Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium

BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION Research Imperatives for Scientific Institutions

Xishuangbanna, 1-2 January 2009

Hosted by Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Transcribed by: FAN Huan, Compiled by: ZHAO Jinli TABLE OF CONTENT

INAUGURAL SESSION 01 Hosted by: Dr. Cao Min

WELCOMING REMARKS 02 Chen Jin 02 S c a l i n g U p : U s i n g Priya Davidar 04 Technology to Extrapolate Su Ronghui 06 f r o m P l o t - B a s e d Joachim Gratzfeld 08 Studies for the Regional Planning of Biodiversity Conservation SESSION ONE 12 Prof. Dr. Richard Corlett 41 Chairman: Prof. Dr. Theodore H. Fleming SESSION TWO 48 Chairman: The 'Ibisca' Approach: Prof. Dr. Noel Holbrook Large Scale International Collaborations: A Vital Tool Botanic Gardens, Science for Future Biodiversity and the Conservation of Studies Plant Diversity Prof. Dr. Roger Kitching 13 Prof. Sir Peter Crane 49

DNA Barcoding in Plants: Strategies for Plant from Genes to Genomics Conservation in South in the Conservation of Asia Tropical Biodiversity Prof. Dr. Priya Davidar 60 Dr. W. John Kress 23 Science and Conservation Biodiversity Conservation Policy: Two Sides of the in Global Change Same Coin? Prof. Dr. Xu Jianchu 32 Dr. Joachim Gratzfeld 65

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 TABLE OF CONTENT

S e v e n P i l l a r s o f Biodiversity (We are not alone) Prof. Dr. Chuck Cannon 76

SESSION THREE 90 Chairman: Dr. Peter W. Jackson

Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Need for Supporting Empirical and Applied Research Agenda for Achieving an Adaptive T r o p i c a l S e e d Management Regime for C o n s e r v a t i o n a n d Biodiversity Conservation Ecosystem Services: A and Sustaining Ecosystem Research Perspective Services Dr. Hugh W. Pritchard 122 Mr. Hasan Moinuddin 91 FINAL SESSION 133 Conservation on Yunnan Hosted by : Golden Monkey Dr. CHEN Jin Prof. Long Yongcheng 104 CLOSING REMARKS Perspectives of Botanical Peter W. Jackson 134 Gardens’ Contribution to Peter Crane 139 Biodiversity Conservation Prof. Dr. CHEN Jin 112 LIST OF POSTERS 142

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 INAUGURAL SESSION January 1, 2009 Hosted by Dr. CAO Min

Welcoming Addresses Dr. CHEN Jin Dr. Priya Davidar Dr. SU Ronghui Dr. Joachim Gratzfeld

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 01 WELCOMING REMARKS

January 1, 2009

CHEN Jin Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden,CAS

Honored Guests, Ladies and Conservation and Sustainable Gentlemen, Development” held here 10 years ago in Good afternoon! 1999, have led to a series of actions in the Greater Mekong Subregion including I would like to extend my warmest the implementation of a biodiversity welcome again to all distinguished conservation corridors initiative, guests and scholars, on behalf of which was endorsed by the Asian Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Development Bank. While progress has Garden of the Chinese Academy been made, much work remains to be of Sciences. We are so glad that done. Effective conservation actions will all of you have joined us to attend require long-term commitment from a this wonderful gathering for the wide range of stakeholders, including 2nd Xishuangbanna International scientists, policy makers, concerned Symposium, during the 50th citizens, and the general public. Anniversary of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS. Research institutions enjoy the possibilities to provide scientifically The 1st Xishuangbanna International sound and biologically relevant insights Symposium on “Biodiversity and answers to the many questions

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 02 confronting human society. However, conserve biodiversity? scientists generally enjoy using their own "language" and often have The 2nd Xishuangbanna International difficulty expressing themselves in Symposium still features on Biodiversity plain and simple terms, therefore their Conservation, specifically on research important message can not be easily imperatives for scientific institutions. understood by everyone. A great deal We will review the progress made by of valuable information, relevant to scientific institutions in biodiversity biodiversity conservation, remains conservation, and anticipate future

