www.fossilplants.co.uk Strategic plan and collections policy 2015 – 2025

Contents

1. Overview 2. Introduction 3. Vision 4. Mission 5. Goals 6. Performance 7. Collections policy 7.1. evolution 7.2. Evolution then and now 7.3. Conserving diversity 8. Material supply and receipt 9. Plant health and quarantine 10. Management team 11. Summary 12. References

Strategic plan and collections policy 2015 – 2025 1

Mimetes hottentoticus a threatened Proteaceae species from South Africa 1. Overview This strategic plan aims to lay out the boundaries within which FossilPlants will conduct its daily business during the period 2015 to 2025. It will also lay out the objectives and criteria by which the work of FossilPlants will judge its contribution towards plant conservation and the education and research that underpin it.

2. Introduction In 2011 Robert Blackhall-Miles and Ben Ram started the process of creating a small garden (FossilPlants) at their home, in North Wales; a place to finally settle a collection of gathered over 30 years and to extend that collection further. Based on a long-standing interest in plant evolution and , it was decided to plant the garden with species of plants related to those with a fossil record from before the K-Pg boundary– a group of plant species that have survived previous mass extinction events. A website was created to document the development of the garden, raising awareness of the role these plants played in the Earth’s history. Receiving both horticultural and botanical interest in the garden, and through a desire to aid the conservation of these sometimes rare and endangered species, the garden became an institutional member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) in 2014. This allowed the garden to actively contribute in international plant conservation efforts.

Of all the plant families in the garden, the Proteaceae have become the dominant feature. By engaging people in the stories of this colourful family it is hoped that FossilPlants can go some way towards helping people notice and value the plants in their environment. It is through this work with an ecologically important plant family that the garden has grown to encompass a research nursery facility. The Plant Conservation Research Nursery (PCRN) is home to the ‘proteas With Altitude’ project, a research project studying the horticulture of Proteaceae in the UK, and several additional projects that aim to conserve, research and understand threatened species from both the UK and further afield.

As part of a commitment to the species Luronium natans, a species found locally in North Wales and protected under UK and European law under Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive, Appendix I of the Bern Convention, Schedule 4 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations 1994, and Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, FossilPlants instigated and is extensively involved in Ffrindiau Caer Ddôl, working to restore an area of overgrazed pasture land, bordering the Llyn Padarn Site of Special Scientific Interest, to species rich flood meadow.

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Iris atropurpurea – a critically endangered iris species used in the study of floral trait evolution 3. Vision Plants clothe us, feed us, cure us and allow us to breathe. They, through capturing the sun's energy, provide the building blocks that provide for all the Earth's incredible biodiversity. There are around 400,000 plant species in the world and at least 25% are threatened; unfortunately, there is no quick fix. Horticulture, however, can do something significant to ease this problem and, through it, FossilPlants can play its part by building the specialist knowledge to make sure at least some of them are safe through ex-situ conservation and available for future restoration and translocation initiatives.

Through decisive actions we hope to prove that every garden (big or small) should be able to step up to the challenges of botanic gardens, ex-situ plant conservation and the research and education principles that underpin them.

4. Mission At FossilPlants our mission is to:

▪ tell the story of how early plants evolved by establishing a living collection of their modern-day representatives, in a temperate garden environment and actively engage others in their story. ▪ Actively assist efforts to protect threatened plant species through ex-situ conservation and the creation of horticultural protocols that will aid subsequent translocation and restoration of wild populations. ▪ Make our horticultural collections available to other botanical and scientific institutions for the purposes of conservation, education and research. ▪ Provide access to the collection and information gained from it to interested parties. ▪ Promote the study of palaeobotany, taxonomy and plant sciences for all.

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Saxifraga rosacea ssp. rosacea of Welsh provenance - last seen in Wales in the 1960's and grown at FossilPlants 5. Goals • Curate and maintain the horticultural collections to the highest possible standards. • Produce and publish cultivation protocols for those species of, and species closely related to those of, conservation concern • Produce an annual report for the PCRN and the ‘proteas With Altitude’ project making information from these two projects openly accessible to the wider plant conservation community. • Share material and data from the collection freely with other botanical and scientific institutions both nationally and internationally. • Engage and inspire through active social outreach utilising a wide range of digital and non- digital media. • Actively partake in the monitoring, conservation and restoration of our local biodiversity and its habitats

