Knowing what plant species are held in collections is important for prioritizing next steps to safeguard imperiled species. A North American assessment of plants held in collections is underway. Information from all gardens is needed to conduct a gap analysis on what’s not being conserved and prioritize actions. You will be contributing to the North American Botanic Garden Strategy for Plant Conservation.
Once you have your system password/account set up in PlantSearch, the upload goes quickly. PlantSearch keeps locational data on threatened plant taxa private – to receive location information one must request collection information and host organization decides whether to answer data request or not. Submit your plant collections data now even if it’s not complete or verified. Then plan on submitting updated records each year.
Let us know if you need help. You can contact members of the Association’s Plant Conservation Professional Section or Abby Hird Meyer at BGCI-US abby.hird@bgci.org
For more information on the North American Botanic Garden Strategy, go to: http://northamericanplants.org/