January 1, 2009 locked up and hidden away in the conservation scenarios with technology academic literature. Additionally, advancement, therefore to build policy makers in many countries often closer linkages between science and exclude scientists from the decision action. We will engage in informative process, for various reasons. How discussion, with each participant can scientific institutions do a better contributing his/her knowledge and job of communication and more expertise. I am certain that this directly influence the policy making Symposium will achieve valuable process? On the other hand, most results, and strengthen connections applied conservation projects are among us. carried out by NGOs, while scientists at research institutions assume these As the host institution for efforts are not appropriate for rigorous Xishuangbanna International study. Often research projects are Symposium, XTBG will continue to performed in parallel with applied provide such platform bringing scholars projects with little interaction between from all over the world for intellectual the two. Mechanisms are required for exchange. the development and implementation of conservation programs that I wish this symposium a full success integrate both perspectives and and all guests have a pleasant stay in approaches. How can scientific the Garden. institutions become more actively involved in conservation actions? AND, happy New Year to you all. Finally, With the rapid development of new technology such as high resolution satellite imagery, DNA Prof. CHEN Jin, PhD Bar-coding, next-gen sequencing, Director-General super computing capacity, and the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical integration of global networks of long- Garden, CAS term monitoring data, what will be the best strategy for implementing these 1 January 2009, Xishuangbanna new technologies and databases to

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January 1, 2009

Priya Davidar Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation: Asian-Pacific Chapter

Colleagues, Professors, short span of 50 years. The XTBG was Thank you very much, Xiexie ! established with vision to serve the community with a scientific approach. I am happy to be attend the 50th It has accomplished its goal of carrying anniversary of the Xishuangbanna out research at global standards and Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese also to establish a good network Academy of Sciences and to among the local communities that will participate in the Xishuangbanna lead to their economic and cultural International Symposium II titled: development. This is certainly a model Biodiversity Conservation: Research for other research institutions in tropical imperatives for scientific institutions. countries.

I must congratulate the XTBG for I have known Prof. Dr. Jin CHEN and developing a world class botanical other scientists at XTBG for many garden and research facility for years now. Prof. Dr. Jin CHEN and his tropical biological sciences within a excellent team of scientists and staff

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have been instrumental in developing XTBG into a world-class institution. Prof. Dr. Jin CHEN has been very active in the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), serving as its councilor, and also being one of the founders of the Asia-Pacific chapter of ATBC. XTBG has helped to establish ATBC in Asia, provided financial support and helped create a network of Asian tropical biologists.

January 1, 2009 We wish the XTBG and Prof. Dr. Jin CHEN our congratulations for their

accomplishments and onto greater achievements and growth.

Dr. Priya Davidar President ATBC Asian-Pacific Chapter Professor and Dean, Pondichery University, India 1 January 2009, Xishuangbanna

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January 1, 2009

SU Ronghui Bureau of Life Science and Biotechnology, CAS

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and we have to face to. Gentlemen, Good afternoon! The Chinese Academy of Sciences has paid great attention to the ex It is my great pleasure to extend a situ conservation and the works on sincere welcome to all of you who are botanical gardens. 50 years ago, we participating in the 2nd Xishuangbanna established this botanical garden in International Symposium, being held Xishuangbanna, for the conservation of here at the beautiful and elegant the plant resources in the region with botanical garden. the richest biological diversity in China. 50 years from then, Xishuangbanna Plant is one of the most important Tropical Botanical Garden has become resources that human being depend one of the most important institutions in on. Under such dramatic global climate plant ex situ conservation, with plants change, effective conservation of plant species over 12,000 in its respective diversity has become a pressing issue living collections.

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How to preserve the valuable plant resources effectively? And how to make January 1, 2009 research institutions more relevant to biodiversity conservation actions? It is

valuable for us to pay much effort on these issues The symposium held here provided a platform for us to review, discuss and anticipate future conservation scenarios with technology advancement, therefore to build closer linkages between science and action.

