fours, andapathetic, languishing elders. Swarmsof vultures followed them from high,awaiting their certain victims.”(Baumann 1894, Masailand)History looks set to repeat itself. Theworld was faced with similar scenesfrom Eritrea during the 1980s andrecently the UN Secretary General BanKi-moon suggested that the Dafurcrises was due to drought and conflictbetween settled farmers and nomadicherders over scarce water supplies –problems which he linked to climatechange. The Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change states that Africa isthe continent most vulnerable toclimate change with an increase in boththe frequency and severity of droughtsand floods. The 1991-1993 drought insouth-eastern Africa affected about 100million people, where-as floods in theregion in 2000 reduced Mozambique’sannual economic growth rate from 8%to 2%. At the same time as Worldleaders have agreed on MillenniumDevelopment Goals to reduce povertyand improve environmentalsustainability, climate change isunzipping the fabric of societies caughtup in its effects.

Policy responses

Scientific investigations of climatechange have been warning for sometime that human activities thatincreased atmospheric concentrationsof greenhouse gases could have globaleffects, leading to a concertedinternational policy response. TheUnited Nations Framework Conventionon Climate Change entered into forceon 21 March 1994; most countries havesigned up to it, and it has been ratifiedby 191 countries. At the firstconference of the parties in Berlin in1995 it was decided that there neededto be a stronger protocol containingdetailed commitments for industrialized


Left: Aloe

dichotoma

(Photo: SANBI)

countries. This lead to the KyotoProtocol being adopted at the thirdconference of the parties in Kyoto on11 December 1997, which listed theindustrialized countries that needed totake action in an annex, leading themto be called the ‘Annex 1 countries’.However, the individual needs ofnations made it difficult for Stategovernments to ratify the Protocol asthere was considerable concern aboutthe economic impacts of limitinggreenhouse gas emissions ineconomies largely dependent onburning fossil fuels for power andtransport. Moreover there was alsoconcern about the principle of‘differentiated but commonresponsibilities’ in which developingcountries (called the non-Annex 1countries) did not have anycommitments under the protocol. Tomany this might seem fair, after all, whyshould developing African nations haveto curtail their economic growth tocounter a problem that was not of theirmaking? But not all developingcountries have the carbon footprints ofthose in Africa. Of particular concern in1997 was the potential economic rise ofIndia and China, both non-Annex 1counties in the Kyoto Protocol and sonot subject to any controls on

greenhouse gas emissions. This led theUnited States senate to pass the Byrd-Hagel Resolution in July 1997 by 95votes to 0:

Resolved, That it is the sense of theSenate that—(1) the United States should not be asignatory to any protocol to, or otheragreement regarding, the UnitedNations Framework Convention onClimate Change of 1992, atnegotiations in Kyoto in December1997, or thereafter, which would—(A) mandate new commitments to limitor reduce greenhouse gas emissions forthe Annex I Parties, unless the protocolor other agreement also mandates newspecific scheduled commitments tolimit or reduce greenhouse gasemissions for Developing CountryParties within the same complianceperiod, or(B) would result in serious harm to theeconomy of the United States; and(2) any such protocol or otheragreement which would require theadvice and consent of the Senate toratification should be accompanied by adetailed explanation of any legislation orregulatory actions that may be requiredto implement the protocol or otheragreement and should also be

accompanied by an analysis of thedetailed financial costs and otherimpacts on the economy of the UnitedStates which would be incurred by theimplementation of the protocol or otheragreement.

Eventually the Kyoto Protocol enteredinto force on 16 February 2005,primarily because of ratification by theEuropean Community and Russia. Butby this time the fears expressed in theByrd-Hagel resolution had come topass as some non-Annex 1 countrieshave become major economic playersand carbon emissions from China lookset to exceed those of the UnitedStates in a few years time.

