BG joJournal of Botuanic Gardens Cronservatinon Internationaal l Volume 6 • Number 1 • January 2009

Ecological restoration and the role of botanic gardens Contents

02 Guest editorial Editors : Suzanne Sharrock and Sara Oldfield 03 Botanic gardens in the age of restoration Cover Photo : Foreground: native highland forest remnant; background: grassland vegetation following deforestation and continued ‘slash and burn’ practice. 06 The Connect to Protect Network: Botanic gardens working to Northwest of Antananarivo, Madagascar. (BGCI). restore habitats and conserve rare species

Design : John Morgan, Seascape E-mail: [email protected] 10 Botanic gardens: meeting the restoration challenge with critically endangered plants - a case history, Symonanthus BGjournal is published by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) . It is published twice a year and is bancroftii (Solanaceae) sent to all BGCI members. Membership is open to all interested individuals, institutions and organisations that support the aims of BGCI (see inside back cover for 13 Restoring valuable spekboomveld using the international Membership application form). carbon market

Further details available from: 16 Inter situ conservation: Opening a “third front” in the battle to • Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Descanso save rare Hawaiian plants House, 199 Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3BW UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5953, Fax: +44 (0)20 8332 5956 E-mail: [email protected], www.bgci.org 20 The Silesian Botanical Garden as a natural habitat garden • BGCI-Russia, c/o Main Botanical Gardens, Botanicheskaya st., 4, Moscow 127276, Russia. Tel: +7 (095) 219 6160 / 5377, Fax: +7 (095) 218 0525, 23 Reintroduction of threatened plant species in Russia E-mail: [email protected], www.bgci.ru • BGCI-Netherlands, c/o Delft University of Technology Julianalaan 67, NL-2628 BC Delft, Netherlands 27 Short communication: Restoring threatened plants of the Amazon Tel: +31 15 278 4714 Fax: +31 15 278 2355 E-mail: [email protected] www.botanischetuin.tudelft.nl 28 Notice: The Highgrove Florilegium • BGCI-Canarias, c/o Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo, Apartado de Correos 14, Tafira Alta 35017, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Spain. 30 Resources Tel: +34 928 21 95 80/82/83, Fax: +34 928 21 95 81, E-mail: [email protected] • BGCI- China, 723 Xingke Rd., Guangzhou 510650 China. 32 International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation Tel:(86)20-37252692. email: [email protected] Registration Form www.bgci.org/china • BGCI – South East Asia, c/o Registry, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569. E-mail: [email protected], • BGCI-Colombia, c/o Jardín Botánico de Bogotá, Jose Celestino Mutis, Av. No. 61-13 – A.A. 59887, 03 Santa Fe de Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. Tel: +57 630 0949, Fax: +57 630 5075, E-mail: [email protected], www.humboldt.org.co/jardinesdecolombia/html/la_red.htm • BGCI-Deutschland, c/o Botanische Gärten der Universität Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 171, 53115 Bonn, Germany. Tel: +49 2 2873 9055, Fax: +49 2 28731690, E-mail: [email protected] • BGCI(US) Inc, c/o Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois 60022, USA. E-mail: [email protected], www.bgci.org/usa

BGCI is a worldwide membership organisation established 06 in 1987. Its mission is to mobilise botanic gardens and engage partners in securing plant diversity for the well- being of people and the planet . BGCI is an independent 13 organisation registered in the United Kingdom as a charity (Charity Reg No 1098834) and a company limited by guarantee, No 4673175. BGCI is a tax-exempt (501(c)(3) non-profit organisation in the USA and is a registered non-profit organisation in Russia.

Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Boards or staff of BGCI or of its members 10 16 23

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BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 01 Guest editorial

Botanic gardens have long played a gardens also commonly employ a wide crucial role in documenting plant range of horticultural techniques, from diversity and supporting efforts to large-scale irrigation and weed control protect it. Now, in the face of to the precision art of accelerating climate change and loss micropropagation, and staff members of biodiversity, it is clear that repair and are well used to dealing with the restoration of damaged plant diverse whims of the many species in includes an impressive range and communities is needed more than ever their living collections – all experience diversity of plant-related data before. With the unique combination which could prove valuable in restoring generated through years of research of scientific and practical plant-based complex plant communities. and practice - an invaluable resource skills in botanic gardens, they are which can support the emerging ideally placed to support a new surge Restoration may be a slow process science of restoration ecology. in restoration science and and research in this area calls for a However, there is an urgent need to management. commitment to research-based collate and share this information monitoring associated with adaptive throughout the global network – a clear An international workshop was held at management over considerable role for BGCI - which links botanic the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in periods. Many botanic gardens can gardens worldwide and maintains June 2008 to identify the ways in which offer the level of stability and long term global databases covering the work of botanic gardens could do more to commitment required to undertake botanic gardens and their plant support the science of ecological such a task, as well as having the collections. restoration. The following important necessary botanical skills. areas were among those identified. If they are to assume an important role Unlike most other research institutions, in restoration, the worldwide coverage A thorough understanding of the plant botanic gardens have their own of botanic gardens should be a communities proposed for restoration estates, which will sometimes cover a strength. At a practical level, The is an essential starting point – their range of habitats. This gives them the Millennium Seed Bank Project provides species and genetic composition, how potential to carry out, experiment with a strong model of a cohesive network, they function ecologically and how they or demonstrate various restoration involving partners in many countries are likely to adapt to future climate techniques. The potential to show around the world. We now need to change. The historical specimens and restoration in action is particularly build on this and to enhance the bonds records safeguarded by most botanic exciting, offering the chance to inspire of commitment and cooperation gardens, along with leading expertise visitors to adopt methods they have throughout BGCI’s global botanic in botany, conservation genetics and seen. garden network. We need to agree on computer modelling, can help to strategic priorities where the science of generate this vital information. On the Botanic gardens are globally dispersed, restoration ecology would be most practical side, increasing numbers of representing a broad spectrum of usefully applied to achieve maximum botanic gardens are now augmenting regions and floras. They have proven benefit for all. their living collections with seed banks, skills in the long term storage of while developing storage, handling and diverse data, with specimen and Kate A. Hardwick and germination protocols to enable the collection records accumulated over Stephen D. Hopper seeds to be put to use. Botanic centuries. Their information base also Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.

02 BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 02 Authors: Kingsley Dixon and Suzanne Sharrock

Botanic gardens in the age of restoration

Introduction the Parties to the CBD in April 2002, strengthening botanic gardens’ Storm Cunningham’s latest book, connections globally. The GSPC provocatively entitled reWealth includes 16 outcome-oriented targets (McGrawHill), presents global to be met by 2010 and Target 8 restoration as a $2 trillion global focuses on ex situ conservation and industry. His mantra is that we can no restoration. This target provided longer exploit the planet in the belief botanic gardens for the first time with a that there is an inexhaustible supply of united vision – avert plant extinction natural resources and that restoration through ex situ conservation. of our natural capital assets (as well as Seedbanks, tissue culture, cryogenics the built and social capital of human and DNA fingerprinting emerged as societies) is critical if the planet is to be charismatic technologies employed to sustained. The question remains as to save species. just how well botanic gardens are seizing the opportunity to be an effective and integral part of the global GSPC Target 8: 60 per cent of restoration challenge? threatened plant species in accessible ex situ collections, preferably in the Building a common vision country of origin, and 10 per cent of on plants in cultivation in botanic Above: them included in recovery and gardens, and links this information to For many For the past three decades or so, restoration programmes. threatened plant databases. At least species such botanic gardens have been on a 12,000 globally threatened species are as Grevillea journey of discovery. The journey was maintained in botanic garden pythara now a response to a world call-to-arms Today, the world’s 2,500 botanic collections and some 100 plant species reduced to a based on the pollution scares of the gardens have assembled a formidable are now only found in botanic gardens! single individual 1970’s (the scene was set by Rachel scientific armoury in the fight against But where to next? Do seedbanks or in the wild, the Carson’s Silent Spring) followed by the extinction. The scientific capacity of artificially maintained populations in a only future for dire predictions of a global biodiversity botanic gardens through such initiatives botanic garden constitute conservation in situ melt-down and the Rio Summit in as the Millennium Seedbank Project or do botanic gardens need to conservation 1992, which culminated in the has meant that ‘… there is no collectively take the next step in the will rely on establishment of the Convention on technological reason why any species conservation journey and restore restoration of Biological Diversity (CBD). While the need go extinct ’ (Paul Smith, Head, species and habitats? If Target 8 of the nearby CBD committed countries to conserve Millennium Seed Bank Project). GSPC is to be achieved, the answer is landscapes and their biodiversity, it was still several Through their living collections and clearly the latter. assisted years before a specific plan for seedbanks, the world’s botanic gardens migration to conserving plant diversity at the global and arboreta conserve a vast number The restoration challenge new safe-sites. level emerged. Following concerted of plant species. In an attempt to (K. Dixon) action by the world’s leading botanists, monitor progress towards Target 8, in Although reintroduction of threatened the Global Strategy for Plant 2004 BGCI launched its PlantSearch species in the wild has so far been Conservation (GSPC) was adopted by database, which provides information relatively restricted, recovery of wild

BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 03-05 03 Right: Today, populations of depleted species may conservation and be increasingly important in repairing reintroduction damaged ecosystems and restoring strategies are as connectivity at a landscape scale. much about However, for many of the world’s restoring habitat threatened species, repatriation to for threatened nature is just not an option. With 60% species as of the land area of the planet now protecting their disturbed by humans, we can no germplasm longer rely on finding suitable and and genetic naturally resilient wild locations for all resources species; such areas just don’t exist. off-site. For example, of the 2,814 conservation (Tony Scalzo, species in Western Australia (double right and the flora of the United Kingdom), of the conservation picture. restoring an ecosystem to its previous K. Dixon, far at least half exist in highly disturbed In Cunningham’s words, ‘.. restoration.. state by the reintroduction of species, right) habitats where invasive species, takes a dying, useless or ugly asset and but in the face of a changing climate, disease (particularly Phytophthora ), returns it to health, value and beauty.. ’ new species assemblages may also salinity and pests mean that the critical What better ideal for botanic gardens need to be considered. Restoration ecological equilibrium needed to than to engage in the reclamation of activities will also need to take into support long-term, self-perpetuating abandoned and seemingly ‘useless’ account the migration needs of plant populations is not in place. Similar land while providing the ecological species as they attempt to move into scenarios are now being played out in framework for repatriation of species. new climatically secure, safe havens. many countries. With over 200 million visitors annually, In ancient, stable floras such as those the capacity for botanic gardens to link found in South Africa and temperate The conservation mantra is therefore active restoration to awareness within southwestern Australia, the prospect is turning towards how habitats can be communities presents new particularly daunting as new research rebuilt, revitalised and restored, opportunities for focusing education shows that many major plant groups heralding a new era and new and extension programmes. lack capacity for long-distance, short- opportunities for botanic gardens as time frame dispersal. Iconic plants, ‘restoration hubs’. Restoration is Restoration in a time of such as Banksia , face the prospect of inextricably tied to the global climate change dwindling populations unable to conservation challenge. Restoration effectively migrate to safe-sites by the takes a dysfunctional ecosystem and Climate change introduces an added 2050 date when climate change is returns it to health and ecological complexity to ecosystem restoration. expected to spell the end for a third or equilibrium as a dynamic component It is no longer ‘simply’ a question of more of the world’s plant species (Thomas et al ., 2004; Fitzpatrick et al ., 2008). For many plant species Box 1: Assisted migration therefore, in today’s highly fragmented and developed landscapes, assisted Assisted migration, or the should include assessments of migration (see Box 1) may be the only establishment of plant species or potential benefits and risks using way to secure species in environments communities in areas not presently lessons from natural succession where there will be some hope of within their ‘native’ ranges, is a dynamics, experimental sustaining populations outside of their contentious issue that places introductions and restoration ‘protective custody’ environments in different conservation objectives at ecology. botanic gardens. odds with one another. There are numerous examples where moving Issues that will need to need taken The role of botanic gardens species beyond their current range into account include: into natural and agricultural Restoration ecology, the science of landscapes has had significant • The need for basic current restoration, is an emerging and negative consequences. However, distribution data; energetic discipline that brings into the growing threat of biodiversity • The accuracy of predicted future focus and play, an array of conceptual loss due to climate change means distribution based on modelling; and technological tools. For botanic that if preventing climate-driven • The importance of community / gardens, these tools represent extinction is a conservation priority, inter-species interactions; challenges and opportunities to cross- assisted migration must be • Extent and type of intraspecific cut science and operational areas for considered an option. Botanic diversity in the source population; creating a ‘one-stop-shop’ in gardens are well placed to • Potential for invasiveness in the restoration. For example, botanic contribute to the debate, which new habitat. gardens invest substantially in horticultural science with living collections that represent many years

04 BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) agendas will be fundamental for Left: ensuring botanic gardens use their Community- formidable capacity to deliver based coastal broadscale benefits in species and restoration in ecosystem restoration. the biodiversity hotspot of References southwest Western ¬ Thomas, C.D., Cameron, A., Green, Australia R.E., Bakkenes, M., Beaumont, L.J., (K. Dixon) Collingham, Y.C. et al . 2004. Extinction risk from climate change . Nature, 427 , 145–147.