On behalf of the Bureau of Life Science and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, I would like to thank you all for your presence and your support to the garden.

I sincerely hope the symposium succeeds and all the participants enjoy staying in the beautiful garden.

SU Ronghui Deputy Director Bureau of Life Science and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences 1 January 2009, Xishuangbanna

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January 1, 2009

Joachim Gratzfeld Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)

Distinguished scientists, ladies and of Sciences and its Director, Prof. Jin gentlemen, Chen, as well as his dedicated team of I feel very privileged to be able distinguished scientists and students, to participate in this Second for so generously and hospitably Xishuangbanna International welcoming us in this beautiful venue Symposium in conjunction with of fabulous biological and cultural the celebration of an extraordinary diversity. A special thank you also goes half century of achievement by the to Ms Fang Chunyan for so incredibly Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical well organizing the logistics and Garden of the Chinese Academy of administrative arrangements for the Sciences. symposium.

I would like to start my opening The title and themes to be debated remarks by expressing BGCI’s sincere during the coming two days could not be gratitude to Xishuangbanna Tropical more appropriately chosen in terms of Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy timeliness and significance. Biodiversity

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Conservation: Research Imperatives society over the last 15 years, the for Scientific Institutions reminds us – scope to communicate the importance the natural science community – of the of maintaining plant diversity as the vital importance and responsibility we key pillar of functional ecosystems have not only in aiming at excellence remains colossal. And who else other in science and research, but also in than botanic gardens and affiliated facilitating the application of scientific research institutions are the places to

January 1, 2009 findings to conservation policy and represent and stand for this expertise – ultimately – practical conservation and raise the profile on the importance action on-the-ground. Still all too often, of maintaining and conserving plant amazing discoveries and research diversity and biodiversity in its entirety? results – especially from the plant The role of botanic gardens in a globally kingdom – do not make it as forceful changing world is changing too, but headlines into our various media a key function and niche of botanic channels, and end up in publications gardens remains untouched or becomes on bookshelves collecting dust, or even more accentuated – interpreting nowadays are stored and locked in and translating the scientific evidence electronic databases and/or loaded on base to guide policy formulation and to the internet. Although the interested inform practical conservation action. reader may ultimately find the information that he or she is looking The global plant community, if you for, targeted dissemination of scientific allow me to call it so, led by the research findings using appropriate botanic gardens, has made a major styles and jargon is lacking. As a step towards this endeavour of linking result, scientists, policy makers and knowledge gained from research, conservation practitioners often talk policy formulation and conservation past each other in their own jargons action. The Global Strategy for Plant and use of terms – a communication Conservation adopted by the Parties to challenge that becomes even more the Convention on Biological Diversity compounded by the diversity of in 2002 has now been widely accepted languages and dialects spoken from as trend-setting for such an integrated international to local levels. approach. Developed through a multi- stakeholder consultation process While the international debate including scientists as well as policy and on global climate change has decision-makers, the target-oriented helped accelerate awareness of outcomes formulated in this strategy environmental challenges and aimed at being achieved by 2010 serve now as a model for the development biodiversity conservation issues facing

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and implementation of other Agency. Their vision in developing programmes of work of the Convention. China’s Strategy for Plant Conservation Alongside with its botanic garden is highly commendable, and it is one members and partners – more than of BGCI’s major tasks to continue to 800 in number – Botanic Gardens support China’s commitment to plant Conservation International has conservation over the coming years – been instrumental in supporting the a significant task – with China’s plant

