Plant Initiative?
Many plant species remain unknown to us and new plant species continue to be discovered. In California, more than 200 new species have been discovered in the last 25 years. Fifty new plant species have been discovered in Utah and Nevada during the past decade. Some of these species are already threatened at the time they are discovered.
It is important that we attempt to maintain the full complement of biological diversity. Ecological research has yielded only limited understanding on the complexities of our ecosystems. Each plant, each component, is essential to maintaining ecosystem integrity. It is impossible to know the full ramifications of the loss of one or more species in this intricate biological web of life.
Conserving the biodiversity and health of native plants and ecosystems is essential to sustain the natural resource base upon which we depend for survival. There is an urgent need to develop effective plant conservation programs before more species and communities become critically endangered. Native plant conservation agencies are not only needed to protect the most imperiled species, but to ensure the long-term survival of all native plant species and plant communities.
Organizations and individuals interested in native plant conservation need to pool resources and combine energies to develop innovative approaches to ensure the continued existence of our plant resources. Most current plant conservation efforts lack focus and are fragmented among Federal agencies, States, conservation groups, botanical gardens, academia, and private individuals.
The national Native Plant Conservation Initiative provides a framework and strategy for linking resources and expertise in developing a coordinated national approach to plant conservation. The strategy is guided by the following vision:
"For the enduring benefit of the Nation, its ecosystems, and its people, to conserve and protect our native plant heritage by ensuring that to the greatest extent feasible, native plant species and communities are maintained, enhanced, restored, or established on public lands, and that such activities are promoted on private lands."
This strategy is intended to be an evolving one that motivates thinking and catalyzes action toward plant conservation.