¬ Fitzpatrick, M.C., Gove, A.D., Sander, N.J. and Dunn, R.R. 2008. Climate change, plant migration, and range collapse in a global biodiversity hotspot: the Banksia (Proteaceae) of Western Australia . Global Change Biology, 14 (6): 1337- 1352.

Kingsley Dixon Director Science Kings Park and Botanic Garden West Perth, 6005 of research and trial and error in agreed initial data entry will be Western Australia; developing horticultural excellence. undertaken for Magnolia, Acer, Visiting Professor Linking this capacity with the other Quercus and Rhododendron and for The University of Western research capacities in botanic gardens threatened plants of Russia. Australia. represent a unique opportunity for Information collected through this data Email: [email protected] complimentary up-skilling for entry will be used to provide case Below: restoration activities. Few other studies to plan the development of a Suzanne Sharrock The global organisations are so equipped to manual on the restoration of Director of Global Programmes restoration deliver such a potent combination of endangered tree species. BGCI challenge is skills and ability linked to a strong and Descanso House being embraced vibrant horticultural heritage. Conclusion 199 Kew Road across all Richmond TW9 3BW sectors of Furthermore, the worldwide network of Although important players in the UK. society botanic gardens together holds a global restoration challenge, it is clear Email: [email protected] (K. Dixon) wealth of information and experience that botanic gardens will not be able to on cultivating plant species in different tackle this alone. Restoration of nature environments. In the face of rapid has been aspired to for generations. climate change, exchange of such The seamless transition from information will be invaluable in conservation to restoration as developing efficient and sustainable witnessed from the middle of the 20th restoration programmes. In support of century with the calls of Aldo Leopold this, BGCI has developed two new (Sand County Almanac) to protect modules for its PlantSearch database, nature and natural resources (“ A thing which will allow botanic gardens to is right when it tends to preserve the share information on propagation integrity, stability, and beauty of the methodologies and restoration efforts biotic community. It is wrong when it on a species-by-species basis. tends otherwise ”) to the ascendancy of At present these modules consist of a the restoration ethic we see today in set of internal web pages on the BGCI such books as reWealth, call upon website and a desktop application that integration – at the scientific, allows institutions to enter data without cultural/social, economic and political being connected to the internet. levels. For botanic gardens, linking A working prototype will be developed within and beyond our institutional following consultation with BGCI boundaries to embrace broader member gardens around the world and scientific, economic and social

BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 05 Authors: Joyce Maschinski, Scott Lewis, Don Walters, Jennifer Possley, Samuel J. Wright, Julissa Roncal and Caroline Lewis

The Connect to Protect Network: Botanic gardens working to restore habitats and conserve rare species

The Connect to Protect Network

Globally endangered pine rocklands occur only in South Florida, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Known by their South Florida slash pines ( Pinus elliotii var. densa ) and saw palmettos (Serenoa repens ), they support over 400 native plant species, of which 31 are endemic, five are listed as federally endangered, and five are candidates for listing.

Rapid development in South Florida has endangered pine rocklands and their rare species. Once found extensively on limestone uplands in South Florida, today less than 2% remain as small fragments outside of Above: Pine Introduction in the solution to a daunting the Everglades National Park. Many rocklands conservation problem. We created The are protected by the Miami-Dade habitat Throughout the world, coastal habitats Connect to Protect Network that County, but some remain on (Metrozoo are gravely threatened by sea level includes concentrated seed collections unprotected public and private land. Pineland) rising. Focusing on the ecosystems and of common and rare pine rockland (Jennifer species at greatest risk of extinction in species, collaborations with the When habitats become fragmented, Possley) South Florida and the Caribbean, educational programme ‘Fairchild plant populations become isolated and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has Challenge’ to engage community shrink in size. Fragmentation reduces begun a conservation initiative for members in pine rockland restoration, the opportunities for pollinators to find globally endangered pine rocklands. and partnerships with private and public flowers, which in turn may decrease Our efforts directly link ecological land owners to create pine rockland seed production and the genetic health restoration to rare species conservation, gardens as stepping stones between of these populations. Rare plants living while engaging the public to participate pine rockland fragments. in pine rocklands are particularly

06 BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 06-09 vulnerable to catastrophic events, Left: such as hurricanes, and recovery from Students assist losses becomes more questionable. with crenulate To help preserve and strengthen our leadplant habitat remaining pine rocklands and to restoration by increase the numbers of pine removing forest rockland plants growing in Miami-Dade litter and dead County, Fairchild Tropical Botanic leaves that Garden recently launched the Connect accumulate due to Protect Network with funding from to fire the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Our suppression objective is to create corridors and (Joyce “stepping stones” to connect isolated Maschinski) pine rockland remnants and restore existing parcels to improve forest health. These corridors will serve to increase the probability that bees, butterflies, and birds can find and transport seeds and pollen across developed areas. Public and privately- owned pine rockland parcels may become part of the network. If degraded, parcels will be restored and planted with native pine rockland species. It is our hope that the species extinction, plants for talents, and backgrounds and is open Far left: interchange of seeds and pollen will reintroduction or augmentation, and to all schools in the Greater Miami The winning improve gene flow and the likelihood material to study the biology of rare area. Successfully reaching a logo and slogan that these species will persist over the species. Seed banks are a convenient traditionally under-represented for the project long term. Threatened and and inexpensive way to conserve demographic group at botanical was designed endangered species planted in germplasm in a relatively small space. gardens, last year more than 40,000 by Miami corridors will have increased numbers Although orthodox seed storage students and 1,800 teachers from more Palmetto High and reduced extinction risk. involving drying and freezing seeds than 100 middle and high schools School student generally works well for plants of participated in the programme. Yunxin Jiao. Pine rockland seed collections temperate regions, it is unknown whether south Florida subtropical With the Fairchild Challenge, we Meeting the goals of the Connect to species will withstand drying or engaged students in diverse activities Protect Network will require planting freezing. Therefore, we have begun related to the Connect to Protect many native pine rockland species that testing seeds to determine optimal Network. As part of a 2007 Fairchild are not in the commercial trade. seed storage requirements for these Challenge contest, Miami Palmetto In preparation, we have collected species. High School student Yunxin Jiao seeds of pine rockland plants to learn designed the winning logo and about their germination, storage and To date we have collected over 50,000 suggested the slogan, “Connect to cultivation requirements. Ex situ seeds of 35 species for tests and long- Protect” for our initiative. collections provide insurance against term storage at The National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Ft. Fairchild Challenge participating Collins, CO, USA (Table 1). students have also helped us restore Left: Liatris Germination, desiccation and freezing endangered species habitat. chapmanii trials indicate that most of the pine In October 2007 and February 2008, (Jennifer rockland species we have examined 100 students helped restore a fire- Possley) are capable of orthodox seed storage. suppressed pine rockland that is home to the federally endangered crenulate Collaborations with the lead plant ( Amorpha herbacea var. Fairchild Challenge crenulata ). Because pine rocklands are adapted to periodic natural fires, which Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s are infrequent in Miami-Dade County environmental education outreach urban landscapes, conditions that are programme for middle and high school optimal for Amorpha growth and students is called the Fairchild seedling recruitment are limited. In the Challenge. Comprised of a menu of absence of fire, shrubs and vines multidisciplinary competitions, this free create dense shaded conditions and a annual programme is designed for deep layer of pine needles and palm students of diverse interests, abilities, fronds accumulate on the ground.

BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 07 plants and seeds, assistance with • Decrease extinction risk through installation, and ideas about how restoring ecosystem health and gardens can be incorporated into reintroducing rare species; maths and science instruction. • Empower the community , especially middle and high school students, to Experimental introductions of help be part of the solution. rare species Acknowledgments Unfortunately many South Florida rare species habitats are rapidly changing, This work has been funded by the U.S. such that they are becoming unsuitable Fish and Wildlife Service, The Florida for sustaining rare plant populations in Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer the long-term. Surrounded by Services, Division of Plant Industry and inhospitable matrices, migration and Miami-Dade County Natural Areas population expansion is prevented. Management & Environmentally Worse still, there may not be any Endangered Lands Programs. Above: suitable habitat remaining within their Lantana historic range into which they can Key references: canescens seeds disperse even if assisted by humans. are capable of Existing anthropogenic impacts leave ¬ Guerrant, Jr. E. O., Havens, K., and orthodox few patches of land with natural Maunder, M. 2004. Ex situ plant storage and may vegetation of any sort, much less conservation: supporting species hold the key to patches with special characteristics survival in the wild . Island Press, the species required by rare species. Washington D.C. survival in Florida (Jennifer Though the prospects are daunting, ¬ Maschinski, J. and Wright, S. J. Possley) Fairchild has conducted experimental 2006. Using ecological theory to introductions of the regions’ rarest plan restorations of the endangered species. After Fairchild scientists beach jacquemontia in fragmented Thanks to the efforts of students we systematically review ecological, habitats . Journal for Nature removed 110 bags of leaf litter and political and logistical criteria of Conservation 14 : 180-189. stacked several large piles of vines and potential reintroduction sites, we work palm fronds! Miami-Dade County closely with local land managers to ¬ Maschinski, J., Possley, J., Bradley, Natural Areas Management crews restore habitats and introduce rare K., Wright, S., Stolt, J., Walters, C., followed the students’ efforts by species. Initial findings of our studies and Collins, M. 2007. Developing thinning hardwood trees and shrubs to suggest that it is possible to introduce corridors to alleviate problems of open the canopy. Fairchild will return to species to novel habitats. By treating urban fragmentation on rare plant monitor Amorpha growth and seedling initial reintroductions as experiments to populations in South Florida : March establishment. But in addition to the learn about the capacity of species to 2007. Report to U.S. Fish and potential benefits of the restoration on grow under current available Wildlife Service on Agreement No. the rare species, the enthusiasm of the conditions, we are hedging bets 401816G137, South Florida students and their teachers was against uncertainty and improving Ecological Services Office, Vero powerful. Many wanted to know when chances for species persistence into Beach, FL. they could come back to continue the the next century. Right: Corridors work, so we suspect that we have may improve some committed conservationists to Conclusions pollinators help with future projects. visitation of pine At Fairchild, we are concerned about rockland species Several schools are also creating pine the persistence of the rare and like the U.S. rockland gardens in their schoolyards. common plants in South Florida federally Schools located near corridors and habitats that are predicted to be endangered natural areas serve as “stepping inundated by sea level rise within the crenulate stones” between natural areas, next 100 years. Our proactive leadplant increasing total space occupied by approach includes the following steps: (Amorpha plants in the urban matrix and providing herbacea var. homes for the pollinators. In addition, • Ex situ conservation through live crenulata ) these school gardens give students an collections and seed banking to (Jennifer opportunity to gain real experience in increase options available for the Possley) ecology, habitat restoration, and future; conservation. Fairchild facilitates the • Connect forest fragments with creation of these gardens by providing corridors to increase the probability instruction to teachers, pine rockland of pollination and seed dispersal;

08 BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) ¬ Possley, J., Maschinski, J., ¬ Wendelberger, K. S., Fellows M. Q. Left: Pine Rodriguez, C. and Dozier, J. 2008. N. and Maschinski, J. 2007. Rescue rocklands Alternatives for reintroducing a rare and restoration: Experimental habitat (K.S. ecotone species: manually thinned translocation of Amorpha herbacea Wendelberger) forest edge versus restored habitat Walter. var. crenulata (Rybd.) Isley remnant . Restoration Ecology into a novel urban habitat . online doi 10.111/j.1526- Restoration Ecology online doi: 100X.2008.00395.x 10.1111/j.1526-100x.2007.00325.x

