Plants and fungi are essential for our quality of life: they feed us, clothe us, cure and inspire us. They also provide food for many animals and are therefore considered to be the foundation upon which the rest of life depends. In the UK we have a responsibility to protect our wild-plant heritage. This report is the UK's response to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, which is a part of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Strategy includes 16 outcome-oriented targets to be met by 2010. These range from protecting threatened species to ensuring plant products are taken from sources which are sustainably managed. Implementing the Strategy will contribute to meeting the 2010 target to reduce significantly the rate of biodiversity loss agreed at the World Summit in Johannesburg, and the more challenging target to halt the decline in biodiversity by 2010, agreed by EU countries and the Environment Ministers in the pan-European region.

 

The UK is committed to implementing the Strategy and much work is already ongoing to contribute to delivery of the targets, for example through the country biodiversity strategies and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Following an explanation of what each of the targets mean for the UK, this report details relevant ongoing actions and prioritises necessary additional actions which will enable the UK to meet the targets. The report has been prepared following an extensive two-stage consultation process involving many different people, and has been compiled on behalf of the devolved administrations by a partnership between the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Plantlife International, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The active involvement of participants from plant and fungus conservation groups, including universities, museum collections, botanic gardens, non-governmental organisations, expert societies, and government has been important in preparing this report, and will be vital in implementing the Strategy. We anticipate that existing work programmes will need to evolve in the light of the prioritised actions.

 

We plan to report on progress every two years to help review whether further action will be necessary to meet what we are calling our 'Plant Diversity Challenge' by 2010.