Mitigation and adaptation

Even in the face of the scale andmagnitude of climate change there arethings that can be done. The KyotoProtocol contains a series of measuresaimed at reducing greenhouse gasemissions, known as mitigation, mostnotably the Clean DevelopmentMechanism (CDM). The CDM allowsAnnex 1 countries to offset theiremissions by investing in emissionreduction projects in developingcountries. This flexible approach is

Sommer, et al., 2005, 2006

Right: Figure 1.

Climate change:

predicted

decrease in plant

species diversity

by the year 2100


regarded as a ‘win-win’ strategy bypolicy-makers as developing countriesbenefit whilst developed countries areable to meet their Kyoto commitments.South Africa was the first Africancountry to launch a CDM project withapproval of the Kuyasa low-cost urbanhousing energy upgrade project inCape Town. This focuses on renewableenergy and energy efficiency by fittingsolar water heaters, insulated ceilingsand low energy light bulbs in existinglow cost houses. Another form ofmitigation that has attracted a lot ofinterest from conservationists is thepotential for obtaining CDM paymentsto cover the cost of forest conservationon the grounds that carbon lost throughdeforestation will contribute togreenhouse gas emissions. From aconservation perspective this is a ‘win-win’ in that forest biodiversity will beprotected whilst preventing CO2emissions, however this avoideddeforestation policy is a long way fromgaining acceptance. In addition toenergy reduction projects, as in theKuyasa example, carbon could besequestered in plantations, or biofuelscould be planted to replaced oil-basedtransport fuels in developed countries.However, Africa as a continent has notyet taken full advantage of the fundsavailable under the CDM and there ismore that could be done. Acontroversial suggestion for mitigatingSouth Africa’s own emissions, and anapproach that is much discussed indeveloped countries, is an expansion ofnuclear power to replace energyderived from coal-fired power stations.South Africa has operated a nuclearpower plant at Koeberg near CapeTown since 1984 and has substantialstocks of uranium. But the nuclearoption comes with its own ecologicalproblems notably the possibilities of anaccident and disposal of waste.

It is also getting a little late forcompletely effective mitigation asglobal warming is already upon us.Political impasse on internationalagreements for greenhouse gasreductions means that CO2 levels willcontinue to rise. The world is left withadaptation. For Africa, adaptationmeans coping with extreme droughts,floods and a rising sea level. It isnecessary to bear in mind the socialimpacts of global warming whendiscussing ecological adaptation and

what botanists have to do to cope withthe present changes. From a policyperspective an important step is tointegrate the ecology of global climatechange into the Convention onBiological Diversity. For example theGlobal Strategy for Plant Conservation,which contains important agreementssuch as protection of 50% of theworld’s important plant areas (IPAs) by2010, needs to include provisions forthe movement and extinction of plantsin a warmer world. It will be self-defeating if a lot of effort is put intoprotecting areas that are home toplants that will either no longer grow inthe IPA or are dead. So for in situconservation it is necessary to focus onthe places that will be buffered fromclimate change, protect places whereplants will move to and create corridorsto help plants move into safety. Thoseplants at risk of extinction because theirhabitat will change and unable to movefast enough to find a new home, needto be helped to move and bring theminto cultivation or seed-banks ready fora return to the wild when possible. Allof this will require a major co-ordinatedeffort for which botanic gardens arewell placed. Not only for directconservation action, but also educationabout the effect of global warming andthe potential mitigation measures thateveryone can participate in – fromenergy reduction to tree planting.

References

�Foden, W.B., 2002. Mortality of Aloedichotoma (the Quiver tree) in theSucculent Karoo, South Africa - arethe effects of climate change alreadyapparent? MSc Thesis, University ofCape Town.

�Foden, W., Midgley, G.F., Hughes,G., Bond, W.J., Thuiller, W.,Hoffmann, M.T., Kaleme, P.,Underhill, L.G., Rebelo, A. andHannah, L. (in press). A changingclimate is eroding the geographicalrange of the Namib Desert tree Aloethrough population declines anddispersal lags. Diversity andDistributions.

�Hannah, L., Midgley, G., Hughes, G.Bomhard, B., 2005. The view fromthe Cape: extinction risk, protectedareas, and climate change,BioScience 55(3): 231-242.http://scholar.google.com/ accessed25th June, 2007.