¬ Roncal, J., Maschinski, J., Schaffer, ¬ Wright, S. J. and Thornton, H. B. and Gutierrez, S. M. 2008. 2003. A ranked list of restoration Introducing endangered species on sites for J. reclinata. In Maschinski, a changing landscape: A case study J., Wright, S. J., Thornton, H., of Amorpha herbacea var. crenulata Fisher, J., Pascarella, J. B., Lane, ¬ Maschinski, J. and Lewis, S. 2008. (Fabaceae) in South Florida . In C., Pinto-Torres, E. and Carrara, S. Fairchild launches the Connect to Maschinski, J., Wright, S. J., Restoration of Jacquemontia Protect Network . The Tropical Wendelberger, K., Pascarella, J., reclinata to the South Florida Garden, Spring 2008. Schaffer, B. and Roncal, J. 2007. Ecosystem . Final Report to the US Ongoing efforts to reintroduce and Fish and Wildlife Service for Grant ¬ Myers, R.L. and Ewel, J. J. 1990. study two endangered plant Agreement 1448-40181-99-G-173. Ecosystems of Florida . University of species, beach jacquemontia and Central Florida Press. Orlando, crenulate lead-plant . Final report to Correspondence to: Florida, USA. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Joyce Maschinski South Florida Ecological Services Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden ¬ Possley, J., Hines, K., Maschinski, Office, Vero Beach, FL. Center for Tropical Plant J., Dozier, J. and Rodriguez, C. Conservation 2007. A common passion: multiple ¬ Wendelberger, K.S. and Maschinski, 11935 Old Cutler Road agencies and volunteers unite to J. 2008. Linking GIS, observational Miami, FL 33156, USA. reintroduce goatsfoot passionflower and experimental studies to Email: jmaschinski@fairchild to rockland hammocks of Miami, determine optimal seedling garden.org Florida, USA . Native Plants Journal microsites of an endangered plant in 8:252-258. a subtropical urban fire-adapted ecosystem . Restoration Ecology Table 1. Example of germination, online doi:10.1111/j.1526- desiccation and freezing tolerance of 100X.2008.00422.x 14 pine rockland species.

Genus Species Date tested Days to 1st Duration # Seeds/ Fresh Desiccated Stored 1 Comments germination of test trial week at (days) 20o C

Asclepias viridis 9/15/2008 8 43 100 77% 87% 87% Brickellia mosieri 3/24/2008 4 14 100 54% 50% 55% Chamaecrista deeringiana 10/31/2008 24100 88% 93% 90% Seeds incised Chamaecrista nictitans var. 9/26/2008 35100 98% 97% 100% Seeds incised aspera Crotalaria pumila 2/14/2008 11 164 100 1% 2% 60% Acid for 5 minutes Echites umbellata 2/15/2008 5 21 100 94% 96% 98% Gaura angustifolia 2/15/2008 5 38 100 60% 62% 64% Melanthera parvifolia 11/27/2007 6 38 100 21% 25% 33% Mimosa quadrivalis 9/5/2007 2 91 100 90% 12% 10% With incision, frozen var. angustata seeds germinated to 95% in 6 days Morinda royoc 8/7/2007 17 116 100 24% 23% 22% With acid, frozen seeds germinated to 46% Physalis walteri 6/26/2007 9 56 100 52% 59% 55% Piloblephis rigida 10/16/2007 3 22 100 36% 28% 33% Smilax havanensis 11/27/2007 62 251 100 32% 34% 32% Acid for 5 minutes Trichostema dichotomum 5/31/2007 6 50 100 50% 64% 71%

BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 09 Authors: Eric Bunn and Kingsley Dixon

Botanic Gardens: meeting the restoration challenge with critically endangered plants - a case history, Symonanthus bancroftii (Solanaceae)

values and high levels of local and Both plants were found in disturbed regional endemism and is now and highly vulnerable habitats, one on considered one of the most significant a road-verge (the male plant) and the biodiversity melt-down regions in the other (female) beside a railway track. biodiversity hotspot of southwest Both sites were subsequently Western Australia (WA). protected with fencing but are unfortunately still at risk to a variety of In the wheat-belt, many plant species potentially lethal disturbances. For this are now restricted to small refugial reason urgent ex situ propagation was habitats, often along roadsides and in considered necessary. As the plants small, scattered reserves sitting in a sea were widely separated it was of wheat! Symonanthus bancroftii considered unlikely that natural (Solanaceae) or Bancroft’s pollination could occur even if the Symonanthus - named after Dr Joseph plants were compatible, or that it Bancroft (1836-94, www.adb.online.anu. would occur quickly enough to edu.au/biogs/A030084b.htm), is one of establish a seed bank before the plants the rarest species in Western Australia perished. In addition, as these are very and occurs in this region. The plant small plants, taking cuttings was was thought to be extinct as the last deemed to be too risky. Tissue culture known collection was in the 1940s. was therefore the logical choice for However the remarkable discovery of a rapid propagation. solitary plant on a road-verge remnant A reintroduced in 1997 precipitated renewed interest The Conservation Biotechnology male seedling in this species. The euphoria of the research group at the Botanic Gardens plant in a discovery was quickly dispelled when and Parks Authority (BGPA) (Kings Park restored it was discovered that the plant was a population male and that the impossible was (E. Bunn) needed – to find a female plant – and thus began a dedicated programme to locate more plants, a turning point for Introduction this species. Following intense searching in 1998 by local enthusiasts Right: The The wheat-belt region of Western and a local LandCare group, another original male Australia is one of the most extensively plant was found and with incredible plant of cleared landscapes in Australia with good fortune this plant turned out to be Symonanthus less than 2% of bushland remaining in a female! So the journey began to bancroftii some areas. The wheat-belt was rebuild the entire species from the (E. Bunn) underestimated in terms of biodiversity original ‘Adam and Eve’ for the species.

10 BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 10-12 and resulted in production of the first from a battery linked to a solar panel. Left: Shoots of seed of this species to be seen in over It is likely that if micropropagated S. bancroftii 50 years. Funding for setting up of field plants were used again, survival of growing in trials in 2002-4 was secured by the these would also be much better than tissue culture Bruce Rock LandCare group with previously experienced. Although the (E. Bunn) assistance from BGPA and the cost of producing plants from Threatened Species Network – WWF seedlings is much cheaper than Bottom far left: Australia. through tissue culture, the in vitro Two-year old programme has enabled enough plants male plant in a Over 2,400 plants (male and female) to be produced to create a stable restoration site were produced from the reintroduced population capable of (watering was micropropagation programme and providing ample seed for further found essential & Botanic Garden) are specialists in planted in field sites from 2002-2006. restoration, so has proved invaluable. for at least the tissue culture of recalcitrant native Survival was low overall as many of first year to plants, particularly rare and these years saw below average rainfall This project has also provided an maximise endangered species. The task of accompanied by higher than average opportunity to study the effects of establishment establishing a micropropagation temperatures in summer, and in 2006 extreme loss of genetic provenance on of plants) method was begun in 1997 with the the driest June on record was native species and the capacity of a (E. Bunn) first collection of a small amount of experienced. Creating a watering species to rebound from such severe shoot material from the male plant. system for the critical first season depletion. It is known that some plant Collection of this type of material (and establishment also proved extremely species have undergone quite extreme indeed all such collections of rare and difficult without a reliable water source genetic ‘bottlenecks’ in the past and endangered plant material) is carried (water needed to be carted to on-site were able to rebound and build up the out by authorised Kings Park scientific tanks on a regular basis from nearby species again (the much publicised staff with special permits from the farm dams which were heavily drought- Wollemi pine from eastern Australia relevant State Authority (in this case affected). Nevertheless, by 2004 in one had its origin in Jurassic times and is Left: Plants the Dept of Environment and field site approximately 25-30% of about to be Conservation or DEC). The initiation of plants had survived two summers and transplanted to material of the male plant into tissue these formed the basis of a stable field (note well- culture was successful and a further reintroduced group of about 90 plants developed root study program was developed during with a male:female plant ratio of system resulting 1998 to produce plants and overcome approximately 1:3. Native insects were from specially problems with the high mortality of observed visiting flowers of both male modified slit shoots in the early stages of culture and female plants in the field sites. 250 mm deep establishment. This study program From this sub-population seed was pots to resulted in a highly successful collected from female plants in 2006- encourage deep micropropagation procedure that was 2007. Utilizing the skills of the Seed extensive root developed just in time to initiate shoot Biology research group at Kings Park, systems material of the second (female) plant a germination procedure was (E. Bunn) found in 1998 (Panaia et al , 2000). In developed and seedlings were 2000-2001 micropropagated female germinated for the first time in plants were artificially pollinated with sufficient numbers to replace pollen from micropropagated male micropropagated plants in plants at Kings Park as part of a reintroduction trials. Although the first programme to study the reproductive tentative seedlings transplants in 2006 biology of S. bancroftii (Ye et al , 2007) were not particularly successful, follow up plantings in 2007 and 2008 are looking much more promising and a further 135 plants are now growing, spread over the two reintroduction sites. The change to a more reliable watering system (access to regional mains water for both restoration sites was made possible with assistance of WA Water Authority) for the early establishment of seedlings in 2007 has A native butterfly enabled much higher survival than was species on a possible in the past. In addition, with male flower of a the assistance of DEC and Bruce Rock reintroduced Shire an automatic watering system is plant being developed. An existing manual (G. Messina) pump system at the second site is run

BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 11 Survival of micropropagated plants of three genotypes (Sb1 = original male plant, Sb2 = original female plant and Sb3 = daughter plant) of Symonanthus bancroftii in a field site near Ardath, W.A. from original planting (M0 = June 2004) through to M51 (Sep 2008). Note the initial large loss of plants due to transplant shock M3-5) and again after the first summer (M13). By the second year after transplanting (M26) the population stabilized and losses in subsequent years (2007-8) have been minimal.

100

90 Sb1 80 Sb2 Sb3 70 ) % (

l 60 a v i v r 50 u S t

n 40 a l P 30

20

10

0 M0 M3 M5 M13 M18 M26 M33 M35 M40 M44 M51 Months (0-51 from planting), non-linear

Top: now reputedly of very low genetic References Eric Bunn and Kingsley Dixon Close up of S. diversity but has still managed to Kings Park and Botanic Garden bancroftii pollen survive!). The reintroduced populations ¬ Panaia, M., Senaratna, T., Bunn, E., West Perth, 6005 grain on the of S. bancroftii represent a unique in Dixon, K. and Sivasithamparam, K. Australia; stigma of a situ ‘laboratory’ for these types of 2000. Micropropagation of the and female flower studies. critically endangered Western Faculty of Natural and Agricultural (during artificial Australian species Symonanthus Sciences pollination) The continued survival of Symonanthus bancroftii (F. Muell) L. Haegi School of Plant Science, (E. Bunn) to the present day can be attributed to (Solanaceae) . Plant Cell, Tissue and University of Western Australia a partnership between conservation Organ Culture 63 (1): 23-29. Nedlands, 6009 Above: agencies and volunteer community Australia. Germination of groups who located the remaining ¬ Ye, Q., Bunn, E., Krauss, S.L. and Email: [email protected]; the pollen and plants, and the dedication of BGPA Dixon, K.W. 2007. Reproductive [email protected] pollen tube staff and research students. The success in a reintroduced penetrating programme illustrates the power and population of a critically endangered stigma tissue benefits of building ‘citizen science’ Western Australian shrub, (E. Bunn) and partnerships for conserving rare Symonanthus bancroftii and threatened species from a (Solanaceae) . Australian J. Botany biodiversity hotspot. 55 :428-432.

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge staff and volunteers of DEC, Corrigin and Bruce Rock LandCare groups, Bruce Rock Shire, Water Authority of WA, the World Wildlife Fund, various BGPA staff (with special thanks to Bob Dixon and Right: Keran Keys) and students, and Developing fruit volunteers from Friends of Kings Park on a female who all assisted with this project over plant (E. Bunn) the years and made it possible.