6. Performance As a requirement of this strategic plan a range of performance criteria will enable us to assess the annual impact of FossilPlants. Specifically, we should be

• Producing an annual report for the PCRN and the ‘proteas With Altitude’ project making information from these two connected projects openly accessible to the wider plant conservation community. • Ensuring all living and seed collections are uploaded and maintained on the BGCI PlantSearch database and count towards GSPC Target 8 and any relevant targets beyond 2020. • At least one cultivation protocol is actively under research, submitted for peer reviewed publication or published annually. • Engaging with, and keeping totals for, a wide cross section of society – taking the form of an annual program of public lectures, garden visitors, social media engagement, blog and website posts to both www.fossilplants.co.uk and www.blackhalls.co.uk. • Actively engaging in scientific research beyond that already undertaken as part of FossilPlants. • Supplying plant material to other botanic gardens and scientific institutions for the purpose of conservation, education and scientific research

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Bryophytes are underrepresented in ex-situ collections 7. Collections policy* 7.1. Plant evolution One of the key aims of FossilPlants is to tell the story of how early plants evolved by establishing a living collection of their modern-day representatives, in a temperate garden environment and actively engage others in their story.

Bryophytes – mosses, liverworts and hornworts represent the earliest evolving extant lineage of land plants. They undoubtably played a significant role in transforming the terrestrial earth from a barren rocky landscape to a place where life could thrive. With less than 5% of non-vascular plants being conserved ex-situ (Mounce, R., Smith, P. & Brockington, S. 2018.) and Wales having lost well over 100 species of Bryophyte in the past 150 years (Bosanquet, S. and Dines, T. 2011.) it is deemed of importance that Bryophytes have a place in the living collection at FossilPlants.

Pteridophytes – ferns, horsetails and the lycophytes (clubmosses, spikemosses and quillworts) first evolved over 400 million years ago. With nearly 12,000 species but less than 40% of these conserved ex- situ (Mounce, R., Smith, P. & Brockington, S. 2018.) the Pteridophytes are another group clearly placed in need of representation within our living collection. The humid, moderated climate of the garden at FossilPlants is ideally placed to grow a wide range of Pteridophyte species with the emphasis being on Southern Hemisphere fern species.

Gymnosperms – Conifers, Ginkgo, Cycads, Gnetum, Ephedra and Welwitschia form a group of plants that have been in existence from the mid Carboniferous 319 million years ago. Many representatives are considered Lazarus taxa (a taxon that disappears for one or more periods from the fossil record, only to appear again later), such as Ginkgo biloba and Wollemia nobilis, and across the group there is a high number (40%) of species threatened with extinction. Considered as EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) species (Forest F, Moat J, Baloch E, et al. 2018) they should be given the highest level of consideration for conservation. Many are tree or large shrub species and, as such, it would be impossible to accommodate many at FossilPlants, thus, our aim should be to grow a representative range for the purpose of education distributing excess plants to the wider botanic garden network.

*The collections and work of FossilPlants will not be entirely constrained by the parameters of this collections policy and opportunities to put the resources and skills held within FossilPlants to good use should be taken where appropriate.

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Illicium simonsii a basal angiosperm from China

Basal angiosperm lineages – the evolutionary route of the flowering plants was considered by Charles Darwin to be ‘an abominable mystery’. It is only in recent years that science is starting to understand the evolution of the Angiosperms. With over 369,000 species across over 13,000 genera they make up the largest and most diverse group of land plants. Humanity is almost entirely dependent on the angiosperms for its plant-based foods and they also provide a large proportion of other economically important crops (wood, cotton, medicines and paper among others). An understanding of evolution may one day assist scientists in other disciplines such as medicine or agriculture, including help in growing plants used to fight disease or developing more drought-resistant crops. Maintaining, and building on, a collection of basal angiosperms and the basal lineages within the core angiosperms will provide a resource that is aimed to assist in scientific understanding of angiosperm evolution. 7.2 Evolution then and now Evolution is not a static process and stories of modern evolution and extinction are as relevant as those from pre-history.

Proteaceae from temperate climates – The Proteaceae are a large, charismatic family of flowering plants, commonly known as proteas and mainly found growing in the southern hemisphere. They form a basal lineage within the and are found on all the land masses that once formed the super continent Gondwana. Their early evolutionary story is well understood however their modern relationships are also a subject of current research internationally. The proteas are ideally placed as a group of flagship species for raising awareness of the issues faced by their respective habitats, in particular the South African biodiversity hotspot, and combating plant blindness.

