The Management of 'Ad Hoc' Ex Situ Conservation Status Species at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh :

A Review of Options

Authors

  • Elizabeth Radford Plantlife International
  • Michael Dossman
  • David Rae Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24823/Sibbaldia.2003.155

Abstract

Ad hoc' conservation status species refer to IUCN-listed plants that have been collected by botanic gardens for no immediate conservation objective. They differ from so-called conservation collections, which have usually been collected with very specific conservation objectives in mind. Information was collected for 53 ad hoc conservation status species in the Living Collection at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). Each species was assessed for its potential value for conservation and suggested action points to improve their management for possible conservation projects in the future were given. Discussions were held with various members of staff about the current and future management of threatened plants in the collections.

In common with other botanic gardens the majority of the ad hoc collections of conservation status plants at RBGE have been acquired in very small numbers, usually as one accession, frequently of cultivated origin and therefore possess little genetic diversity. Current conservation programmes for such plants are few in number and scope, and the management potential of a large number are limited. More emphasis should be placed on the educational role of these plants and on a focused programme to safeguard the survival of the most threatened species at RBGE.

Author Biographies

Elizabeth Radford, Plantlife International

Liz Radford is Plantlife's International Programme Manager. At the time of the case study she had just
finished the MSc in Taxonomy and Biodiversity at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE).

Michael Dossman

Michael Dossman is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University. At the time of the case study he was a Garden Club of America Scholar based at RBGE

David Rae, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

David Rae is Director of Horticulture at RBGE. At the time of the two case studies he was the Year Tutor in the School of Horticulture and also RBGE's Conservation Coordinator.

References

CRONK, Q.C.B. 1995. A new species and hybrid in the St. Helena endemic genus Trochetiopsis. Edinb. J. Bot. 52(2): 205-213.

CRONK, Q.C.B. 1986. The decline of the St Helena ebony Trochetiopsis melanoxylon. Biological Conservation 35: 159-172.

CULLEN et al. (1988). The Cultivation and Propagation of Threatened Plants: A proposal for the documentation of botanic garden methods. IUCN, Botanic Gardens Conservation Secretariat.

GIVEN, D.R. (1987). What the conservationist requires of ex situ collections . In: BRAMWELL et al. Botanic gardens and the World Conservation Strategy. Academic Press Inc (London) Ltd.

ROWE, R.E. (1995). The Population biology of Trochetiopsis: a genus endemic to St Helena. PhD thesis Oxford University unpublished.

SMITH, A. (1997). Environmental education in botanic gardens: is it helping to save biodiversity? In: Conservation into the 21st Century — 4th International Botanic Gardens Conservation Congress pp. 323-329.

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Published

2003-10-31

How to Cite

Radford, E., Dossman, M., & Rae, D. (2003). The Management of ’Ad Hoc’ Ex Situ Conservation Status Species at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh :: A Review of Options. Sibbaldia: The International Journal of Botanic Garden Horticulture, (1), 43–80. https://doi.org/10.24823/Sibbaldia.2003.155

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