January 1, 2009 development and implementation diversity accounting for more than 10% of this global framework for plant of the world’s flora. conservation, be it through support to the development of national responses, In fact, BGCI’s association with botanic policies and advocacy activities, or gardens in China spans already over through practical conservation action many years, starting initially with on the ground. activities in support of national training courses held in major centers such as in BGCI is particularly proud to be Beijing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, associated with the development Shanghai and Xishuangbanna in plant and implementation of the national conservation, environmental education, response to this global strategy medicinal plants conservation and in China. In fact, it was here at sustainable use, botanic garden Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical interpretation and many other subjects. Garden, when at the international Today we are very happy to collaborate conference on botanic gardens and with many gardens and their affiliated sustainable development in 2004, the research institutions in practical outline of a national agenda for botanic conservation programmes focusing on gardens was prepared incorporating integrated ex and in situ conservation the 2010 targets for botanic garden measures for rare and threatened contributions in China to the Global groups of plants such as species of Strategy for Plant Conservation. magnolias and maples, or species with equally uncommon and curiously Earlier in 2008, the China Strategy for sounding names – perhaps even to Plant Conservation was launched with scientists let alone policy and decision the support from the United Kingdom makers – such as Bretschneidera and BGCI. This document is a model sinensis or Dipteronia dyeriana . of joint work between three major environmental institutions in China, Any here lies also one of our the Chinese Academy of Sciences, conservation challenges ahead for the State Forestry Administration and botanic gardens, in times of rapid the State Environmental Protection environmental change and degradation,

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we need to develop pragmatic of conservation with advances in approaches to conserving habitats and technology and scientific research to species. But which ones should come improve the links between science, first? The rarest, crop wild relatives, conservation policy and action. I am species of vital economic importance? sure this symposium will assist in It is difficult to make choices and identifying priority areas of work in focus on selected species especially view of the approaching cut-off date

January 1, 2009 for botanists who have put heart and set by the international community soul into the cause of maintaining – the 2010 Biodiversity Target, and biodiversity in its entirety. And it is will help pave the way for developing even more challenging to identify a set of interesting and inspiring research priorities in the context of recommendations and activities to the enormous scope remaining to continue our efforts to biodiversity identify and describe the still unknown conservation and sustainable use of the diversity, make predictions about the goods and services derived from our future of biodiversity and develop biological heritage. related conservation measures. I would Thank you! like paraphrase here the former US secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, Joachim Gratzfeld not because I am particularly fond of Director of Regional Programmes his ideas – on the contrary, but because Botanic Gardens Conservation his ‘Rumsfeldian triplicity theory’ of International (BGCI) the ‘unkown unknowns’ has become 1 January 2009, Xishuangbanna proverbial and is almost ingenius in its complexity and enmeshment – ‘We know many unknowns, but it is the unknown unknowns (the ones we don’t know we don’t know) we must prepare for’.

Be this as it may, by having chosen this theme for this symposium, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden continues to show its commitment to tackle the biodiversity conservation challenges of our time with a very forward looking perspective aiming to anticipate future scenarios

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Biodiversity conservation in the era of technology advancement

14:00-17:30 Thursday, 1 January 2009 January 1, 2009

Chairman: Prof. Dr. Theodore H. Fleming Emeritus Professor of Biology, University of Miami, USA

14:00-14:45 The 'IBISCA' approach: large scale international collaborations - a vital tool for future biodiversity studies Prof. Dr. Roger Kitching Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nathan campus, Griffith University, Australia

14:45-15:30 DNA barcoding in plants - from genes to genomics in the conservation of tropical biodiversity Dr. W. John Kress National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, USA

15:30-16:00 Coffee Break and Poster

16:00-16:45 Biodiversity conservation in global change Prof. Dr. Xu Jianchu World Agroforestry Center

16:45-17:30 Scaling up: using technology to extrapolate from plot-based studies for the regional planning of biodiversity conservation Prof. Dr. Richard Corlett Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 12 SESSION ONE

The 'IBISCA' approach: large scale international collaborations -- a vital tool for future biodiversity studies January 1, 2009

Prof. Dr. Roger Kitching Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nathan campus, Griffith University, Australia