�Lovett, J.C., 2006. Climate andsociety, African Journal of Ecology44: 421-422.http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/aje/44/4 accessed 25th June,2007

�Lovett, J.C., Midgley, G.F., &Barnard, P. 2005a. Climate changeand ecology in Africa, AfricanJournal of Ecology 43: 167-169.http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/aje/43/3 accessed 25th June,2007

�Lovett, J.C., Barnard, P., & Midgley,G.F., 2005b. National Climate ChangeConference in South Africa, AfricanJournal of Ecology 43: 279-281.http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/aje/43/4 accessed 25th June,2007

�McClean, C.J., Doswald, N., Küper,et al., 2006. Potential impacts ofclimate change on Sub-SaharanAfrican plant priority area selection,Diversity and Distributions 12: 645-655.

�McClean, C.J., Lovett, J.C., Küper,W., et al., 2005. African PlantDiversity and Climate Change,Annals of the Missouri BotanicalGarden 92: 139-152.

�SANBI, 2007. South African NationalBiodiversity Institutehttp://www.sanbi.org/research/climatechange.htm

�Sommer, H., Küper, W., Lovett, J. &Barthlott, W., 2005. The future ofAfrica’s plant diversity - potentialeffects of climate change on speciesdistributions. Poster at the SouthAfrican National Climate ChangeConference, 17-21 October 2005 inMidrand, South Africa.

�Sommer, H., Küper, W. &. Barthlott,W., 2006. Implications of climatechange on Africa’s plant diversity.Talk at the ESSP Open ScienceConference: Global EnvironmentalChange - Regional Challenges, 9-12November in Beijing, China.

Jon C. LovettCentre for Ecology, Law and PolicyEnvironment DepartmentUniversity of YorkYork YO10 5DD UKE-mail: [email protected]: http://www.york.ac.ukand Technology and SustainableDevelopment GroupUniversity of Twente, Enschede,The Netherlands


The 3rd Global Botanic GardenCongress (3GBGC) held in Wuhan,China from April 16-20, 2007 wasextremely successful. The Congressprovided a forum for 954 delegatesfrom botanic gardens in 67 countries toconsider matters of mutual importanceand concern for global plantconservation. The scientificprogramme included 4 plenarysessions, 42 symposia with a total of202 oral and 145 poster presentations.The Congress also included manyspectacular social events such as theWelcome Reception and the BGCI andWBG Anniversary Celebration in theWuhan Botanical Garden, the Congressbanquet and acrobatic display by theWuhan Acrobatic Troupe and a one-day tour of Wuhan.

BGCI and all those who attended theCongress are extremely grateful to thehosts of the Congress: the WuhanBotanical Garden and the co-organizers: the Chinese Academy ofSciences, the Hubei Provincial

Government, the Wuhan MunicipalGovernment and the State ForestryAdministration for making the Congresssuch a success. The Congressorganization was faultless and everyonewas made to feel very welcome. Wuhanwas an excellent venue and theoverseas delegates were very pleasedto have the opportunity to visit China,which for many was their fist visit.

The main aim of the Congress was toreview the contributions of botanicgardens to the Global Strategy forPlant Conservation (GSPC) (CBD,2003) through the implementation ofthe 2010 Botanic Garden Targets(Wyse Jackson, 2004). There were 12plenary addresses which addressedthe themes of the GSPC and theparallel sessions were developed tohighlight the contribution of botanicgardens to the most relevant targets ofthe GSPC. The moderator of eachsession documented the key points: 1)the present status; 2) the gaps and/orbarriers; and 3) suggestions for future

work. The conclusions were thengiven at the closing plenary sessionand can be found on the BGCIwebsite. This review will help providea framework and guidance for the workof botanic gardens for the period 2007-2010 and beyond. It has also beenincluded in the in-depth review of theimplementation of the GSPC(UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/12/3) andpresented to the twelfth meeting of theSubsidiary Body on Scientific,Technical and Technological Advice(SBSTTA 12) to the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD) in Paris atthe beginning of July. BGCI is verygrateful to the volunteers whopresented the conclusions for eachtheme: Tim Entwisle (Botanic GardensTrust, Australia) Understanding anddocumenting plant diversity; KayriHavens (Chicago Botanic Garden,USA) Conserving plant diversity;Suzanne Sharrock (BGCI) Using plantdiversity sustainably; Li Mei, (NanjingBotanic Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen,China) Promoting education andawareness about plant diversity andStella Simiyu (BGCI/CBD Secretariat,Kenya) GSPC overview.

