VNPS Position on Conservation
Read a statement of our philosophy, principles and policies (also provided is a printable pdf version with notes).Included is a list of conservation policies for native plants, including best practices in collecting and purchasing native plants, and the promotion of native plant conservation in the community.Our Plant Rescues Position Paper looks at rescue or salvage project in terms of our emphasis on habitat conservation. VNPS chapters sometimes conduct rescues, and we recommend that they be chosen on a case by case basis and that these policies be followed when a rescue does take place.
We encourage scientists and teachers who need to collect native plants in connection with their professional work to follow the Plant Conservation Roundtable’s "Conservation Guidelines", which are intended to apply to the collection of United States native plants for use as herbarium specimens, as research material for biochemical assay or anatomical study, for teaching, or for experimental horticulture. The Plant Conservation Roundtable was an ad hoc committee composed of individuals from various government agencies and conservation organizations throughout the greater Washington, D.C. area, including VNPS. It is now known as the Plant Conservation Alliance, a more formal organization, in which VNPS is a cooperator. The VNPS board endorsed the Roundtable’s guidelines when they first became available and reaffirmed its endorsement in 2006.
Site Registry Program
The Virginia Native Plant Society has many activities in native plant conservation. One of the most important is the Site Registry Program. The registry is a voluntary program designed by the VNPS to protect the plant treasures residing in natural communities throughout Virginia. Landowners who agree to register their properties as Virginia Native Plant Sites take an important step towards preserving the natural features of the land.