Greetings to Xishuangbanna IBISCA approach. This was because tropical botanical garden for the 50 the original programme of this coop anniversary, and thank the organizers kind that was based in Panama which of the symposium for been so is called Investigating the Biodiversity of sensible for our participants. What Soil and Canopy Arthropods, and that I would like to talk about today is has the IBISCA in English, French and ways in the sense of the essence Spanish. However, I must add that we of collaboration. I’ve learned from have now generalized it to be a short the Xishuangbanna people the word time for the approach we’re taking in collaboration and I would like to tell general. So we have been investigated you a particular style of collaboration like most studies in BETA diversity that I have been involved in over the the way in which species diversity last years. I hope my pictures have changes from place to place, either showed shortly a few minutes ago. within patches of the same ecosystem I’d like to say we call this approach or from ecosystem to ecosystem. It is

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 13 SESSION ONE

essentially a comparative approach biodiversity studies are very slow to and in a sense to be contrasted product and taxonomic restricted and with the gradual accumulation of mutually, partly for those reasons, been knowledge, the herbariums, which are ignored in policy management. Let me particularly interested in total diversity, just give you an example of this. I was not only ALPHA diversity, because privilege to come to Xishuangbanna BETA diversity has been the basis in 2004 as a guest of the academy to

January 1, 2009 for more or less one extrapolations study botany diversity in a field course about global diversity. But we found it over a 5-6 week period. I uncovered an more useful as a basis for generating astonishing diversity of lots of species hypothesis about the processes that eyes have not seen anywhere in underline ecosystem function and the the world, including tropical rainforest maintenance of biodiversity. It is also in the neo-tropics and Borneo. I was an essential tool for monitoring. This is concerned with contrasting diversity the management connection that will on Live Stone rainforest compared be dwelling on. Of course monitoring with those on Arubean. Sadly, that is an essentially comparative process work is still to come to product for a to have things changed. lot of reasons. Fieldwork is easy and enjoyable, but life for lab is much This slide is to remind me to remind more drawback. I am sure you also you that unlike most of you, I am have the same of a million of things not a botanist but an entomologist. to do. Particular problem in this case When I speak of diversity I am talking is the relevant taxonomic introduce in essentially about arthropod, the insects Chinese. But, this is the problem for me, and their relatives. This is a enigma not for you. This was an individual that I in concerned with the biodiversity took on without particular collaboration. of arthropods. First of all, there are I am glad to say this to my host. We are millions of them. We won’t debate how willing to participate and do whatever many million but an awful lot. Many they do best on those plots often within of them are undescribed. There are the course of 12-month period. This additional numbers of taxonomists involved with an international band may or may not set out to help we of scientists in each of the 4 IBISCA ecologist. However, they are to projects that have taken place. It is rescue biodiversity in terms of talking highly collaborative, relatively short about species number and cost other term, and ultimately we hope to produce distinguished ecologist efforts that synthesis because we are dealing with give many many ecological processes. a bunch of data sets, which will actually However, arthropods studies and collect simultaneously on a common

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set of sites rather than the usual way So I have already gone through the of seeking synthesis which is drew importance of arthropods form my together from many studies. We are point of view. Let me just talk a little generally speaking we are carrying about monitoring. Monitoring is part that with other purposes in mind. of every management plan you ever These have been four of these projects come across, every national strategy or so far. The first was in Panama which international strategy. However, despite

