The Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance – Building Capacity through Novel Partnerships and Leveraging Shared Resources

Carrie A. Radcliffe, Chair & Coordinator, Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance,

Emily E.D. Coffey, Ph.D., Vice President of Conservation & Research, Southeastern Center for Conservation at Atlanta Botanical Garden  

The Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance (SE PCA) is a partnership of professionals bridging gaps between local and national plant conservation efforts to prevent and restore the loss of plant diversity in the southeastern United States. Participants include government agencies, land managers, botanical gardens, university programs, and other professionals. The alliance is tailored to multiple interests to provide training opportunities, fill information gaps, identify conservation needs, prioritize efforts, and work collaboratively to conserve imperiled plants. The SE PCA is coordinated by Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Southeastern Center for Conservation with participation from state, regional, national, and international partners. The alliance builds capacity and promotes novel partnerships by adapting successful models and creative solutions while leveraging shared resources. Our goals are to promote best practices, increase public awareness of plants, and efficiently focus funding. This is currently achieved through bi-monthly meetings, leadership committee planning and task teams, and through a website (se-pca.org). The SE PCA is currently engaged in advocacy to integrate plant conservation with broader efforts to conserve wildlife diversity and increase funding for plant conservation. An ex situ gap analysis is being conducted to determine which southeastern species are represented in conservation collections and which need to be incorporated to support in situ restoration efforts. Preliminary strategic planning has outlined additional action items, including developing a published list of species of greatest conservation need and a formal regional strategy. Working with a wide range of stakeholders that represent diverse interests and perspectives, the SE PCA will continue to stimulate collective success.