Plant Diversity Conservation Challenges and Prospects—The Perspective of Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank
There is a pressing need to conserve plant diversity to prevent extinctions and to enable sustainable use of plant material by current and future generations. Here, we review the contribution that living collections and seed banks based in botanic gardens around the world make to wild plant conserva...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/11/2371 |
| _version_ | 1797508766064705536 |
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| author | Elinor Breman Daniel Ballesteros Elena Castillo-Lorenzo Christopher Cockel John Dickie Aisyah Faruk Katherine O’Donnell Catherine A. Offord Samuel Pironon Suzanne Sharrock Tiziana Ulian |
| author_facet | Elinor Breman Daniel Ballesteros Elena Castillo-Lorenzo Christopher Cockel John Dickie Aisyah Faruk Katherine O’Donnell Catherine A. Offord Samuel Pironon Suzanne Sharrock Tiziana Ulian |
| author_sort | Elinor Breman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is a pressing need to conserve plant diversity to prevent extinctions and to enable sustainable use of plant material by current and future generations. Here, we review the contribution that living collections and seed banks based in botanic gardens around the world make to wild plant conservation and to tackling global challenges. We focus in particular on the work of Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Millennium Seed Bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with its associated global Partnership. The advantages and limitations of conservation of plant diversity as both living material and seed collections are reviewed, and the need for additional research and conservation measures, such as cryopreservation, to enable the long-term conservation of ‘exceptional species’ is discussed. We highlight the importance of networks and sharing access to data and plant material. The skill sets found within botanic gardens and seed banks complement each other and enable the development of integrated conservation (linking in situ and ex situ efforts). Using a number of case studies we demonstrate how botanic gardens and seed banks support integrated conservation and research for agriculture and food security, restoration and reforestation, as well as supporting local livelihoods. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:08:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fbcfd6800831455fa896f28e08cd6730 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:08:05Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-fbcfd6800831455fa896f28e08cd67302023-11-23T01:04:34ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472021-11-011011237110.3390/plants10112371Plant Diversity Conservation Challenges and Prospects—The Perspective of Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Seed BankElinor Breman0Daniel Ballesteros1Elena Castillo-Lorenzo2Christopher Cockel3John Dickie4Aisyah Faruk5Katherine O’Donnell6Catherine A. Offord7Samuel Pironon8Suzanne Sharrock9Tiziana Ulian10Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6TN, UKRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6TN, UKRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6TN, UKRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6TN, UKRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6TN, UKRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6TN, UKBotanic Gardens Conservation International, Descanso House, 199 Kew Road, London TW9 3BW, UKThe Australian Plant Bank, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, Sydney, NSW 2567, AustraliaRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Green, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, UKBotanic Gardens Conservation International, Descanso House, 199 Kew Road, London TW9 3BW, UKRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 6TN, UKThere is a pressing need to conserve plant diversity to prevent extinctions and to enable sustainable use of plant material by current and future generations. Here, we review the contribution that living collections and seed banks based in botanic gardens around the world make to wild plant conservation and to tackling global challenges. We focus in particular on the work of Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Millennium Seed Bank of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with its associated global Partnership. The advantages and limitations of conservation of plant diversity as both living material and seed collections are reviewed, and the need for additional research and conservation measures, such as cryopreservation, to enable the long-term conservation of ‘exceptional species’ is discussed. We highlight the importance of networks and sharing access to data and plant material. The skill sets found within botanic gardens and seed banks complement each other and enable the development of integrated conservation (linking in situ and ex situ efforts). Using a number of case studies we demonstrate how botanic gardens and seed banks support integrated conservation and research for agriculture and food security, restoration and reforestation, as well as supporting local livelihoods.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/11/2371biodiversitylong-term conservationplant populationsstrategic collectingexceptional speciescollection quality |
| spellingShingle | Elinor Breman Daniel Ballesteros Elena Castillo-Lorenzo Christopher Cockel John Dickie Aisyah Faruk Katherine O’Donnell Catherine A. Offord Samuel Pironon Suzanne Sharrock Tiziana Ulian Plant Diversity Conservation Challenges and Prospects—The Perspective of Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank Plants biodiversity long-term conservation plant populations strategic collecting exceptional species collection quality |
| title | Plant Diversity Conservation Challenges and Prospects—The Perspective of Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank |
| title_full | Plant Diversity Conservation Challenges and Prospects—The Perspective of Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank |
| title_fullStr | Plant Diversity Conservation Challenges and Prospects—The Perspective of Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank |
| title_full_unstemmed | Plant Diversity Conservation Challenges and Prospects—The Perspective of Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank |
| title_short | Plant Diversity Conservation Challenges and Prospects—The Perspective of Botanic Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank |
| title_sort | plant diversity conservation challenges and prospects the perspective of botanic gardens and the millennium seed bank |
| topic | biodiversity long-term conservation plant populations strategic collecting exceptional species collection quality |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/11/2371 |
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