As Seen on CPC’s Rare Plant Academy

In May’s CPC online meeting of member conservationists, staff from the National Tropic Botanic Garden discussed shifting focus in response to the impacts of COVID-19 on field and lab work. Preparation of documents for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is one worthy task that has often been precluded by limited staff time.

During CPC’s 2019 National Meeting, Anne Frances of NatureServe expounded on how NatureServe (and, similarly, Red List Assessments) use field expertise of conservationists who work with species on the ground to establish their rankings. Many experienced field workers have the information needed in their datasheets or in their heads, and the limitations on field work make this a great time to put this into a format for official assessment.