One of the most valuable aspects of aninternational congress is theopportunity for delegates to meet andshare experiences and develop futurecollaboration. This was done informallyand also formally through regionalnetwork meetings: East Asia BotanicGardens Network (EABGN) chaired byYong Shik Kim (Korean Association ofBotanic Gardens and Arboreta


Report on 3rd Global Botanic GardensCongress Wuhan, China

Author: Etelka Leadlay

Right: Opening

Ceremony of the

3GBGC

(Photo: BGCI)

(KABGA); Asia Pacific Botanic GardenNetwork Meeting chaired by PhilipMoors (Royal Botanic Gardens,Melbourne, Australia); African BotanicGardens Network (ABGN) chaired byChristopher Dalzell (Coordinator,ABGN); North American Partnership forPlant Conservation (NAPPC) chaired byDavid Galbraith (Chair, NAPPC); LatinAmerican & Caribbean Association ofBotanic Gardens and Arboreta (ALCJB)chaired by Alberto Gómez Mejía(President, ALCJB) and the inauguralmeeting of the South Asia Associationfor Regional Cooperation (SAARC)convened by Chandrakant Salunkhe(Krishna Mahavidyalaya, India).

A congress also provides anopportunity to attend trainingworkshops and these were verypopular. Six training workshops wereheld on the Sunday before theCongress attended by a total of 173people on the following topics: Efficientseed preservation, Translocation ofthreatened plants, Education forsustainable development a step-by-step process for botanic gardeneducators, Plant records for themanagement of ex situ livingcollections, New internetcommunication tools and Red listing:why is it important? BGCI is verygrateful to the facilitators for theseuseful workshops.

BGCI would like to thank the staff of ourpartner organizations particularlyProfessor Hongwen Huang, Director ofWuhan Botanic Garden whose visionwas translated into such an outstandingCongress. BGCI would also like tothank the Deputy Directors of WuhanBotanic Garden Tianquan Xu and JunjieGong and their staff who worked sotirelessly with the co-organizers andNational Organizing Committee to makeCongress run so smoothly. BGCI isalso extremely grateful to Xuejun Zhangwho headed the Congress Secretariatand her staff Yinzhu Tan and Lina Chen

for their work in coordinating thevenues, hotels, congress materials,social event, caterers, transport, toursand all the many tasks associated witha congress and for registering thedelegates with such efficiency andpatience. On behalf of the delegates,BGCI would also like to thank thesmiling and helpful volunteers whomade the Congress such a memorableevent.

BGCI staff are very grateful to the Chairof the BGCI Board, Baroness Walmsleyfor attending the Congress andspeaking on the behalf of BGCI and toother Board members Peter Raven,Steve Hopper, David Bramwell,Stephen Blackmore, Peter WyseJackson and Julian Stanning for theirsupport. BGCI would like to take thisopportunity to thank Anle Tieu (formerBGCI China Programme Coordinator)who contributed a great deal to theorganisation of the Congress.

A BGCI International Advisory Councilwas held attended by Chin See Chung,Maite Delmas, Timothy Entwisle, DavidGalbraith, Alberto Gómez–Mejía,Esteban Hernández Bermejo, HongwenHuang, Angela Leiva, Jan Rammeloo,Philippe Richard, Annie Lane and HeikiTamm.

