Abstract Detail

The Contribution of Regional Flora Projects to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation

Wyse Jackson, Peter [1].

Developing a World Flora Online to achieve Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. .

In 2010 the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) of the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted as its first target the preparation of “An online flora of all known plants” by 2020. The importantance of having an excellent baseline of knowledge on the world's flora is acknowledged by the GSPC to guide the development of effective plant conservation actions and identify priority tasks. This GSPC target was subsequently adopted by a broadly-based international consortium of today more than 40 botanical institutions that committed themselves to undertaking this ambitious project. The preparation of a world flora is the first modern and large-scale attempt to produce a comprehensive overview and baseline of knowledge on the world’s plant diversity. This presentation describes the ways in which the World Flora Online Consortium was created, how it is organised and the way it has incorporated diverse datasets available in digital formats into a single online portal available and open to all. Data are being combined from geographical floristic accounts, such as the Flora of China, the Flora on North America and many other regional and national projects, together with relevant monographic treatments. Already very extensive data provided by a wide variety of botanical organizations and institutions worldwide have been incorporated in the WFO portal (www.worldfloraonline.org). By the end of 2020, the WFO included 1.3 million plant names, of which about 350,000 are from accepted species. Of those 165,000 taxa already have descriptions included. Many more data are continuing to be added so that the WFO becomes even more comprehensive. Notable datasets already incorporated from a variety of countries include the Floras of Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ireland, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Panama, South Africa and Switzerland, as well as continental and regional Floras including Mesoamerica, North America, Tropical East and West Africa. A key component of the WFO has been the development of a comprehensive taxonomic backbone, originally developed from 'The Plant List' but subsequently updated and curatored by a developing range of Taxonomic Expert Networks (TENs). The Taxonomic Backbone aims to provide the most up to date source of scientific plant names and their synonyms and become a consensus classification of the world’s plants. Plant taxonomists worldwide are invited to collaborate with the WFO organisation and contribute to this World Flora Online.

Related Links:
World Flora Online portal

1 - Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd, St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

Keywords:
Flora
conservation.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: C10, The Contribution of Regional Flora Projects to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation
Location: /
Date: Friday, July 23rd, 2021
Time: 10:15 AM(EDT)
Number: C10002
Abstract ID:988
Candidate for Awards:None