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Taking forward the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation in Australia
Recommendations from the Fifth National Conference of the Australian Network for Plant Conservation
From Australasian Plant Conservation, Volume 12, Number 1, June 2003
In April 2002 the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) in recognition of the continuing loss of plant diversity worldwide. The global strategy is a comprehensive programme developed over a two year period and contains objective measures of how well signatory countries are performing compared with other countries and against a global mean. The GSPC has well defined and achievable goals across a wide range of activities and sectors including integrated conservation (ex situ and in situ) of plant diversity, conservation on production lands, recognition of red‑listing and important plant areas, all linked to targets for research, information management, public education and awareness to attain these goals. The challenge for Australia and the region is to meet and even exceed these targets by the 2010 milestone date set for evaluating progress.
To take this forward, the plenary session of the ANPC's fifth national conference (held in Geelong in March this year) proposed that the ANPC should send letters to Environment Australia (EA), the state conservation agencies and CSIRO to take forward EA's proposal for a national meeting on the GSPC.
The plenary endorsed the following wording, although the plenary also agreed that the ANPC Committee and the CHAW (Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens) liaison should have the freedom to develop the exact phrasing and context of the letter/s:
1. The conference plenary commends EA for taking the initiative in raising awareness of the GSPC and flagging the option of a national meeting of stakeholders to review progress and consider additional activities that might be pursued.
2. The conference urges states and territories to support a national meeting on the GSPC.
3. The conference recommends that EA invites the Australian Network for Plant Conservation to participate in the proposed meeting as the primary NGO for plant conservation in Australia.
4. Acknowledging the crisis in plant conservation, recognising that plant species do not always follow national boundaries and recognising Australia's technological and scientific ability, the conference recommends that Australia consults with relevant parties to the CBD especially adjacent regional countries (Oceania, near south‑east Asia and New Zealand) and other parties to work with the GSPC partner organisations and steering group towards implementation of the GSPC.
5. Acknowledging that the ANPC is the internationally recognised plant conservation NGO within Australia and the wider region, the conference recommends that the ANPC be invited to facilitate a meeting of NGOs involved in plant conservation in Australia in raising awareness of the GSPC and assisting these NGOs in assessing their role in achieving relevant targets. |
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