The Congress was well covered by thelocal and national press and media.Internationally, it was covered by ChinaDialogue (http://www.chinadialogue.net) and news of the Congress wasposted on the websites of BGCI andthe Chinese Academy of Sciences(http://english.cas.ac.cn/eng2003/news/detailnewsb.asp?infono=26509).A personal flavour was given bybloggers, Pam Allenstein (http://publicgardens.wordpress.com/) andElizabeth Haegele (http://lizstriptochina.blogspot.com/2007/04/3rd-global-botanic-gardens-congress.html).

Delegates from 12 countries and BGCIstaff were supported to attend theCongress by the HSBC Investing inNature Programme, Rufford MauriceLaing Foundation, MitsubishiCorporation, Mitsubishi Corporation

Fund for Europe and Africa for whichBGCI is very grateful. The CongressSecretariat supported 31 scholars from16 countries which was a veryimportant contribution. The East AsiaBotanic Gardens Network (EABGN)meeting was generously supported bythe Mitsubishi Corporation and throughthis support two scholars fromMongolia and two from North Koreawere able to attend the EABGNmeeting and the Congress.

BGCI intends to distribute a CD of theProceedings and post them on theBGCI website.

Finally, BGCI are very grateful to all thedelegates who participated in themeeting to ensure that the Congressachieved its aims and provided alasting legacy for the botanic gardencommunity through the network linksfostered around the world.

References

�CBD, 2003. Global Strategy forPlant Conservation (GSPC).Secretariat of the Convention onBiological Diversity.http://www.cbd.int/gspc/default.shtml accessed 4th July, 2007

�Wyse Jackson, P., 2004. Developinginternational targets for botanicgardens in conservation: aconsultation document. BGjournal1(1): 4-6.http://www.bgci.org accessed4th July, 2007.

Etelka LeadlayBotanic Gardens ConservationInternationalDescanso House, 199 Kew RoadRichmond, Surrey TW9 3BW U.K.E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.bgci.org


Far left:

Sara Oldfield,

Secretary

General, BGCI

(Photo: BGCI)

Left: Professor

Hongwen

Huang, Director,

Wuhan Botanic

Garden

(Photo: BGCI)

Below:

The 3GBGC

Welcome

Reception in the

Wuhan Botanic

Garden

(Photo: BGCI)


Background

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)http://www.ipcc.ch/Important website for up-to-date and useful informationwith publications and graphics.

Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007:The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of WorkingGroup I to the Fourth Assessment Report of theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UnitedKingdom and New York, NY, USA.http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/Report/AR4WG1_Pub_SPM-v2.pdfThe Working Group I contribution to the IPCC FourthAssessment Report describes progress inunderstanding of the human and natural drivers ofclimate change, observed climate change, climateprocesses and attribution, and estimates of projectedfuture climate change. Useful summary for generalaspects of climate change.

Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change.Working Group III contribution to the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Reporthttp://www.mnp.nl/ipcc/docs/FAR/ApprovedSPM0405rev4b.pdfThe Working Group III contribution to the IPCC FourthAssessment Report (AR4) focuses on new literature onthe scientific, technological, environmental, economicand social aspects of mitigation of climate change.Mentions forest-related mitigation options and reducingboth loss of natural habitat and deforestation can havesignificant biodiversity, soil and water conservationbenefits.

Climate Change and Biodiversity. IPCC TechnicalPaper V Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), 2007ISBN 92 9169 194 7http://www.ipcc.ch/pub/techrep.htm (In English, FrenchSpanish)

Climate Change and Biodiversity. Thomas E Lovejoyand Lee Hannah (eds.), 2005.Yale University Press. ISBN-10: 0300104251(hardcover)ISBN-10: 0300119801 (paperback)This important book focuses on the likely impacts ofclimate change on biological diversity. Beginning withlessons learned from the fossil record about theconsequences of past changes in climate, the booksurveys the climate-related changes in the distributionand abundance of plants and animals that are alreadydocumented, and looks ahead to the acceleration inextinction rates expected under various assumptionsabout future inputs of greenhouse gases. It concludeswith chapters on conservation and policy responses.