12 BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) Authors: Shirley Pierce, Richard Cowling, Anthony Mills, Mike Powell and Ayanda Sigwela, R3G*

Restoring valuable spekboomveld using the international carbon market One of the biggest restoration trials in the Southern Hemisphere aims to re-establish badly degraded spekboomveld and investigate carbon-trading opportunities

thicket, some 46% has undergone Left: severe degradation and 34% moderate Flowering disturbance. Unfortunately, removing spekboom livestock and resting the veld does not (A. Mills) lead to natural recovery of the vegetation, as seedling establishment is constrained by the exposed soil’s temperature extremes and reduced water-holding capacity. Essentially, to restore this thicket type requires active intervention, which is what this article is about.

Degradation of thicket has negative socio-economic repercussions. Reductions in diversity, soil carbon, soil quality, and plant productivity all lead to lower livestock productivity (Mills and Fey, 2004; Mills et al ., 2007). Decreases in availability of wood, wild fruits and medicinal plants used by rural communities also result in Introduction its inland margins, to the dense bush lowered income – approximately $150 with emergent tree euphorbias and per annum per household – which is a Think of the south-eastern Cape, South aloes characteristic of valley slopes. significant amount for struggling rural Africa, and an image that springs to But what few are aware of is the extent people (Cocks and Wiersum, 2003). mind is a stately kudu browsing of devastation of thicket vegetation gracefully in dense, tangled foliage. Or wrought by poor farming practices. Restoration is expensive, and the contented elephants in Addo Elephant active restoration of thousands of National Park, placidly foraging on Forms of thicket vegetation that have hectares of formerly healthy thicket, thorny branches and succulent leaves. been especially ravaged by overgrazing rich in spekboom plants, appears at The supporting vegetation is known as in the past century, are those rich in first sight to be unfeasible. But there is Thicket, (or more formally, the spekboom or igwanishe, Portulacaria compelling scientific evidence that Subtropical Thicket Biome) which has afra . There is evidence that even in the spekboom - with its rather special its heartland near Addo, and is short space of a decade, heavy characteristics, together with the distributed as far as Riversdale in the browsing, especially by mohair- possibilities of earnings via the carbon west and the Great Fish River in the producing angora goats, can convert market, and the creation of jobs in the east. It is an ancient and complex dense shrubland into a desert-like economically depressed rural areas - vegetation type, expressed in different state. Of some 16,000 square km may provide an all-round solution (Mills forms, ranging from low noorsveld at formerly covered in spekboom-rich and Cowling, 2006; Mills et al ., 2007).

BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 13-15 13 How grazing affects spekboom land. Furthermore, spekboom is thought year. The different-aged plantings to be especially efficient in capturing enabled estimates of potential rates of It is interesting that, although carbon as it is among those special arid carbon sequestration, with the oldest spekboomveld evolved under the plants which can switch from using the stand having sequestered 11 kg of

grazing of hulking megaherbivores - ‘normal’ photosynthetic pathway (C 3) to carbon per square metre over 27 years, elephant and black rhino - it is especially another water-conserving (CAM) indicating an average rate of 0.42 kg of vulnerable to heavy grazing by goats. pathway when conditions are dry. The carbon per square metre per year (Mills

The explanation for this anomaly is that ability to use the C 3 pathway when the and Cowling, 2006). This rate of carbon indigenous animals feed from above, soil is moist means it is more productive sequestration is comparable to many promoting the natural umbrella-shaped than those succulents that use only temperate and subtropical forests, and canopy. In contrast, goats tend to feed CAM. potential earnings through carbon from underneath, with the result that credits are likely to rival forest-planting overgrazing destroys this canopy. With The Restoration Research Group (R3G) schemes. indigenous browsing, the shrub forms a is a group of scientists who are ‘skirt’ of branches which are able to root currently evaluating the feasibility of Impressive results and proliferate on contact with the massive-scale restoration of thicket. ground, while broken branches are able Their project includes possibly one of The biome-wide trial commenced in to re-establish, much like planted the biggest restoration trials in the January 2008, and already more than cuttings. The theory is that the plant’s southern hemisphere. Spanning the 100 of the planned 300 plots have unique umbrella-shaped canopy entire Thicket Biome, a distance of been established. Farmers have been maintains a cool, drier microclimate about 800 km, this investigation aims keen to participate in allowing trial conducive to accumulating carbon-rich to determine areas for ‘optimal plots to be located on their land, and ground litter, which may also explain the survivorship’ and best growth from many are going ahead with their own rates of carbon sequestration which are cuttings of the succulent-leaved shrub, plantings. The trial plots (50 x 50 m extraordinarily high for an arid spekboom, as well as variation in rates each) are located in degraded thicket, environment (Mills and Cowling, 2006). of carbon sequestration. and each plot is fenced off and manually planted with spekboom Carbon storage in spekboom One aim of this trial is to determine the truncheons by trained teams under the potential for re-planting to earn carbon supervision of GIB. Increments in Currently, there is an initiative which is credits on the international market as a carbon (above and below ground) are building on the sound scientific evidence future means of funding land restoration then monitored to determine rates of that spekboom is something of a on freehold and communal land. R3G is carbon storage. ‘superplant’ when it comes to its working in close partnership with the extraordinary carbon storing capabilities. Department of Water Affairs and Preliminary observations suggest that Data gathered over the last seven years Forestry’s Working for Woodlands as the productive and water-efficient show that carbon storage in intact Project and supported by poverty- spekboom shrubs establish sufficiently spekboom thicket in the arid south- alleviation funds from the government’s to shade the soil surface and produce eastern Cape exceeds 20 kg of carbon Expanded Public Works Project. The litter, the quality of the soil starts per square metre of vegetation, which is actual re-planting is being supervised improving. This enables other flora and Below: equivalent to that of moist subtropical by the Gamtoos Irrigation Board (GIB), fauna to re-establish, and biodiversity Mike Powell in forests (Mills et al ., 2005; Mills et al ., the implementing agency which has begins to return. There is still much front of a 2005). In addition, the plant’s ability to been managing large-scale plantings scope for horticultural research within healthy stand of sprout from re-planted truncheons, over the last three years, restoring close our project to increase the survivorship spekboom, without irrigation or cultivation in a to 400 ha in the Baviaanskloof Nature of cuttings and to determine effects of Portulacaria nursery, makes it a very good candidate Reserve (a World Heritage Site), the soil properties (both biological and afra (A. Mills) for large-scale restoration of degraded Addo Elephant National Park and the inorganic) on growth rates. Botanic Great Fish River Reserve. gardens are well positioned to play a role in this critical part of restoration Data on the remarkable rates of carbon projects. Our project would welcome storage under re-planted spekboom collaboration on this front. were collected on the farm Krompoort, between Uitenhage and Steytlerville, Concurrent with the field trials, R3G is inland of Port Elizabeth. Over the last investigating the complex requirements 30 years, the far-sighted farmer, Mr to qualify for carbon credits. Trade in Henry Graham Slater, has carbon in afforestation and restoration systematically restored a degraded operates via two main paths: the formal hillslope using spekboom truncheons. compliance market (controlled by the Now, the oldest spekboom plants stand Clean Development Mechanism, an more than 2 m tall and cover 90% of arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol), the planted site, an impressive growth or via the informal, voluntary market from truncheons planted in bare ground (Bumpus and Liverman, 2008). The under a rainfall of only 250-350 mm per spekboom project may well be best

14 BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) ¬ Mills, A. J. and Cowling, R. M. 2006. Left: Spekboom, Rate of carbon sequestration at two Portulacaria thicket restoration sites in the afra (M. Powell) Eastern Cape, South Africa . Restoration Ecology 14 : 38-49.

¬ Mills, A. J., Cowling, R. M., Fey, M. V., Kerley, G. I. H., Donaldson, J. S., Lechmere-Oertel, R. G., Sigwela, A. M., Skowno, A. L. and Rundel, P. 2005. Effects of goat pastoralism on ecosystem carbon storage in semi- arid thicket, Eastern Cape, South Africa . Austral Ecology 30 : 797-804.

¬ Mills, A. J. and Fey, M. V. 2004. Transformation of thicket to savanna reduces soil quality in the eastern Cape, South Africa . Plant and Soil 265 : 153-163. suited to the latter market, which credits on international markets which follows many of the formal procedures can provide employment and income to ¬ Mills, A. J., O’Connor, T. G., of the formal compliance market but rural communities. Surely a win-win-win Donaldson, J. S., Fey, M. V., relies on individuals who care about situation! Skowno, A. L., Sigwela, A. M., climate change, or else is dependent Lechmere-Oertel, R. G. and on those corporate companies with Amended from an article published Bosenberg, J. D. 2005. E cosystem social responsibility programmes. in Veld & Flora, the Journal of the carbon storage under different land The voluntary market also takes into Botanical Society of South Africa. uses in three semi-arid shrublands account the sustainable development and a mesic grassland in South of rural livelihoods and benefits for *R3G –the Restoration Research Group Africa . South African Journal of biodiversity. A critical aspect for either - comprises a group of scientists Plant and Soil 22 : 183-190. market is accurate quantification of whose strength lies in a unique carbon stocks in landscapes before partnership, applying their scientific ¬ Mills, A. J., Turpie, J., Cowling, R. M., and after the restoration. These carbon expertise with the practical Marais, C., Kerley, G. I. H., Lechmere- stocks include carbon in soils, litter and implementation of the South African Oertel, R. G., Sigwela, A. M. and biomass. In order to earn the carbon Government’s Department of Water Powell, M. 2007. Assessing costs, credits, auditors need to be contracted Affairs and Forestry’s Working for benefits and feasibility of subtropical to validate the project and certify that Woodlands Project, which trains and thicket restoration in the Eastern the carbon quantification is scientifically employs contracting teams funded by Cape, South Africa. In : Restoring rigorous. This adds large transaction the Expanded Public Works Natural Capital Science, Business costs to a restoration project aiming to Programme (EPWP) under the and Practice: 179-187. Aronson, J., earn carbon credits and a rule of thumb supervision of the Gamtoos Irrigation Milton, S. J. and Blignaut, J. (Eds.). is that any project less than 10,000 Board. The scientists are based at Washington DC: Island Press. hectares is unlikely to earn sufficient Rhodes University, Stellenbosch credits to warrant the transaction costs. University and Nelson Mandela Corresponding author: Seeing projects of this size Metropolitan University. See Anthony Mills implemented across the Eastern Cape www.r3g.co.za. Department of Soil Science is the ultimate goal of the Working for Stellenbosch University Woodlands programme. Green References Western Cape, South Africa. investors who back the carbon market Telephone and Fax: are, however, at this stage still required ¬ Bumpus, A. G. and Liverman, D. M. +27-21-7151560 to make this vision a reality. 2008. Accumulation by Email: [email protected] decarbonization and the governance Ultimately the potential benefits of of carbon offsets . Economic Left: restoration to degraded thicket Geography 84 (2): 127-155. A restored slope landscapes are enormous from an (foreground) environmental, social and economic ¬ Cocks, M. L. and Wiersum, K. F. (A. Mills) perspective, leading to: increased 2003. The significance of plant wildlife carrying capacity, reduced soil diversity to rural households in erosion, improved water retention and Eastern Cape province of South infiltration in the soil, and the return of Africa . Forestry, Trees and biodiversity, while earning carbon Livelihoods 13 : 39-58.

BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 15 Authors: David A. Burney and Lida Pigott Burney

Inter situ conservation: Opening a “third front” in the battle to save rare Hawaiian plants

Anyone who has taken a course in Each strategy has its advantages and paleoecological researchers whose conservation biology, or even read a disadvantages (Table 1). In places like focus was originally on the past, not book on the subject, knows that there Hawaii, where approximately half the the future, of rare plants and animals. are fundamentally two kinds of native flora is considered at risk of conservation: in situ and ex situ . The extinction in the next few decades, Listening to the fossils former, aimed at preserving species scientists and conservationists have where they presently occur naturally, begun asking themselves how they can Since 1992, our group has been will perhaps always rightly be the front do more for these roughly 500 species, excavating a remarkable fossil site, at line of conservation. The latter, through innovative and more cost- Makauwahi Cave on Kaua`i’s south however, has become increasingly effective strategies that aim to bridge shore. It is generally acknowledged as important as botanical gardens, zoos, the gap between these two the richest in the Hawaiian Islands. and other cultural institutions strive to methodologies. Although the term has This ancient limestone feature, a large save the rarest species by growing been around for over a decade, the cave system complete with stalactites them under intensive care in living concept of “ inter situ ” conservation and highly endangered blind cave collections and backing this effort with first came to the attention of the public organisms that live their entire lives in seed banks, tissue culture, and other in Hawaii through a radical complete darkness, contains a large relatively expensive high-tech methods. experimental plan that was hatched by open sinkhole in the center that was actually a lake inside the cave for Right: thousands of years. Soft sediments Hibiscus there are filled with splendidly preserved waimeae is a seeds, pollen, bird bones, snail shells – favourite among even fossil DNA and a thousand-year the over 100 record of human activity. From artifacts native species of not just stone but wood, gourd shell, used in the and plant fibers we have been able to inter situ learn how Hawaiians used plant restorations on resources for many centuries. The site Kaua`i (Alec provides a continuous record of all that Burney) happened on the landscape for 10,000 years or more.