January 1, 2009 we compare what was going on in the of that, it is actually seldom done when grand zone in the lower rainforest with you talk about biodiversity. It has to be what was going on in the canopy. This a comparison with some baselines. was followed then by the Queensland This I believe is, great tasks for we responsible for organizing. There was biodiversity scientists to generate those a short project in the Pacific Garden of baselines against which future change Panama too, which was for altitudinal can be assessed. The monitoring transect, particularly concerned with programme should be rationally the idea of trying to figure out how designed. So we set out to device climate represented by adjacent some rational monitoring based on altitudes changes biodiversity. There multiple taxa and on a formal baseline is another one going on in the central study of adjacent climate. That was France, which is looking at the impacts the argument that led to the IBISCA- of different long historical periods Queensland project and also plants of different forest management on along the subtropical rainforest gradient. biodiversity. IBISCA-Queensland We set out to develop biodiversity project which I have been responsible tools which can be used subsequently for developing and running is about for detecting the taxa climate change, altitude, diversity plants, arthropods, and to do this integrative continuous vertebrates, and climate change. subtropical rainforest gradient locating Of course I do not need to tell this 2 hours drive from the central of audience climate change is the key Brisbane over a thousand meter altitude environmental management issue. range. That maybe not seem like We are all going to face it the rest of much in a country possesses the great our careers, the rest of our lives. It is chunk of Himalayas, but a thousand happening. It will affect biodiversity, meters altitudinal range in Australia and will have an impact on the is a lot. As far as I can see, looking at community level. It can certainly only altitudinal transects is the only way to be managed, if can be managed at all, study climate change right now. Well- if we can monitor biodiversity changes addressed altitudes can be taken to which are going on in response to that. represent adjacent climates. Indeed, in

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some actually monitoring of climate on runs for a very tropical style although these five altitudes we have examined subtropical multi-species broadly that does impact fortunately. This is forest continuously up to Nothofagus about one-degree average differences dominated forest with relatively low but every 200m alleviation changes. canopy diversity by 1100m. We talked about research planning more Our project is testing hypothesis than research results here. What we

January 1, 2009 about species turn over then along did were 5 periods of field work but these gradients. We have along three of them, Aug. 2006, Jan.2007 the way established permanent and Jan.2008 involved international monitoring transects based on scientists. The two in between were 20 botanical surveys and also relatively small baseline sampling biodiversity inventory locally within exercise which we did just so we have Australia about geographic hot spots. the 4 of 20 reference sites. We produced all sorts of material. It also has been enormously invaluable Total cost of the project is about 1.5 exercising collaboration in capacity million of Australian dollars, which is building for volunteers and students about 600,000 dollars, and was raised and in the public communication of in cash. It is mostly supported by the science. We established 5 locations, Queensland Government, with matching 5 different altitudes. We established funds from various institutions including 4 permanent sites, each with a Griffith University and the canopy 20*20 botanical plot at the centre programme based in Oxford. I talked at each of those 5 locations and this up to show you that this kind of then along that transect we invited action does raise money for these very in the end about 50 scientists from basic biodiversity surveys. If you take 16 countries to come and look at what I am calling alternative approach the taxa or using methods that they this is cocktail founding with beaching developed elsewhere, and apply pieces from all over the place. However, them along transects. It is supposed these programmes that brought for to be in Queensland of Australia, It is scientists to a particular place from down along the International Park of around the world have enormous Queensland. There is an area showed PR values for the funding institutions on the yellow land that represents and that is something that is always our transects. It runs continuously worthwhile to remember when you are from the undisturbed rainforest in the trying to make things happen. There’s National Park which was established just a few of the people involved a few in 1912 so it is really prestige which of the countries involved by one develop

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that. A few of the people we look the botanical results that is responsible awhile from France and specialists in my colleague’s work. It’s that the high from Oxford, Pro. Sérvio from the elevation forests, that is to say have Brazil, Dan Fitzar for Pafalogeni, a very distinctive community structure Mr. Brown or specialist who joint that is reflected both in the canopy this from elsewhere of Australia and and in the upper storey. These are the many many others. The core of the forests which are greatest conservation