A guide to facts and fictions about climate change.The Royal Society, 2007.http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/downloaddoc.asp?id=1630This document examines twelve misleading argumentsput forward by the opponents of urgent action onclimate change and highlights the scientific evidencethat exposes their flaws. It has been prepared by TheRoyal Society, the national academy of science of theUK and the Commonwealth.

Climate Change Science—Questions Answered.Department of the Environment and Heritage, AustralianGreenhouse Office, Australian Government, 2005.Commonwealth of Australia ISBN 1 920840 79 6http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/science/qa/pubs/science-qa.pdfA practical and informative guide to climate change.

The Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World’sGreatest Challenge. Kirstin Dow and Thomas EDowning, 2006. Earthscan, London, UK. ISBN-10:1844073769 New edition due in October, 2007 ISBN-13: 9781844075225This atlas examines the possible impact of climatechange on our ability to feed the world’s people, avoidwater shortages, conserve biodiversity, improve health,and preserve cities and cultural treasures. It also

reviews historical contributions to greenhouse gaslevels, progress in meeting Kyoto commitments, andlocal efforts to meet the challenge of climate change.

GRID-Arendal, 2007http://www.grida.no/The mission of GRID-Arendal is to provide environmentalinformation, communications and capacity buildingservices for information management and assessment.Established to strengthen the United Nations through itsEnvironment Programme (UNEP), the focus is to makecredible, science-based knowledge understandable tothe public and to decision-making for sustainabledevelopment. GRID-Arendal is an official United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP) centre located inSouthern Norway, with out posted offices in Geneva,Ottawa and Stockholm. There is a useful collection ofmaps and graphics that have been prepared forpublications and web-sites from the last 15 years in awide range of themes related to environment andsustainable development with a section on Maps andGraphics on Climate Change.

The Stern Review on the Economics of ClimateChange. Nicolas Stern, 2006. Cabinet Office,HM Treasury, UK Government.http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm accessed25th June, 2007.Nicholas Stern, 2007. The Economics of ClimateChange The Stern Review.Cambridge University Press ISBN-13: 9780521700801(Paperback)This Review on the Economics of Climate Change wascommissioned by the British Government during its G8Presidency. The Review marks a watershed in that itbrings economics squarely into the debate and thusprovides a firm and compelling basis for policy. Theformer World Bank Chief Economist estimates that theimpact of global warming could cost as much as 20 percent of the world’s GDP. He urges immediate actionsince postponement will only increase the eventualcosts. All countries will be affected by climate change,but the poorest countries will suffer earliest and most.Deeper international co-operation will be required inmany areas, most notably in creating price signals andmarkets for carbon, spurring technology research,development and deployment, and promotingadaptation, particularly for developing countries.

Impact of climate change on biodiversity

Plant Growth and Climate Change.James I.L Morrison and Michael D. Morecroft (eds.),2007.Biological Sciences Series, Blackwell Publishing,Oxford, UKISBN-10: 1405131926

Climatic conditions are key determinants of plant growth,whether at the scale of temperature regulation of the cellcycle, or at the scale of the geographic limits for aparticular species. The climate is changing, due tohuman activities - particularly the emission ofgreenhouse gases - and therefore the conditions for theestablishment, growth, reproduction, survival anddistribution of plant species are changing. This volumeexplores plant growth and anthropogenic climatechange, and focuses on the features of climate that areimportant to plants, emphasizing aspects of temporalpattern, seasonality and extremes.

Cross-roads of Planet Earth’s Life: Exploring meansto meet the 2010-biodiversity target. NetherlandsEnvironmental Assessment Agency (MNP), 2006.MNP report 555050001/2006.http://www.cbd.int/doc/gbo2/cbd-gbo2-global-scenarios.pdfThis is a scenario study from 2000 to 2050 to explore theeffects of future economic, demographic and technicaldevelopments on environmental pressures and globalbiodiversity. Policy options that affect global biodiversitywere analyzed on their contribution to the 2010biodiversity targets agreed upon under the Convention

on Biological Diversity (CBD). The investigation wasperformed by Netherlands Environmental AssessmentAgency (MNP) at the request of the Executive Secretaryof the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Itincludes maps of spatial distribution of biodiversity for2000 and 2050 by continent.