Like most lowland areas of the state, the surrounding acreage has been dominated by a handful of invasive plant species introduced to the island since the arrival of Europeans in the late 18th century. A few years ago, our group decided to enlist the aid of the large contingent of community volunteers that had helped us with the fossil dig to attempt to recreate, to the

16 BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 16--19 Left: View of the rare native plants growing in the sinkhole at Makauwahi Cave, as seen from the darkness of the large cave on the south end (Alec Burney)

extent possible, the plant communities aggressive invader plants if we put here in the islands, we have come to that the fossils showed us grew there them on an automated drip irrigation refer to this as inter situ to signify its for thousands of years before the system, similar to the ones used for intermediate status. The basic idea is recent human transformation of the maize and other crops by our farmer to conserve rare species by landscape through deforestation and neighbours nearby, until they were reintroducing them to sites where they the introduction of a host of invasive thoroughly established – generally once grew, but have been eliminated in animals and plants. through two of the long, intensely dry recent decades or centuries by human summers. After that, many natives had agencies such as, here in Hawaii, the By this time we had obtained a lease gained a sufficient head start on the highly destructive impact of introduced on the cave and surrounding property weeds to hold their own. goats, pigs, and rats. from the owners, Grove Farm Company. In addition to an array of Because the site is on top of and One of the first places that this idea limestone sea cliffs, rolling dunes, and adjacent to the habitat of three species has caught on is on the properties of the largest limestone cave in Hawaii, of endangered blind cave invertebrates the National Tropical Botanical Garden the property also contained some and a potential breeding and foraging (NTBG) and those of collaborating abandoned farmland covered in a site for endangered birds and landowners. At Läwa`i-kai, the tangle of thorny non-native bush. invertebrates, we have developed uniquely beautiful coastal property That was in 2004. By now, thanks to techniques for controlling the weeds managed by NTBG as part of the the efforts of nearly everybody on the and insect pests that avoid the use of historic Allerton Gardens on Kaua`i’s island from school classes, Boy herbicides and pesticides. The south shore, just a few kilometers from Scouts, and native Hawaiian groups, to challenges have been great, but the Makauwahi Cave, invasive vegetation the numerous retirees and tourists on Makauwahi Cave Reserve, as we have has been removed from the beach Kaua`i, much of the land surrounding come to call it, now hosts nearly 100 strand and coastal forest and replaced the site features the native plants that native plant species and provides with not just the three hardy native we have inferred, from the fossil habitat for rare Hawaiian animals. plant species that had persisted there, record, to be the ones that existed For several extremely rare plant but dozens of other natives that cores there before. species, we can now say that the collected from the adjacent marsh as largest “wild” populations in existence well as the detailed record from other This was no easy process. Techniques are thriving there, planted by sites along the south shore such as were developed to use heavy thousands of willing hands. Makauwahi shows were there when the equipment, such as mowers, tractors, Polynesians arrived a little more than a and rotary tillers, to convert the weedy So what kind of conservation millennium ago. farmland back to bare soil and start is it? over, planting native species, including Other natives have been reintroduced many quite rare ones, where we knew So what is it, in situ or ex situ to the restoration sites NTBG maintains they once had grown. We soon found conservation? Well, both, and neither. along nearby Lawai Stream, on the that, in this dry leeward habitat, native As this idea has caught on and spread cliffside in Lawai Valley, and on the plants could best outstrip the to other sites on Kaua`i and elsewhere upper edge of McBryde Garden.

BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 17 collaboration between NTBG, Ducks evidence, oral traditions, and old Unlimited, the US Fish and Wildlife herbarium sheets as a guide to what Service, and the USDA Natural was growing there just moments ago in Resources Conservation Service that evolutionary and ecological time – we has been creating new habitat for can bring resources and people into endangered endemic waterfowl and the fray that can never reach the last in native wetland plants on property situ stand of a rare plant, and extend owned by singer/actress Bette Midler. the reach of ex situ botanical gardens Plant choices there were guided by the to larger land areas, more diverse results of a sediment core from the habitats, more people, and a longer list wetland containing a 7,000-year record of species. As our meticulous record- of fossil pollen and spores. keeping has shown, this approach is cheap and efficient, with a low per- Above: The Lawai Forest Restoration is near With only 0.2% of the land area of the plant cost and high survival rate. Map of Kaua`i NTBG’s ex situ collection of native United States, and 43% of the showing location plants from throughout the state of endangered plant species, the Conserving more than we of Makauwahi Hawaii, the largest living collections of challenges to conservation in Hawaii thought Cave and other this flora found anywhere. To supply continue to be daunting. Classic in sites mentioned all the plants needed for these and situ and ex situ methods of One realization that has emerged from in text. Asterisk other restoration efforts, NTBG’s conservation will continue to be major this expanded inter situ effort is that, symbol shows Conservation and Horticulture Center “fronts” in the eleventh-hour battle to by preserving these plants, we are also sites that have has stepped up production in its state- stem the tide of extinction. They need helping preserve native Hawaiian yielded useful of-the-art micropropagation, all the support they can get from culture. Many native plants and rare paleoecological greenhouse, shadehouse, and sunny government and private sources, far Hawaiian cultivars are integral to local information, and nursery facilities to the point that the more than they are getting now. But culture, but the lore is slipping away dots show organization has planted out nearly opening a “third front” in the struggle because the plants are otherwise just restoration sites 12,000 specimens in the past year, and makes a lot of sense, to fill the many too rare and inaccessible — perhaps that have been currently has over 18,000 plants in pots gaps in coverage of our conservation even illegal — for cultural practitioners able to use this awaiting their “turn.” efforts, particularly in reclaiming the to use them, and most young people information abundant lands available for will never even see them. At One of the most spectacular conservation but not currently being Makauwahi Cave and at Limahuli, conservation projects of NTBG is the used because of their state of McBryde, and Kahanu Gardens of beautiful Limahuli Garden and Preserve degradation and commitment to other NTBG, young and elderly Hawaiians, on Kaua`i’s north shore. The nearly purposes. By blending advanced as well as persons of other 1000-acre property contains a massive agricultural techniques such as backgrounds with an interest in archaeological site and cultural conservation tillage, mulching, preserving traditional cultures, restoration, featuring centuries-old integrated pest management, and drip frequently come together to grow and stone terraces and pondfields for irrigation with large-scale conservation use these nearly-forgotten plants in growing taro ( Colocasia esculenta ) and efforts on marginal lands – using the ways they could never do in an in situ other traditional Polynesian crops. records from sedimentary fossils, context. In inter situ projects, A key effort here, as well as at NTBG’s archaeological sites, historical subsequent generations of these Kahanu Gardens near Hana, Maui, is to grow not only native plants in contexts Right: that span the full range of in situ, ex situ , Girl Scouts and now, inter situ techniques, but also from Kaua`i to collect and propagate the rapidly plant natives at disappearing old Hawaiian varieties of Iliahi, the Grove Polynesian crops such as breadfruit, Farm Ecological banana, coconut, kava, and – of course Restoration – for the mainstay of Polynesian diet, Project. Over more than 50 varieties of taro. 1000 young people from the Watch out, it’s spreading! island have assisted in The inter situ approach has spread planting several rapidly to other properties throughout thousand native Kaua`i, notably Grove Farm’s Iliahi plants at this project, near our Kilohana Crater coring site, not far site, where the fossil pollen record from Kilohana reaches back all the way to the late Crater (David Pleistocene, more than 27,000 years Burney) ago. Another is Kawaihau Wetland, a

18 BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) restored plants, now reproducing on Key references: Left: Aerial view their own in places where they were of an inter-situ once abundant, then extirpated, and ¬ Burney, D.A. and Burney, L.P. 2007. restoration site now re-established, hold out the Paleoecology and “inter-situ” at Makauwahi possibility that subsequent generations restoration on Kaua`i, Hawai`i. Cave, where of people will still know about these Frontiers in Ecology and the rare native plants, their lore, and uses both past Environment 5(9): 483-490. plants are being and future. With this increased grown on accessibility, even the most ¬ Burney, D.A., and Kikuchi, W.K.P. abandoned farm endangered plants can potentially be 2006. A millennium of human land (Matthew studied and understood, so that activity at Makauwahi Cave, Bell) precious in situ populations are not Maha`ulepu, Kaua`i. Human Ecology impacted, but better management can 34 :219-247. potentially be applied through research focused on rare species’ biology, north of Kaua`i`s neighbour island of ¬ Burney, D.A., and Flannery, T.F. ecology, and ethnobotany. Niihau, guided by fossil pollen and 2005. Fifty millennia of catastrophic charcoal identified from deposits there extinctions after human contact . One of the most heartening triumphs of – since rabbits and rats now being Trends in Ecology and Evolution our inter situ experiments is that, for eradicated had driven most native 20 :395-401. the first time, some rare plants are now plants to extinction years ago. being made available for restoration on Producing enough seeds to restore a D. Burney a larger scale. A current NTBG project 300-acre (122 ha) island is a tall order. Director of Conservation in collaboration with the State Recently NTBG interns and volunteers National Tropical Botanical Garden Department of Forestry and Wildlife have been able to gather, under the 3530 Papalina Road and the US Fish and Wildlife Service is guidance of NTBG field botanist Kalaheo, HI 96741, USA. a good case in point. We are Natalia Tangalin, huge quantities of Email: [email protected] reintroducing native plants to the fully accessioned weed-free native remote uninhabited Lehua Islet just plant seeds for the restoration effort. L.P. Burney So, in the space of a few years of inter Manager, Makauwahi Cave situ efforts, we can now say that our Reserve Table 1. Comparison of three “fronts” restoration sites are restoring other P.O. Box 1277 in conservation. sites! Kalaheo, HI 96741, USA.

DEFINITION ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

In situ : Conservation efforts applied to Species is presumably adapted to the site Site may be remote, expensive to maintain, species in a pre-existing wild condition in already. Co-evolution with other species in and undergoing degradation. Problems their current range. . the community may be critical to survival leading to rarity may be unabated. and ecological function. Stochastic events such as storms, disease outbreaks, and human over-utilization are difficult to factor into planning

Ex situ : Efforts based on intensively Provides a second line of security for rare Stops or even diverts evolution. Species human-controlled environments such as species by allowing specimens to be grown may become “domesticated” and no botanical gardens, zoos, genebanks, and in the absence of challenges faced in longer suitable for reintroduction. Per unit propagation facilities. nature. Gives people a chance to see cost may limit number of species and/or biodiversity up close and near home. individuals that can be managed with this intensity.

Inter situ : The establishment of a species In effect bridges the gaps between in situ Insufficient knowledge of community and by reintroduction to locations outside the and ex situ . Species can be more ecosystem function limits our ability to current range but within the recent past accessible and better protected than former, reconstruct complex biotic webs. Some range of the species. and produced at much lower unit cost than follow-up care is required to effect most latter. Evolutionary processes can be successful reintroductions. Legal retained to varying degrees. New obstacles may inhibit innovative populations can be controlled or conservation efforts for rarest species. manipulated to enhance or preserve genetic Long-term persistence of reconstructed diversity communities needs evaluation through long-term monitoring.

BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 19 Author: Paweł Kojs

The Silesian Botanical Garden as a natural habitat garden

by agricultural activity must be used, City, south of Katowice City – capital of otherwise with the passing of time the Silesian Province, the most natural succession will change the industrialized part of Poland. The character of plant associations and Silesian Botanical Garden covers an thus in most cases negatively influence area of about 100 hectares and is part biodiversity. But when used improperly of a bigger landscape complex. This the biodiversity of these agriculturally- landscape complex of 524 ha also influenced associations will also be includes a special forest farm for lost. The area of these grasslands has forestry management (70 ha), an decreased dramatically throughout the ecological landscape park (182 ha) and past decade (especially after EU arable lands with field margins (172 accession), as farming has become ha). The area reserved for the Silesian more and more intensive. Botanical Garden includes a variety of Above: habitat types suitable for both aquatic The ponds Protected areas are not the only means and terrestrial flora and fauna present a of conserving biodiversity. Sometimes, (Szendera et al . 2005). Over 650 wonderful living quite incidentally, managed habitats species of vascular plants, including environment for can offer refugia for species that are in over 100 rare and 30 legally protected numerous plant decline in protected areas. Managed taxa can be found in the garden, as species in the landscapes can and do support well as many natural land types unique garden biodiversity, and a big challenge for to Upper Silesia. researchers is to consider how to best Right: Fruits of integrate biodiversity conservation in Prunus spinosa both strictly protected and in managed and other areas. Here is an opportunity for species are an ‘habitat’ botanical gardens. Botanical important gardens are professionally managed source of food areas, where besides high botanic for birds and Introduction diversity habitats for considerable other animals numbers of invertebrates and small during the long Poland is facing a dramatic loss of vertebrates can also be found. winter biodiversity and this is thought likely to continue through the coming decades. Natural conditions of the Of particular concern are various types Silesian Botanical Garden of grassland habitats (such as hay meadows) as these are considered to The Silesian Botanical Garden is one of contain the highest numbers of rare the youngest botanical gardens in and endangered plant species per Poland. Although it has been existence Right: square metre in Poland. While these for 9 years, it was officially established Fruits of Pyrus habitats are protected under the EU as a union of associations in 2003. The communis Habitats Directive, habitats influenced Garden is located close to Mikołów

20 BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 20-22 species without its natural environment will systematically lose its ability to compete and survive in its “normal” habitat. In botanic gardens it is the gardener, not nature, that provides the most significant factors that influence the direction of the micro-evolution of such a population. By modifying (simplifying) the environment, we may unintentionally eliminate the processes of co-evolution of plants, fungi, Forty nine plant communities have animals, bacteria or viruses and thus been identified in the Silesian Botanical reduce the ability of certain population Garden, of which 8 are communities of to adapt to the much more complex unknown syntaxonomical position. natural ecosystem. This may result in These plant associations reflect a range the reintroduction of species into their of habitat types: woodlands, water, natural habitats being unsuccessful. swamps, muddy banks, temporarily flooded swamps, meadows, Goals and aims of the Silesian grasslands, nitrophilic forest margins, Botanical Garden clearings and disturbed land (Wilczek et Above: The al . 2005). Six communities occur on the The main aim for this new botanical extensively used Red List of Upper Silesian Plant garden is the conservation of the local meadows, Communities (Celi n´ ski et al ., 1997). flora in Upper Silesia and neighbouring featuring an areas, merging ex situ and in situ abundance of Special attention is paid to the conservation methods. The large area vanishing and communities of unidentified of the Silesian Botanical Garden protected syntaxonomical position, composed of provides a good opportunity for the species, are a strictly protected plants: communities conservation of many plant slowly with Equisetum telmateia and communities (woodland, wetland and disappearing communities with Gentianella ciliata . xerothermic associations) in semi – element of our natural habitats (secondary habitats). landscape. What conditions must be It also paves the way for research on fulfilled to establish a secondary habitats e.g. to establish the biodiversity. Climate change will be an Left: Abandoned collection of living plants of minimal effective area for a given important factor influencing future land limestone rare or endangered species habitat or procedures for the best use change (Thomas et al ., 2004). Land quarries are significant for biodiversity practice in management of secondary use change, in turn, will influence the secondary conservation? as well as natural habitats (Loreau et distribution of habitats and species in a habitats rich in al ., 2001). The key research task may warmer world. More research is rare species of To have an endangered plant in a well be to develop our understanding needed to develop an understanding of flora. Mikolow botanic garden does not necessarily of how managed interventions can future land use and landscape change Limestone is mean that it is in a conservation mimic natural disturbance processes as well as the effects on nature one of the programme. In botanic gardens even a and patterns, and how these can conservation networks. highest diverse population of an endangered contribute to the conservation of viewpoints in Other aims of the Silesian Botanical Silesia Province Garden are the following: (340 m a. s. l.) Forest communities Threat categories 1) to create appropriately large Above far left: Ass: Circeo-Alnetum Oberd. 1953 V habitats which would be identical or The winter Ass: Luzulo pilosae-Fagetum Mat. 1973 V similar to natural habitats and to aspect of water Ass: Tilio-Carpinetum Tracz. 1962 V provide the best possible conditions meadows and for regeneration of populations of rushes in the Others protected, endangered or rare Silesian plants – the main focus of our Botanical Ass: Filipendulo-Geranietum Koch 1926 R conservation activities; Garden. The last Ass: Aegopodio-Petasitetum hybridi R. Tx. 1949 R few winters in Ass: Cirsietum rivularis Ralski 1931 I 2) to establish secondary habitats for the Silesian priority habitats (Council Directive Botanical 92/43/EEC on the conservation of Garden were Table 1: Associations of endangered plants occurring in the wild in the Silesian natural habitats and of wild fauna snowless Botanical Garden listed in Red List of Upper Silesian Plant Communities ( Celi n´ ski and flora) occurring in the province et al., 1997) of Silesia;

BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 21 and genetic erosion caused by too References: small a population in a small area. The main source of seeds and habitats ¬ Celi n´ ski F., Wika S., Parusel J., (Eds.). (parts of habitats) for the recreation of 1997. Red List Of Upper Silesian habitats are areas outside the garden Plant Communities In : Parusel J.B., presently being influenced by (ed.) Centrum Dziedzictwa Przyrody infrastructural development (mainly Górnego Slaska Raporty i opinie. roads, new factories, new settlements, Tom 2: 39-68, Katowice etc.). ¬ Habitats Directive COUNCIL Activities and plans DIRECTIVES 92/43/EEC, 21 May 1992. On the conservation of natural Because of its convenient location in habitats and of wild fauna and flora . the centre of the Silesian conurbation, the diversity of accessible habitats and ¬ Loreau, M., Naeem, S., Inchausti, P., its relatively large area, the Silesian Bengtsson, J., Grime, J. P., Hector, Above: 3) to provide additional habitats (not Botanical Garden has particular A., Hooper, D. U., Huston, M. A., Fruits of Rosa listed in Annex 1) suitable for all opportunities to protect large Raffaelli, D., Schmid, B., Tilman, D. canina appear in species that are fully or partly populations of plants which are headed and Wardle, D. A. 2001. Biodiversity the autumn protected by law currently occurring for extinction in Silesia, in natural and and ecosystem functioning: current in the Silesian District (there are 136 semi-natural environments. knowledge and future challenges . such species of vascular plants); Science, 294 : 804-808. We also think of the Silesian Botanical 4) to organize a local seed bank for Garden as the interface between ¬ Southwood, T. R. E. 1977. Habitat, rare and endangered plants in the humans and nature. The garden acts the template for ecological Upper Silesian region. as a node, from which impacts radiate strategies . Journal of Animal out into the surrounding areas. We aim Ecology 46 : 337-365. Methods to help the general public to understand the need to conserve ¬ Szendera, W., Włoch, W., Kojs, P., Firstly we developed the natural habitats and communities, thereby Jura, J. and Wilczek, A. 2005. Natural potential of the Silesian Botanical conserving species more effectively. potential of the Silesian Botanical Garden to recreate habitats which have We hope this would not only address Garden in conservation of wild plant been negatively affected by human today’s threatened species but would and crop plant diversity. Biul. Ogr. activity during the last few hundred slow the decline of common species, Bot., Muzeów i Zb., 14 : 9-18 years. This process is based on the preventing them from becoming method of enriching chosen plant tomorrow’s threatened species. This is ¬ Thomas, C.D., Cameron, A., Green, associations by planting appropriate especially important in view of climate R.E., Bakkenes, M., Beaumont, L.J., species of herbaceous plants, trees change scenarios. Collingham, Y.C., Erasmus, B.F.N., and bushes. There are also activities Ferreira de Siqueira, M., Grainger, aimed at restoring the plant Conclusions A., Hannah, L., Hughes, L., Huntley, Right: Field communities associated with B., van Jaarsveld, A.S., Midgley, margins in the agricultural land. The aim is to create The proposed solution refers to part of G.F., Miles, L., Ortega-Huerta, M.A., Silesian habitats that are as similar as possible our “genetic heritage” which should be Townsend Peterson, A., Phillips, O. Botanical to the natural conditions in order to protected. That is, collections of native L. and Williams, S.E. 2004. Garden provide protect the future generations of plants plants growing wild. The important Extinction risk from climate change . and enhance from biased selection caused by the element of this solution is a good Nature 427 : 145-148. wildlife habitats change of environmental conditions knowledge of the natural position of across arable protected, endangered and rare plants ¬ Wilczek, A., Jura, J., Włoch, W., farms. Field in a particular region, taking into Kojs, P. and Szendera W. 2005. The margins are account nature reserves and ecological significance of the field shrubs and also thought to arable lands for seed collection as well hedges in biodiversity conservation. act as corridors as strengthening wild populations by The old field shrubs and hedges of for the planting good specimens from ex Silesian Botanical Garden . Biul. Ogr. movement of situ/in situ cultivation. The advantages Bot., Muzeów i Zb., 14 : 49-54 fauna and flora. of the Silesian Botanical Garden allow The flowering many species of vascular plants to be Pawel Kojs plant is brought under protection in appropriate Botanical Garden - Center for Crategus habitats in their natural or semi-natural Biological Diversity Conservation, monogyna associations. PAS Warsaw, Silesian Botanical Garden, Photo credits: Mikolow, Poland. Wieslaw Włoch Email: [email protected]

22 BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) Authors: Antonina Shmaraeva and Irina Ruzaeva

Reintroduction of threatened plant species in Russia

Introduction Left: Seed collection The conservation of individual species of Stipa and plant communities in situ is pulcherrima preferable to preservation ex situ . However, in many regions the scale of ecological degradation does not allow the conservation of plants under natural conditions. In such cases, the introduction of threatened species into conservation areas for future recovery and the reconstruction of entire communities may be regarded as a potential measure for saving plants threatened with extinction.

A number of projects and programmes involving species recovery and restoration have been carried out over the last 40 years in Russia and the former USSR. In recent years however, interest in reintroducing rare and threatened plants has considerably increased and the number of related programmes. A pre-meeting survey publications has also grown. Despite carried out by BGCI revealed that more this, the basic methodological than 100 plant species are included in principles for plant reintroduction, recovery and restoration programmes especially related to threatened implemented by Russian botanic species are underdeveloped. There is gardens and nature reserves. However, also a lack of coordination of only 28 of these species are listed in reintroduction activities with respect to the National Red Data Book, equivalent selecting priority species for urgent to about 4% of the total number of conservation and fundraising for threatened species in Russia. Thus implementing plant restoration and restoration activity should be increased recovery programmes. significantly to reach 10% of threatened species, as proposed in In 2007, BGCI organised two Target 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant workshops to evaluate the current Conservation . situation of threatened plant reintroduction in Russia as well as to Following the two workshops, a train botanic garden staff in developing manual providing detailed guidance for Left: and implementing recovery plant reintroduction was published in Crambe tataria

BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 23-26 23 Right: English and Russian by BGCI Stipa (Gorbunov et al ., 2008) and two pilot pulcherrima threatened species reintroduction projects were launched in 2008. These projects are located in the southern part of the European territory of Russia: Samara Region in the middle region of the Volga River and Rostov-on-Don Region close to the delta area of the Don River. Historically these are regions where extensive agriculture covered vast areas of vulnerable steppe landscapes. Both projects are targeted at restoring the steppe flora in areas that are in a serious stage of degradation due to anthropogenic pressure. This degradation is having a disastrous effect on landscape and biological diversity and due to this, the concept of steppe landscape restoration is becoming increasingly popular in Russia.

