CPC Best Plant Conservation Practices

to Support Species Survival in the Wild

See Topic In The Forum

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Key Messages about Documentation and Data Sharing

Rare plant collections are only valuable when connected to detailed records of the wild populations these collections are meant to conserve
Because few botanical institutions have dedicated record keeping staff, incorporating data entry into your field work flow is essential to maintaining your collections records.
Data sharing among plant conservationists & institutions allows our professional community to track progress toward regional, national, and global conservation goals.

The Importance of Documenting Rare Plant Collections

Documentation is essential to represent the scientific and legal accuracy of our conservation collections. Several steps in the process ensure the optimal use of the conservation collection. The rapidly improving information technology and bioinformatics fields are increasing the speed and convenience of data input and data sharing for both research and conservation actions. However, key to the efficacy of any database is timely input and ongoing updates from practitioners. All the great tools in the world will never surpass the knowledge of the individuals, who know rare plant species in their wild populations, in ex situ gardens, or in a reintroduction or conservation translocation. The Center for Plant Conservation encourages practitioners to use available tools to place valuable insights from an individual mind into a database where it may have uses far beyond the individual experience or time. The power of collectively shared and carefully documented data is enormous. With accurate data, we can help guide conservation actions to save more plants.

Data Sharing in Support of Collaborative Plant Conservation: A Case Study from California Plant Rescue.

Katherine D. Heineman, Christa Horn, Naomi Fraga, Cheryl Sevilla, Heather Schneider, Vanessa Handley, Holly Forbes, Brett Hall, Evan Meyer, Tony Gunroe, Shannon Still, David Magney,... Read More

The Importance of Documentation and Data Sharing

The Importance of Documenting Rare Plant Collections

Data Sharing in Support of Collaborative Plant Conservation: A Case Study from California Plant Rescue.