Ensemble forecasting of species distributions.Miguel B. Araújo and Mark New, 2007.Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22(1): 42-47.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01695347

Ecological and Evolutionary Responses to RecentClimate Change. Camille Parmesan, 2006. AnnualReview of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics37:637–69.http://cns.utexas.edu/communications/File/AnnRev_CCimpacts2006.pdf

The future of vascular plant diversity under fourglobal scenarios. Detlef P. van Vuuren, Osvaldo E. Sala& Henrique M. Pereira, 2006. Ecology and Society11(2): 25http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss2/art25/

Biodiversity hotspots through time: an introduction.Katherine J Willis, Lindsey Gillson and Sandra Knapp,2007.Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 362: 169–174.http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/content/aq81225v77524071/fulltext.pdf

Climate Change and Biodiversity in Europe HannahReid, 2006.Conservation and Society 4 (1): 84–101http://conservationandsociety.org/cs_4_1_84-101.pdf

Conservation strategies

Conserving biodiversity in a changing climate:guidance on building capacity to adapt. Hopkins, J.J.,Allison, H.M., Walmsley, C.A. et al., 2007. Department forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs, London, UK.http://www.ukbap.org.uk/Library/BRIG/CBCCGuidance.pdfExplains six key strategies that can be used now by landmanagers, to help wildlife adapt to climate change, toconserve biodiversity. The guidance recommends that toallow species to find new homes as climate changes, itwill be necessary to manage entire landscapes, not justthe protected sites where species now occur.

Gardening in the Global Greenhouse: The Impacts ofClimate Change on Gardens in the UK. Bisgrove, R.and Hadley, P., 2002 Technical Report, UKCIP, Oxford.Copies of the report are available form The UK ClimateImpacts Programme, Union House, 12-16 St Michael’sStreet, Oxford, OX1 2DU, U.K.Tel: +44 01865 432076, Fax: 01865 432077,E-mail: enquiries @ukcip.org.uk, Internet:www.ukcip.org.uk The report or the Executive summarycan be downloaded from the main partner websites:www.rhs.org.uk, http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/.BGCNews 3(9):43-44.http://www.bgci.org/worldwide/article/108/http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/climate_change/climatechange.asp

National biodiversity and climate change action plan2004 – 2007. Natural Resource Management MinisterialCouncil, Department of the Environment and Heritage,2004Commonwealth of Australia. ISBN 0 6425 5051 4National biodiversity and climate change action plan2004 - 2007 (PDF - 2,042 KB)http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/nbccap/pubs/nbccap.pdfChanges to Australia’s climate are already occurring overand above natural variability (e.g. long-term spatial andtemporal changes in rainfall and temperature patterns)and these changes are expected to have an impact onAustralia’s biological diversity. This action plan is adetailed adaptation strategy developed at a national levelfor biodiversity.

Biodiversity and climate change: a resource listThis list of references will provide further resources on the topic of climate change and biodiversity. Apart from two books,it only includes references which can be downloadable in full and have been accessed 9-13 July, 2007.

BGjournal• Vol 3 (1) • 14-18 3

The mission of BGCI is to mobilisebotanic gardens and engagepartners in securing plant diversityfor the well-being of people and theplanet. It was founded in 1987 andnow includes over 525 memberinstitutions in 115 countries.

Institutions can join BGCI for the following benefits:• Membership of the worldwide plant conservation network• Botanic Garden Management Resource Pack (upon joining)*• Regular publications:

- the regular newsletter, Cuttings- BGjournal – an international journal for botanic gardens (2 per year)- Roots - environmental education review (2 per year)- A wide range of new publications

• Invitations to BGCI congresses and discounts on registration fees• BGCI technical support and advisory services

• Regular publications:- the regular newsletter, Cuttings- BGjournal - an international journal for botanic gardens (2 per year)- Roots - Environmental Education Review (2 per year)

