[PCA] [MPWG] NEWS: Hidden in Plain Sight: U.S. Plants Need Additional Protection, New Report Finds

Mon Apr 7 08:48:55 CDT 2008

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of
Natural Areas is currently working with The Nature Conservancy in
Tennessee to add our rare plants into the Tennessee State Wildlife
Action Plan.  This project will add over 500 rare native plants into the
SWAP model.  This is at least a first step in creating a statewide plan
for conserving plants in Tennessee.  The state has also put together a
Heritage Conservation Trust Fund to "assist the state in permanently
conserving and preserving tracts of land within the state of Tennessee
for the purposes of promoting tourism and recreation, including outdoor
activities such as hunting and fishing; protecting, conserving and
restoring the state’s physical, cultural, archeological, historical and
environmental resources; and preserving working landscapes.”  This
process included identifying tracts of land that were important to
conserving the state's rare flora:  http://state.tn.us/twra/thcp.html 
and http://www.state.tn.us/environment/trustfund/  Having rare plants in
the SWAP model will assist the state in planning and environmental
review processes, and the identification of target lands for rare plant
conservation in the Heritage Trust Fund assessment will assist the state
in prioritizing lands for protection.  These are at least two important
steps taken in Tennessee towards a more comprehensive plan for rare
plant conservation in the state.  In the future we hope to combine these
products with an assessment of other plant conservation strategies and
opportunities within the state and region into a more comprehensive plan
to protect the state's rare flora.  Maybe in time for the Rare Plant
Protection and Conservation Act's 25th anniversary in 2010?

David Lincicome, Assistant Director
Tennessee Dept. of Environment & Conservation
Division of Natural Areas
401 Church St., 7th Floor L&C Annex
Nashville, TN 37243-0447

Phone:  (615) 532-0439
Fax:  (615) 532-3019
E-mail: david.lincicome at state.tn.us 
Website: http://www.tdec.net/na 

>>> Olivia Kwong <plant at plantconservation.org> 4/4/2008 9:11 AM >>>
http://www.natureserve.org/publications/hidden_plain_sight.jsp 

NATURESERVE PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Rob Riordan, NatureServe / 703-908-1831
e-mail: rob_riordan at natureserve.org 

April 4, 2008
For Immediate Release

U.S. Plants Need Additional Protection, New Report Finds
Few State Wildlife Action Plans Address Needs of Threatened Flora

Arlington, Virginia -- A thorough study of how plants are treated in
state 
wildlife action plans finds that, while the plans represent a major
step 
forward for conservation planning, most of the action plans did not 
attempt to address the conservation needs of plants.

The analysis, contained in a new report titled Hidden in Plain Sight:
the 
Role of Plants in State Wildlife Action Plans, was carried out by 
NatureServe, a non-profit conservation group that provides science to 
inform effective conservation action.

Completed in 2005 by all U.S. states and territories, wildlife action 
plans are designed to guide wildlife conservation efforts and prevent 
wildlife from becoming endangered. Developed based on the best
available 
scientific information and with broad public engagement, these plans
are 
increasingly important in a wide variety of conservation and planning 
efforts.

Because the federal guidelines governing development of these plans 
specifically excluded plants from the definition of "wildlife" and did
not 
provide funding to study them, few states were able to consider rare or

endangered plants in their planning process. However, plants are
essential 
to the functioning of healthy ecosystems, and represent more than half

(56%) of species federally listed as threatened or endangered.

"State wildlife action plans represent a tremendous opportunity for 
strategically advancing conservation in America," said Bruce Stein,
chief 
scientist for NatureServe and a co-author of the study. "
Now is the
time 
to complement the attention they have brought to wild animals with 
additional focus on the needs of our nation's imperiled plants."

The study found that only a modest number of wildlife action plans 
explicitly considered plant species of conservation concern. Just eight
of 
56 plans (14%) took the most direct approach of including plants on
their 
list of "species of greatest conservation need," while only six plans 
(11%) considered plant species of concern in their methods for setting

habitat priorities. Twelve plans (21%) included plant species of
concern 
in their approaches for defining geographic focal areas, generally
relying 
on plant data maintained by state natural heritage programs. The study

found that wildlife action plans for Georgia, Missouri, Nebraska, and 
Oregon were especially effective at addressing the needs of wild plant

species.

The study makes several recommendations for better conserving the
nation.s 
plant life:
- Promote wildlife action plan implementation strategies that would
also 
benefit plant species of concern.
- Avoid implementation actions that could be detrimental to sensitive 
plant species.
- Add plant-specific components to existing wildlife action plans where

possible.
- Develop state-level plant conservation strategies to complement
wildlife 
action plans where necessary.
- Ensure that plants are fully represented in major new conservation 
funding opportunities, including those related to climate change 
adaptation.

Hidden in Plain Sight was authored by Dr. Bruce A. Stein and
NatureServe 
botanist Kelly Gravuer, and was supported by the Doris Duke Charitable

Foundation. The report can be accessed at 
http://www.natureserve.org/publications/library.jsp#nspubs.

###

NatureServe is a non-profit conservation group dedicated to providing
the 
scientific basis for effective conservation action. Representing a
network 
of 80 natural heritage programs and conservation data centers in the 
United States, Canada, and Latin America, NatureServe is a leading
source 
for detailed

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