This family is considered difficult in cultivation and certain genera within the family require a deeper understanding of their germination (Persoonia, Orites, Mimetes, Spatalla etc) and subsequent horticulture to aid future restoration initiatives. The last significant piece of work regarding the care of Proteaceae in the UK came in 1809 when Joseph Knight authored ‘Horticultural essays. I. on the natural order Proteèæ’. Since then horticultural practices have changed in ways that often do not suit these plants. They have, in some cases unnecessarily, earned a reputation for being tender and difficult to grow. They also, often, suffer an intolerance to phosphates. Whilst many botanic gardens can grow species from low altitude, others prefer a cool, mild climate much more akin to that found in North Wales and other areas of the UK.

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FossilPlants holds the Plant Heritage National Collection of SE Australian Banksia Species alongside many other members of the Proteaceae

Climate change, disease and other human pressures are having a huge impact on these plants and whilst it is always better to conserve ‘in-situ’, it is also prudent to ensure there is a backup in the form of seeds and cultivated plants, as well as the knowledge of how to grow them. By better understanding the intricacies of their horticulture not only will the ‘proteas with Altitude’ project be able assist in gaining this knowledge for conservation but also improve and promote the general understanding of this interesting and varied group of plants.

Alongside the ‘proteas With Altitude’ project FossilPlants maintains the Plant Heritage National Collection© of South East Australian Banksia Species and should actively work towards the careful curation and growth of this collection.

Iridaceae – a group plants scientists are using to understand processes of ecological speciation, pollination biology and floral evolution. The Iridaceae will form a collection complimentary to the wider collections at FossilPlants. The South African Fynbos biome has an unusually high level of diversity within the Iridaceae and many of these species form good companions to the cultivation of the South African Proteaceae. The genus Iris, specifically its sub- genus Iris, is also a subject of evolutionary study and with high horticultural demand for the species within this genus it makes economic sense for FossilPlants to build, and make available for sale, a, ethically and legally sourced, collection of these species in order to help fund its range of other activities.

Ericaceae –The 14th most species rich family of flowering plants with 4250 species spanning 124 genera found across most of the earth’s surface - the Ericaceae is absent only from Antarctica, the highest areas of the arctic, central Australia and the lowland tropics. Its fossil record spans to the late Cretaceous (Paleoenkianthus) and some of its modern genera form some of the most species rich genera on earth (Erica, Rhododendron). The genus Erica forms a complimentary group of plants to the South African Proteaceae collections grown by FossilPlants with over 600 species found within the Fynbos biome. The Ericaceae subfamily Styphelioideae also forms a complimentary family to the South East Australian Banksia collection and the story of Gondwanan distribution of many of the other plants grown at FossilPlants.

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An Orites myrtoideus seedling cultivated as part of research towards the creation of a protocol for its ex-situ management.

7.3 Conserving diversity The conservation of diversity should be directed towards both wide reaching species diversity and the genetic diversity of those individual species. The effective ex-situ conservation of a species relies on representing enough genetic diversity to replicate the diversity of the species in the wild. Seed banking is the most effective tool currently at work for this concept. However, seed banking relies on the assumption that the knowledge is there to allow those seeds to be germinated and subsequently cultivated to allow for future restoration.

Non-conformist species – The IUCN’s Technical Guidelines on the Management of Ex-situ Populations for Conservation states that ‘Ex situ conservation should be initiated only when an understanding of the target taxon's biology and ex situ management and storage needs are at a level where there is a reasonable probability that successful enhancement of species conservation can be achieved; or where the development of such protocols could be achieved within the time frame of the taxon's required conservation management, ideally before the taxa becomes threatened in the wild. Ex situ institutions are strongly urged to develop ex situ protocols prior to any forthcoming ex situ management. For those threatened taxa for which husbandry and/or cultivation protocols do not exist, surrogates of closely related taxa can serve important functions, for example in research and the development of protocols, conservation biology research……’ FossilPlants, through its projects, works towards achieving the goals of this statement through creating cultivation protocols for both endangered and less threatened species. Emphasis will be placed on genera and species where germination and subsequent cultivation has had little or no success historically.

Managing genetic diversity – The collections held at FossilPlants and supplied to the wider botanic garden network by FossilPlants should aim to represent the widest level of genetic diversity available. They should, where possible, have attached wild provenance data and endeavour to represent individuals from populations from across the range of the species rather than be purely representative of the wider species. For plants supplied to other institutions details of the individuals supplied will be held on a custom database created for this purpose in order to keep track of the fate of these individuals.