• Invitations to BGCI congress and discounts on registration fees

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J Conservation donor (BGjournal, Roots and Cuttings plus more) 250 450 420K Associate member (Cuttings and BGjournal) 35 60 50L Associate member (Cuttings and Roots) 35 60 50M Friend (Cuttings) available through online subscription only (www.bgci.org) 10 15 15

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How to join Botanic Gardens Conservation International

Other Membership Categories:

Membership benefits depend oncategory - see below. These caninclude:

*Contents of the Botanic Garden Management Resource Pack: The Darwin Technical Manual for Botanic Gardens, A Handbook for Botanic Gardens on the Reintroduction ofPlants to the Wild, BGjournal - an international journal for botanic gardens (2 past issues), Roots - environmental education review (2 past issues), The International Agendafor Botanic Gardens in Conservation, Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, Environmental Education in Botanic Gardens, BG-Recorder (a computer software package forplant records).

A BGCI Patron Institution 5000 8000 7500B Institution member (budget more than US$2,250,000) 600 1000 940C Institution member (budget US$ 1,500,000 - 2,250,000) 440 720 660D Institution member (budget US$ 750,000 - 1,500,000) 300 500 440E Institution member (budget US$ 100,000 - 750,000) 160 250 220F Institution member (budget below US$100,000)* 75 120 110

*Generally applies to institutions in less developed countries

Payment may be made by cheque payable to Botanic Gardens Conservation International,or online at www.bgci.org or by VISA/Mastercardsent to BGCI, Descanso House, 199 Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3BW, U.K or Fax: +44 (0) 20 8332 5956.

� I wish to apply for membership of Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Internet site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Membership category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annual rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

VISA/Mastercard number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Credit card expiry date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Print name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

� I would like to make a donation to BGCI. Amount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Please clearly state your name (or the name of your institution) on all documentation. Please contact [email protected] for further information.

New Book published byBGCI and New Holland

Botanic GardensConservation International

Descanso House, 199 Kew Road,Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3BW, U.K.

Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5953Fax: +44 (0)20 8332 5956E-mail: [email protected]: www.bgci.org

The vital role of Botanic Gardensin conservation and theirspectacular beauty, explored inone authoritative volume

Great Botanic Gardens of the World isa new work by BGCI Secretary General,Sara Oldfield. This exquisitelyillustrated book explores the rich andvaried history of botanic gardens and thevital role they play in fields of education,scientific research and conservation.

The book focuses on botanic gardens in every continentof the world, highlighting the fact that these greatinstitutions are as diverse as the collections found withinthem. The development of gardens in over 30 countries isexamined as are the inspirational people behind them andtheir important work.

The current, global context for the work of botanicgardens is also highlighted. The role of importantinternational initiatives such as CITES and the GlobalStrategy for Plant Conservation in guiding their efforts isexplored along side the pioneering work of individualgardens.

With a foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales, in whichhe describes Botanic Gardens as ‘living laboratories …vital in conserving plant species’, Great Botanic Gardensof the World represents a stunning tribute to the beauty ofbotanic gardens and their role in building the relationshipbetween people and their environment.

Printed on 100% recycled paper ISSN 1811-8712

Great Botanic Gardens of the Worldby Sara Oldfield

New Holland Publishers, UK (2007)ISBN: 978-184537-593-5

Offer price £20 (rrp. £24.99)plus free postage and packing within the UK*

Offer runs from August 2007 until 31st January 2008Offer code: NHGBCI/01

Telephone: +44 (0)1476 541080Fax: +44 (0) 1476 541075

Simply quote the book title, ISBN and offer code.

* European and International postal charges upon request.

Special Introductory Offer

This publication issupported throughInvesting in NatureA partnership betweenBGCI, Earthwatch,HSBC and WWFand the RuffordMaurice LaingFoundation

BG jo Journal of Botuanic Gardens Cronservatinon ... · Volume4•Number2•July2007 20 YEARS...

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Transcript of BG jo Journal of Botuanic Gardens Cronservatinon ... · Volume4•Number2•July2007 20 YEARS...