Reintroduction of rare species of steppe flora in Rostov-on- covered with water, roads and within the boundary of the botanical Don region settlements and the remainder is under garden. In addition to Stipa spp., severe development pressure. populations of some rare herbaceous The first project is being implemented plants typical for the Don River steppe by the Botanical Garden of the The vascular flora of the Rostov-on- were also included in the artificial Southern Federal University which is Don area includes more than 1,900 communities: Iris pumila L., Eremurus Below: Near- located in Rostov-on-Don - one of the species of which 46 are included in the spectabilis Bieb., Salvia austriaca Jacq. Azov steppe – major cities in the south of Russia. The Red Data Book of the Russian and Crambe tataria Sebeok. the natural ecological situation in the Rostov-on- Federation and 217 are in the local Red vegetation for Don area is described as critical due to Data Book of Rostov-on-Don region. Establishment techniques creation of the practically complete extinction of Rare species mainly include obligate artificial zonal steppe vegetation. In most of the steppe plants of genera such as Stipa, The method is based on sowing seed communities in territory the natural vegetation is Crambe, Tulipa etc. Two ecologically mixtures of numerous species, the Botanical already destroyed: 60 % of the area is important steppe species, which form including seeds of rare plants collected Garden under arable land, about 9% is plant communities of Don River from natural communities, into a steppes were selected as the objects ploughed soil (Dzybov, 2001). It for the reintroduction experiment. provides the model environmental The area and population of both of conditions necessary for the stable these species is declining due to growth of introduced mixtures of rare habitat disturbance and destruction. and endangered steppe species. The Stipa ucrainica P. Smirn. is endemic to seed preparation includes hand the Black Sea coast and is listed in the cleaning which is labour intensive and Red Data Book of the Russian time consuming, but it provides Federation (2V category). It is the main significant similarity in species indicator species of the dry steppes of composition and abundance between the Don River basin. Stipa pulcherrima natural and experimental communities. C. Koch is a vulnerable species also The mixture includes seeds of not less included in the Red Data Book of the than 50 plant species. It consists of Russian Federation (2V category). It is 30% grasses (dominating species), a dominant plant of mixed pastures 10% leguminous plants and 60% other and stony steppes. herbaceous species.

The specific goal of the project was to Seed collecting create sustainable artificial populations with Stipa ucrainica and Stipa Field trips to 7 administrative districts pulcherrima as dominant species in an of Rostov-on-Don region were area of 30,000 sq.m in a specially organized to evaluate natural protected natural steppe landscape populations of rare species and to

24 BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) natural analogues. Two plots of artificial communities and the rare plant Left: steppe (15,000 sq.m. each) were populations will be closely observed Hyacinthella established at the end of October. and the plots will be appropriately pallasiana Stipa pulcherrima is the dominant managed. After 4-5 years, seeds of species for one plot, with a total of 88 these populations should be ready for species included in the seed mixture, use in restoring Stipa ucrainica and 12 of which are rare. Stipa ucrainica is Stipa pulcherrima populations in other the dominant species for the other plot, specially protected natural territories of where the seed mixture includes 87 Rostov-on-Don Region. The plots of species with 9 rare species. The seeds artificial steppe created through the of Stipa pulcherrima , Stipa ucrainica project will be included in the and some other rare species where ecological path which is currently being collected from different parts of developed in the garden as the part of Rostov-on-Don region to provide the programme for environmental genetic heterogeneity and thus education. The artificial steppe area will stability, in the reintroduced be a good example of regional Below: populations. These two newly vegetation recovery and plant diversity Centaurea established plots add to a fragment of conservation. ruthenica collect seeds of steppe plants. Two - artificial steppe dominated by Stipa three populations of species such as dasyphylla which had already been Stipa ucrainica, Stipa pulcherrima, created in the botanical garden. Crambe tataria, Iris pumila, Eremurus spectabilis, Salvia austriaca, Bellevalia If the weather conditions of sarmatica, Centaurea ruthenica, winter–spring 2009 are favourable, then Hedysarum grandiflorum, Hyacinthella the mass germination of seeds will take pallasiana and Linum hirsutum were place during the next year of the described in each location. These experiment. If there is some loss of communities were not significantly seeds, additional sowing during the disturbed and were thus used as the next 2 years will be provided. basis for the creation of artificial populations in the botanical garden. Long-term perspectives of the project Seeds of 98 typical steppe species from 28 families and 71 genera were The work implemented so far is just the collected in order to provide floristical first stage of the reintroduction and taxonomical diversity of created experiment. During the next 2 years the communities and to conform to the development of the artificial

Rare plant reintroduction in natural habitats

The second project is being implemented by the Botanical Garden of the Samara State University. The flora of Samara Region is abundant and diverse; it comprises more than 2,500 species of higher plants. Intensive agriculture has led to the devastation of most steppe plant communities, which nowadays are only preserved in remote areas. However, there has been a recent trend towards the reduction of intensive agriculture and the transformation of some areas into fallow lands. Here we see a gradual succession replacement of early coloniser species by the Left: common steppe and meadow plants. Sowing the But the most valuable and rare seed mixture

BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 25 Right: components of plant communities that • accessibility to conduct periodical Iris pumila were already lost cannot reappear observations. without special intervention (reintroduction of seeds or plants). Preparation of experimental materia l Juniperus sabina cuttings were The following plant species listed in the obtained from 3 small populations in Red Data Books of the Russian the Zhigulevskiy State Reserve and Federation and Samara Region were propagated vegetatively at the botanic selected for this project: Paeonia garden. 150 cuttings were successfully tenuifolia L. – considered extinct in rooted and will be ready for planting in Samara Region for the last 50 years spring 2009. The botanic garden but which has recently started to nursery has also prepared more than reappear in some remote areas; 150 plants of Iris pumila from plants Juniperus sabina L. - a very rare that are growing in the botanical species which is gradually decreasing garden. In spring 2009 Iris pumila will in number and which grows on be planted in the Krasnosamarsky limestone soils in stony steppes and in forest and Juniperus sabina will be pine forests; Iris pumila L. – a rare planted in Zhigulevskiy State Reserve species with a stable population. in order to create populations and 2007 and two pilot projects on the It is an ornamental plant and grows in increase the number of plants of these restoration of threatened steppe various parts of Samara Region. species. species have been successfully Its populations are highly damaged by launched. However much work remains human interference and especially by Planting of experimental material in to be done in sustaining and monitoring steppe fires. Its reintroduction to reintroduction sites the artificial communities that have natural ecosystems is considered to be 170 plants (sprouts with 3-5 buds) of been created, as well as expanding easier than for the first two species. Paeonia tenuifolia were obtained by reintroduction activities in Russia. The specific goal of the project is to splitting mother shrubs from the optimise rare plant reintroduction collection of the botanical garden. References techniques for various plant Reintroduction was conducted in communities of forest-steppe and autumn (September-October) 2008, with ¬ Dzybov, D.S. 2001. Metod steppe in the Middle Volga River area. the prepared plants being planted in agrostepej. Uskorennoe model plots in the reintroduction sites at vosstanovlenie prirodnoj Results Chubovskaya steppe and in rastitel'nosti. Metodicheskoe Krasnosamarsky forest (specially posobie . Saratov. 40 pp. Four reintroduction sites have been protected natural territories of Samara selected using the following criteria: Region). Planted specimens were ¬ Gorbunov, Yu. N., Dzybov, D. S., protected from the influence of adjacent Kuzmin, Z. E. and Smirnov, I. A. • environmental conditions that meet plants by partial removal of competitors. 2008. Methodological the needs of a plant (type of In addition seeds of the species were recommendations for botanic Below: community, quality of soil, also planted in both plots. gardens on the reintroduction of Eremurus microrelief and microclimate); rare and threatened plants BGCI, spectabilis Long-term perspectives BGCI, Russian Botanic Gardens • intensity of anthropogenic pressure Council, Main Botanic Garden of Photo credits: (cattle grazing, recreation intensity, Intensive research on the reintroduced Russian Academy of Sciences. Antonina distance from villages and towns plants will be conducted at the model Moscow, Russia. 52 pp. Shmaraeva etc.); plots by students, postgraduate students and professors at the Polygon Antonina Shmaraeva for Monitoring Studies of Samara State Senior Research Scientist University. The main focus of these Laboratory of Natural Flora activities will be the monitoring of the Botanical Garden of the established reintroduction sites and the Southern Federal University creation of new sites. The work of Botanical slope 7 creating a network of reintroduction Rostov-on-Don, Russia, 344700. plots (which was launched in 2003) will Email: [email protected] also continue in different areas of Samara Region. Irina Ruzaeva Head of the Flora Department Conclusion Botanical Garden of Samara State University Plant reintroduction activities in Russia Moscow highway 36 have been enhanced due to BGCI’s Samara, Russia, 443086. reintroduction programme initiated in Email: [email protected]

26 BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) Author: Matt Bare

Short communication:

Restoring threatened plants of the Amazon

Situated in the upper reaches of the dried up began flowing again and Ecuadorian Amazon, the Orchid pollinating insects returned to the Botanical Garden of Puyo, Ecuador forest. In the 21st century, as finds itself in the unique position as a deforestation continues, reserves and center of restoration for threatened and gardens such as the Orchid Botanical endangered tropical plants. While small Garden of Puyo are crucial as a seed Program, a project which uses Top: in size at merely seven hectares, the bank and reference for restoration charitable proceeds to purchase and Pleurethalis Garden has been working for almost efforts. conserve endangered orchid habitat. spp., one of the 30 years restoring a degraded pasture The garden also works with the Society orchids being land and serving as a refuge for plants The Orchid Botanical Garden is for Ecological Restoration to conserved in threatened by deforestation. working to meet the targets of the coordinate volunteer and student the Orchid Global Strategy for Plant Conservation programmes involving reforestation in Botanical While preserving intact primary forests by maintaining populations of locally local communities. These restoration Garden clearly has a higher ecological value, rare rainforest species such as activities include a combination of significant emphasis is also being Guyacan ( Tabebuia guayacan ), Ceibo, community education along with Above: placed upon reforestation programmes and Canelo ( Ocotea spp.). It has also practical techniques such as soil Degraded in Ecuador. However, many of these recently opened a visitor center, fertilization and transplanting. pasture land reforestation programmes lack local complete with thousands of individual adjoining the botanical knowledge and in the 20th photos documenting the insect Recently the Orchid Botanical Garden Botanical century, much of the deforested sierra colonization that has occurred has developed a web site: Garden shows (mountain) region of Ecuador was throughout the nearly thirty-year history www.jardinbotanicolasorquideas.com. how the Garden reforested with non-native pine and of the garden. While about 80% of the In the coming year the Garden plans to looked before eucalyptus. These trees, planted in Ecuadorian Amazon remains forested, expand its educational activities and restoration monocultures, do not encourage the most residents live in urban centers far further develop the potential of its growth of understorey plants. removed from primary forest. With this visitor center. The Garden is looking for Credits: Furthermore, the poor quality of in mind, the garden is planning on assistance to create a database Matt Bare rainforest soil means that many initiating education programmes to detailing the orchid species and deforested lands are only profitable for teach school children about local corresponding pollinators of the zone, cattle ranching for 5-10 years. After endangered species and their role in which it can then contribute to the this time high rainfall has eroded the the timber trade. BGCI plant search database. The soil, nutrients have been leached from Garden is also looking for student the soil that remains, and lack of tree As a small reserve with an even smaller groups to help us facilitate restoration cover has dried up springs and soil staff, the Garden puts a strong and reforestation efforts with moisture. For this reason, ecological emphasis on capacity and network neighboring communities. restoration in the rainforest is not a building with regional and international simple process. In the Orchid Garden, partner organizations. The Garden Matt Bare local, non-chemical materials, such as works with U.S. Peace Corps Jardin Botanico Las Orquideas sawdust, animal manure and compost volunteers in the Puyo region to assist Casilla 16-01-710 derived from food waste were used to with outreach activities. The reserve is Puyo improve the soil. With time, trees a member of the Orchid Conservation Ecuador. began to grow again, springs that had Coalition’s 1% for Orchid Conservation Email: [email protected]

BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 27 27 Notice:

The Highgrove Florilegium

Throughout history, “the patron has been an important figure in the publication of many florilegia. With The Highgrove Florilegium , The Prince of Wales is continuing that tradition but also breaking new ground in that, this is the first florilegium of a garden belonging to a member of the British Royal Family…Today the term is also frequently emblematic of a group of artists who are specifically drawing plants with a particular association or from a certain location, such as the groups working at Hampton Court or the Chelsea Physic Garden. This is the spirit in which The Highgrove Florilegium has been compiled, a work that promises to be one of the most significant of the 21st century. The history of the florilegium is not so much titles and dates but more one of passion, dedication and determination.’’