Local diversity - Species requiring of ex-situ conservation initiatives from the North Wales region with emphasis on Snowdonia and its immediate surrounding area should be given priority within the collection. Four projects, Welsh Bryophytes, Sorbus arvonensis, Luronium natans and Wales’ Sub Arctic alpines, will make the core of this work towards conserving the botanical diversity of North Wales.

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Chimonanthus praecox is closely related to plants known from fossils from the eastern USA. 8. Material supply and receipt Where wild collections of plants or seed are accessioned those accessions will, in the eyes of FossilPlants, remain the property of the country of origin. Should material from these collections be required for the purpose of conservation, education or scientific research in its country of origin or the supplying institution that material will be made available. Where material of these collections is distributed, allowing for the terms of its original acquisition, to other botanical institutions it will be done so under the terms of a loan and remain the property of the provider country under a material transfer agreement laid out by FossilPlants.

FossilPlants is committed to the letter and spirit of the CBD and other national or international legislation. FossilPlants expects partners to act in a manner consistent with the CBD. FossilPlants aims to promote scientific research and exchange, whilst recognising the terms under which FossilPlants acquired plant material, and the important role played by ex situ collections in the implementation of the CBD. FossilPlants reserves the right not to supply any plant material if such supply would be contrary to any terms attached to the material and/or to the CBD.

9. Plant Health and quarantine FossilPlants is registered with the UK’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and undergoes regular inspections for notifiable pests and diseases. The PCRN is split into two areas with one area having a Polytunnel for receipt of new plant material. New plants are held here for a minimum of 3 months before they are moved into the main nursery area or into the garden. The main nursery area is fenced from the reception area and has increased plant health precautions including an entrance Chloroxylenol foot bath and all floor areas covered with a membrane that can be regularly disinfected.

Biological pest control is the preferred choice for any insect pests and regular communication with APHA will allow for updates on any emerging pest and disease problems in the UK.

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Archaeanthus - a fossil relative of the modern genus Liriodendron (Magnoliaceae) Image credit: David Dilcher.

10. Management team FossilPlants is owned and managed by partners Robert Blackhall-Miles and Ben Ram.

Whilst it is important to note that the day to day management of the garden, nursery and wider collection are shared equally their roles in the garden’s management are defined.

Robert Blackhall-Miles Robbie has a life-long interest in palaeobotany and plant evolution. He, having a background in horticulture and a Higher National Diploma in environmental management, has the role of horticulturist and ecologist for the garden with the implementation of the gardens conservation projects also falling into his remit. He also undertakes the curation and plant records for the collection and manages the gardens media and engagement activities.

Ben Ram Ben holds a master’s degree in mathematics and computer science and oversees the data management for the individual conservation initiatives of FossilPlants. Plant health management also falls into Ben’s day to day activities within the collection and he plays an active part in the planning and development aspects of the garden. Ben, being a seasoned traveller, rock climber and adventurer, also takes the lead on the planning for collecting trips and other botanical exploration activities.

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Snowdonia - home of FossilPlants 11. Summary This strategic plan and collections strategy will form the guiding principals by which FossilPlants will work. As a small, privately owned, botanical collection it is important that FossilPlants works within the space and resources it has available to it, however, these resources should not dictate the value of, or the potential for, FossilPlants.

Fossilplants aims to become an exemplar for ex-situ plant conservation and this statement will enable and guide that process. FossilPlants hopes to prove that every garden (big or small) should be able to step up to the challenges faced by botanic gardens, ex-situ plant conservation and the research and education principles that underpin them.

This document is meant to act solely as a guide rather than a rule book and is subject to amendment and review to reflect new circumstances and opportunities. The collection held at Fossil plants is a living one and the role of FossilPlants is to live and grow alongside those plants in its care.

12. References Forest F, Moat J, Baloch E, et al. Gymnosperms on the EDGE. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):6053. Published 2018 Apr 16. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-24365-4

Mounce, Ross & Smith, Paul & Brockington, Samuel. (2017). Ex situ conservation of plant diversity in the world's botanic gardens. 10.17863/CAM.17078.

Bosanquet, S. and Dines, T. (2011), A Bryophyte Red Data List for Wales, Plantlife, Salisbury.

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