SePPCon 2024: Protection, Endemism, & Capacity Enhancement
SePPCon 2024: Protection, Endemism, & Capacity Enhancement
Land Trusts and Private Lands: Preserving Biodiversity Through In-Situ Conservation
Sara Johnson*, North American Land Trust
Habitat loss is the number one threat to biodiversity worldwide, and land protection is our most effective tool for immediate impact. With around 60% of land in the United States under private ownership, efforts to not only permanently protect, but to document the biodiversity within these lands, is critical to the survival of our natural ecosystems. Land trusts act not only as a forever protector and steward of natural lands, the places they protect are a living laboratory; a place to facilitate partnerships, research, and education. These lands can act as species banks to safeguard plant populations in-situ or serve as reintroduction sites. During the onboarding of a new conservation easement, care is taken to create a comprehensive bio-inventory and species list for each easement, providing a wellspring of data across our conservation areas. This abundance of data not only tells us what species are present in private lands, but provides a snapshot of the species diversity protected on private lands. This data can help to supplement data gaps for rare species, and identify conservation need for prioritizing land acquisition. The North American Land Trust is a national conservation charity and land trust that aims to permanently conserve and steward natural and cultural resources through innovative land preservation partnerships. With over 138,000 acres of land protected throughout the United States, we are uniquely positioned to assist conservation practitioners with identifying populations of focal species, coordinate research efforts, and provide outreach opportunities for improved management and protection for our native habitats.
Identifying Plants of One Known Occurrence for Prioritized InSitu and Ex Situ Conservation Action in the USA and Canada
Wesley Knapp* (1), Amanda Eberly (1), Christopher Tracey (1), Ray Mims (2), Aaron Sims (3), Matt Kier (4), Kim Shay (4), Dwight Matsuwaki (4), Katie Heineman, (5) Tina Stanley (5), Reed Noss (6), Alan Weakley (7), Kay Havens (8), Derick Poindexter (7), Johnny Randall (7), Abby Meyer (9), Anne Frances (10), (1) NatureServe, (2) U.S. Botanic Garden, (3) California Native Plant Society, (4) Laukahi, (5) Center for Plant Conservation, (6) Southeastern Grasslands Institute & University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning (7) NC Botanical Garden, (8) Chicago Botanic Garden, (9) Botanical Gardens Conservation International, (10) USDA – Agricultural Research Services
Video start time: 14:30
In this study, we identify plants of One Known Occurrence (OKO) in the USA and Canada for priority conservation action. OKOs contain two important types: Single-site Endemics (SSE), which are endemic to a single occurrence and plants of One Remaining Occurrence (ORO), which have declined to a single occurrence. We identified 215 OKO plants in the USA and Canada consisting of 85 ORO and 130 SSE taxa. Hawai’i leads all states in ORO plants with 41 and California leads in SSE taxa with 52. Fifty-two percent of all OKOs in the continental US are at least partially found on unprotected lands. U.S. Forest Service lands support the most OKOs of all landowners with 55 taxa, 15 of which are endemic. Ex situ conservation action currently captures 63% of all OKOs but only 13% of OKOs have conservation-quality ex situ collections as determined by the Center for Plant Conservation. Ninety-six percent have NatureServe Conservation Status Assessments and 28% have IUCN Red List Assessments.
Cultivating Conservation: Training our Botanical Workforce in the Best Practices of Rare Plant Conservation and Stewardship with CPC’s Applied Plant Conservation Course
Shannon Fowler*, Center for Plant Conservation
Video start time: 29:21
The Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) serves as a leading authority on science-based best practices to conserve rare and endangered native plants—with particular expertise in the collection, storage, and utilization of wild rare plant seeds for conservation purposes. CPC develops educational resources and tools to promote science-based conservation with our network of 79 botanical gardens, arboreta, and other plant-focused organizations that collaboratively work to save the 4,400 most imperiled North American plants. CPC’s Rare Plant Academy (RPA) is a go-to multimedia resource featuring digital Best Practice Guidelines, a robust educational Video Library, and a Community Forum—all to better serve our community of conservationists and plant enthusiasts. Now, CPC is looking to the future of the RPA with a brand-new resource, the Applied Plant Conservation Course. This online professional development course, which will fully launch in 2024, will train our current and future botanical workforce in the best practices of rare plant stewardship and conservation. Participants will learn from leading experts in the field of plant conservation through dynamic video lectures, animated lessons, and integrated RPA resources. Several course topics explore best practices for seed collection and processing, germination testing, use of seed for research and restoration, and impacts of climate change on genetic diversity. The information provided in this free online course, combined with new grant-funded research efforts to evaluate seed bulking best practices and how seed bulking influences rare plant genetics, will expand our collective knowledge, aid practitioners’ work, and improve ex situ curation for imperiled plants.
Enhancing Capacity to Implement Conservation Safeguarding Recovery Actions for Endangered and Threatened Plant Species
Carlee Steppe, Stephanie Koontz*, and Hannah Umstead* Wildlife Conservation Section, GA DNR
Video start time: 41:35
Recovery Challenge funds from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, established in 2018, aims to strengthen partnerships with non-Federal agencies and organizations to support essential conservation actions outlined for listed species in federal recovery plans. Given that the majority of federally listed species are plants, funding opportunities for collaborative plant conservation actions are critical for successful recovery. Conservation efforts must involve both ex situ and in situ strategies. Safeguarding ex situ extends beyond natural populations preserving genetic diversity through germplasm and living collections. In situ strategies restore existing and introduce new viable populations for persistence on the landscape. In 2021, the Wildlife Conservation Section of GA DNR received funding through a Recovery Challenge Grant to implement multiple recovery action needs for 14 federally listed plant species. This funding supports collaborative efforts between the GA DNR and Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance partners to pursue out outlined recovery actions. Here, we specifically address some of the recovery actions achieved for Xyris tennesseensis, Spiraea virginiana, and two Isoetes species.