Botanic garden associations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have joined forces in a new alliance to protect thousands of North American Plant species that are threatened with extinction. The joint effort was announced at the annual meeting in Washington DC of the American Public Garden Association (APGA).
The five key organizations that adopted the new plan include the APGA, the Canadian Botanical Conservation Network (CBCN), the Asociación Mexicana de Jardines Botánicos (AMJB), the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC), and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BCGI).
Dr. Steven Clemants, president of BCGI North America and VP of Science at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG), called the new effort "an important milestone for plant conservation."
Teresa Cabrera Cochon, president of the Mexican group, said thousands of plant species are at risk in Mexico, but she added that shared resources will help everyone adjust "to the rapid rate at which our diverse plant communities are becoming endangered."
The North American group plans to follow internationally 16 goals adopted by the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) to be implemented by 2010. The long-term objective is to halt the current and continuing loss of plant diversity by identifying new initiatives that are needed and mobilizing resources to combat plant loss.
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