Taken from The Preface by Christopher Mills from The Highgrove Florilegium . Right: Cosmos atrosanguineus Addison Publications 2008.

28 BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 28-29 The art of depicting plants, originally as a means of identifying species for Printed and hand-bound by medicinal purposes, goes back some United Kingdom’s leading 2000 years and is still thriving today. craftmen It is widely acknowledged that there is now a renaissance of contemporary As with many other collections of botanical art. The great period of botanical paintings it was decided to botanical painting was from 1740–1840 Seven years in the making publish the Highgrove watercolours, and coincided with the voyages of and in a manner appropriate for discovery when new plants were Lists of plants were drawn up by the England’s first royal florilegium. There introduced to Europe. The celebrated head gardener David Howard, with was a long series of proofing trials on a Franz and Ferdinand Bauer, Pierre- additional suggestions from other variety of specially made papers to find Joseph Redouté and Georg Dionysius botanists including Professor the most appropriate finish. The Ehret (1708-70) were all producing Christopher Humphries at the Natural images are accompanied by the magnificent flower paintings during this History Museum. To this end the plants Natural History Museum’s text giving time. depicted are classified according to the formal Latin name and a brief recent molecular phylogenetic studies. history of their discovery or creation, A record for posterity of a royal Artists were approached by Anne- distribution, ecology and uses. The garden Marie who, through her teaching, has Highgrove Florilegium is presented as a contacts around the world. Artists two-volume work, half-bound in red It is out of this European tradition of suggested other artists and botanical goatskin with hand marbled paper botanical painting that The Highgrove gardens made recommendations. To sides. Florilegium is being created. Anne- administer the project and its growing Marie Evans founded the diploma number of artists, The Highgrove Edition limited to 175 sets course at the English Gardening Florilegium Committee was The Highgrove Florilegium is available School at London’s Chelsea Physic established. Visits to the garden were to purchase in a in two-volume set Garden and it was here that, with one arranged and sometimes plant from a limited edition of just 175. Each of her students, her idea ‘to record for specimens were provided for the artists copy is signed by HRH The Prince of posterity a collection of plants from a to work from in their own studios. The Wales and all royalties go to The chosen garden’ came into being. The finished paintings were submitted to Prince’s Charities Foundation. If you proposal was discussed with His Royal a selection committee with would like to know more about how to Highness The Prince of Wales who representatives from the worlds of art, acquire one of these sets containing welcomed the suggestion that his botany and design which has ensured 120 plates in total, please call Amanda Gloucestershire garden, Highgrove, a consistent and high standard on +44 (0) 207 602 1848 or email should be the subject of a florilegium. throughout. [email protected]

BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) 29 Resources

Books and journals In an age of climate change, destructive processes for the development and species extinction, this creation and Ecological restoration. Principles, book points to a new paradigm of monitoring of values and structure of an emerging restoration and redevelopment. The reintroduced profession author suggests a definition of re Wealth populations. Clewell, A.F. and Aronson, J. as “living in a way that leaves both us and Special attention is the world healthier and wealthier with paid to the This book is a concise reference each passing day”, and proposes that a necessity of document that will be valuable to 5,000 year legacy of depletion and providing genetic all interested in or involved in destruction can be turned into a $100 diversity within ecological restoration. trillion worldwide inventory of restorable created populations Fundamental principles such as assets. The author argues that leaving the and the need for thorough documentation the important selection of a world better than we found it is a very of the work carried out. A separate reference model and the different proposition from merely slowing section is dedicated to the method of recognition of people as the rate of depletion and pollution. reintroduction of plant communities ecological influences are Conservation is essential but it doesn’t (agrosteppe creation) and examples of addressed in general introductory address the needs of wildlife whose practical experience of reintroduction of chapters. The underlying habitat has already been destroyed. rare species in various regions of Russia importance of plant species composition Sustainability is certainly a worthy goal, (Bashkortostan, the Far East, Irkutsk and is stressed as, “it is the plant community but what about the vast majority of the Vladimir regions) are given. that gives an ecosystem its structure and planet that is already badly damaged? Is provides habitat.” The book’s later protecting it from further damage good Published by BGCI, the Russian Botanic chapters are aimed at more experienced enough? Why not restore it? Gardens Council and the Main Botanic practitioners of ecological restoration. Garden of the Russian Academy of Case studies of ecological restoration In re Wealth, Sciences named after N.V. Tsitsin. 2008. projects around the world are included as redevelopment expert Tula: Grif & Co. 52 pages. ISBN 978-1- “virtual field trips”. Included as an Storm Cunningham 905164-28-8. Copies available from Appendix are the Society for Ecological reveals a vast new BGCI. Restoration International’s, Guidelines for realm of fast-growing, developing and managing ecological highly profitable Guidelines for the translocation of restoration projects , 2nd Edition. opportunities to threatened plants in Australia - revitalise our Second Edition The book builds on and develops the communities and our L. Vallee, T. Hogbin, L. Monks, Society for Ecological Restoration planet. He outlines B. Makinson. M. Matthes and M. Rossetto. International’s Primer of Ecological new practices and Restoration (http://www.ser.org/content/ strategies that achieve rapid, resilient The Australian Network for Plant ecological_restoration_primer.asp), of renewal, and shows how wealth can be Conservation first established guidelines which Clewell and Aronson were among generated by replenishing natural for the translocation of threatened plants the three principle authors. resources, rebuilding communities, for conservation purposes as a result of redeveloping polluted land, restoring resolutions from the Australian Network Available from Island Press as part of the structures and revitalising economies. for Plant Conservation conference in book series “The Science and Practice of Hobart, 1993. The need for revision was Ecological Restoration.” ISBN 978-0-07-148982-9. McGraw-Hill. recognised as the number of ISBN: 978-1597261692. 2007. 2008. 398 pages. translocations being carried out grew, Details of other publications published for bringing to light new information on the Society of Ecological Restoration Methodological recommendations for techniques and approaches. This second International can be found at the website: botanic gardens on the reintroduction edition puts more emphasis on evaluating www.ser.org of rare and threatened plants. whether translocation should go ahead, Yu. N. Gorbunov, D.S. Dzybov, Z.E. monitoring and evaluation, and involving re Wealth Kuzmin and I. A. Smirnov. local communities. The main points are Storm Cunningham brought together in useful case studies This manual, published in Russian and from across Australia. Written by people Restorative development is the largest, English, describes methodological experienced in threatened plant fastest-growing new source of prosperity approaches for the reintroduction of rare translocations, this 80 page colour in today’s global economy. Re Wealth species of plants into natural habitats. publication includes information on: unveils the astonishing growth of this Problems of terminology and the definitions and objectives; deciding trend, presenting the context and selection of species for reintroduction are whether translocation is a viable option; strategies for taking advantage of the discussed. The manual also focuses on the translocation process from project tremendous wealth of restorable assets - issues related to preliminary studies, proposal, development, through to while renewing and revitalising the world selection of initial starting material, monitoring; community participation and around us. determination of natural habitats and case studies.

30 BGCI • 2009 • BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) • 30-31 ISBN: 0 9752191 0 3. 2004. Copies Arboretum by the University of Wisconsin will learn from one another's experiences available from the Australian Network for Press and in association with the Society and identify, undertake and support forest Plant Conservation Inc, GPO Box 1777, for Ecological Restoration International. landscape restoration activities. The Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia. Ecological Restoration is available as a Forest Restoration Information Service Email: [email protected] stand-alone subscription or at a (FRIS) plays a critical role as an Web site: www.anpc.asn.au discounted rate for members of SERI or information resource and in promoting the Friends of the Arboretum. information sharing among partners and Handbook of Ecological Restoration other restoration practitioners. The Martin Richard Perrow, A. J. Davy Further information: www.ecological partnership will serve as a model of how restoration.info/firstpage.html the international forest community can The two volumes of this handbook move constructively from dialogue to provide a comprehensive account of the action by linking policy and practice. rapidly emerging and vibrant science of Websites the ecological restoration of both habitats www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/restoration/ and species. Ecological restoration aims Centre for Plant Conservation globalpartnership/ to achieve complete structural and Genetic considerations in ecological functional, self-maintaining biological restoration: an annotated bibliography integrity following disturbance. In Land managers often face the need to Conferences practice, any theoretical model is plan and implement re-vegetation or modified by a number of economic, restoration work for disturbed or 19th Conference of the Society for social, and ecological constraints. degraded habitats. Often there is Ecological Restoration (SER) Consequently, material that might be relatively little background information to International considered as rehabilitation, provide the context about a focal species Making Change in a Changing World enhancement, reconstruction, or re- or the greater plant community. A Perth, Western Australia, 23-27 August creation is also included. Restoration in common concern, particularly for larger 2009. Practice provides details of state-of-the- scale restoration, centres on how to make art restoration practice in a range of decisions about the selection of wild SER International meetings provide biomes within terrestrial and aquatic source material to be used. Managers important international fora for scientists (marine, coastal and freshwater) need information about the importance of and practitioners who look to restoration ecosystems. Policy and legislative issues local genetic adaptation in restoration as a means to conserve declining on all continents are also outlined and work, and how to maximize the chances biodiversity and failing ecosystems. discussed. The accompanying volume, for success and minimize the possibility Principles of Restoration defines the of any deleterious effects. However, most The following sessions are likely to be of underlying principles of restoration biologists and land managers are not particular interest to BGCI members: ecology. The Handbook of Ecological genetic experts and have limited time to Restoration will be an invaluable resource devote to in-depth study of the issues. The Role of Botanic Gardens and to anyone concerned with the restoration, Seed-banks in Ecological Restoration: rehabilitation, enhancement or creation of The Center for Plant Conservation (CPC), Next Steps habitats in aquatic or terrestrial systems, with the assistance of a number of Principal Organizer: Kate Hardwick, throughout the world. population geneticists, conducted a Royal Botanic Gardens, UK literature review to explore some of the Published by Cambridge University Press. key issues and has made that Native Plant Materials Development and 2002. ISBN: 978-0521791298. 618 pages bibliography available on their website. Use in a Changing World While initially intended to present Principal Organizer: Kayri Havens, available literature on the topic of Chicago Botanic Garden, USA Journals ecotypes, the scope of the bibliography was expanded as a result of discussions Sourcing Seed in a Changing World: Ecological restoration with numerous authorities on the subject. Genetic Implications for Restoration Ecological Restoration is a forum for The current bibliography now presents Success people interested in all areas of literature on topics broadly relevant to Principal Organizers: Siegy Krauss, Kings ecological restoration. The technical and genetic considerations in ecological Park and Botanic Garden, Australia biological aspects of restoring restoration. Inclusion of literature is not David Coates, Department of landscapes are featured, as well as limited to peer-reviewed scientific articles, Environment and Conservation, Australia emerging professional issues, the role of but also includes grey literature, including education, evolving theories of post- book chapters, papers from meetings and Doing Restoration: A Practitioners modern humans and their environment, symposia, and reports. Practical Guide to Restoration Techniques land-use policy, the science of and Technology collaboration, and more. The quarterly www.centerforplantconservation.org/ Principal Organizer: Kingsley Dixon, Kings publication offers original feature articles, Education.html Park and Botanic Garden, Australia short notes, and book reviews as well as abstracts of pertinent work published Global Partnership on Forest For more information on this meeting elsewhere. Published since 1981, Landscape Restoration visit www.seri2009.com.au (originally as Restoration & Management The Global Partnership is a network of or email [email protected] Notes) Ecological Restoration is the governments, organisations, communities oldest publication to deal exclusively with and individuals who recognise the the subject of restoring ecosystems. importance of forest landscape Ecological Restoration is published for restoration and want to be part of a the University of Wisconsin-Madison coordinated global effort. The partners

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32 BGjournal • Vol 6 (1) How to join Botanic Gardens Conservation International and help us to save plants from extinction

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