January 1, 2009 project was a series of the core pretty concern on the even a small ladder of consisting first of botanic surveys climate change. The lower elevation of with every every tree in our central next elevation down there so intimate plots that label marked and measured situation. But it looks these two and identified which is very useful elevations here, the botanic structure for entomologists to some going to depends very much on clade cover, not try to interpret the bobstay catch up direct rainfall. Then there is a gradual these plots. But then we have a whole telegraph to lower elevations. There are bunch of basic and complementary some very interesting dynamics going e-set sampling methods which we will on somewhere in the middle here where run as you can see at the different it would appear on the upper storey times of the year. We organize this and over storey absent meant for each central sampling programme many of other and one of my colleague coming the visiting scientists then could dip up all sorts of ideas to wide that mind a into the samples to get whatever it bit. My particular interest was sampling was they will be particularly interested plots. Again I just show you there’s a in. In addition, there is one much more very distinct gradation this is ordination specialized project which scientists on just one of the samples that we took. come along, propose to us and which There’s a very distinct predation and we they then came at execute on one or can then tell into the synthesis which two occasions during the year. Result particular taxa of species, genera, system coming in those of the actually sometimes families, are producing this climate results for some of them. We very distinctive gradient. Ants work of have similar soil results that showing Christopher Well and Anky Mora at changes. We didn’t set out to let show the Queen’s Museum, probably one that all of our sciences where on of our participating institutions have the basic, substrate, or we all have showed a similar, I am going to do this essentially the same aspect and we all quickly I am happy to show to anybody actually want a single catchment. But, particularly interested later. That’s why it’s the biological results that we are I want to show again a very distinctive particular interest. What we found with correlation as you go up to the altitudes.

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It is true that every analysis that a couple of degrees of climate change. we’ve done so far and there are It’s quite possible in those elevation many more analysis still to come. situations that the actual canopy But, it is important to notice that the species, but not ficus trees, will process high elevation stuff. Even though it’s overly, generally through over spaces connected continuously to the rest of eradiate anyway and they are very the forest, it has the most distinction. very good at existing and vegetating

January 1, 2009 If you wish to look for the endemic clones for thousands of years. But I am format. It isn’t always like that though. very much doubt on the warmer two This is another classification we did degrees of global warming whether the for the colinbla. Unlike the previous associated animal community and the organisms, they are decomposes. functions that goes with it will process. They are soil drove and liter dwelling But many form of application this sort of organisms and what we found is that work of course is to produce the model although the high elevation community to predict the site of taxa which can be jumps out, all the rest are mixed up. used to measure the climate change That’s important because it is showing in the future on that 10years, 20 years, us perhaps something about the 40 years whatever that basis. My view decomposing community in the leaf is that such a predict section should be litter also in the soil that is different multi-taxa, the taxa that clearly should from the above ground community. So be those that show very clear patterns in we look for emerging generalization an extensive baseline survey. That site since I said in the beginning many should encompass functional diversity, studies of a single design which is herby molls, predators, decomposers, the core of the idea allow legitimately, plants, animals, should not just be my particularly legitimate cross taxa, taxon, I am an ant spots, not an ant cross method generalizations. As I just specialist but I hear people say I am said for our study, maybe the plants an ant specialist therefore you should associated with herbs are responding of course use ants to modify whatever more directly and clearly to the climate you like. This is understandable but isn’t change that is represented by the really a logical approach. But once you altitude of gradient, but decomposers decided under a far more taxa but fulfill are perhaps less sensitive. However, those first three requirements then you for all of the groups that we have could possibly use. So then you could looked at so far, the high elevation bring in considerations of how easy community on the top of the range are are they to sample, how easy are they the ones that are most different and to sort, identify database or whatever. of course, most endangered from just We have not yet derived the predict set

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from our, we are still awaiting further The other 'IBISCA's as I already said, analysis. are taking place around the world, and future 'IBISCA's, there is already You would hope, in a management discussion and fund-raising going connection that the understanding of on through my colleagues in Pro- how biodiversity changes would then Nature International based in Paris lead to particular management triggers about running a project of this kind

January 1, 2009 with management agencies changes if in northern Mozambique as a round you like, in management procedures. of different projects because of the I leave that as an open question particular environment, whether they because that is certainly far beyond will happen or not I really don’t know. where we are at. But there is activity trying to identify the questions, get local collaborators Other products of our project in and raise funds. I would like to suggest Queensland would be some excellent though, if I may, as an outsider of the collaboration with high schools, getting evolvement with Xishuangbanna and the 11 to 12 grade senior high school biodiversity affairs in China, that there is students coming up and working a wonderful opportunity to run a project with scientists along weekends and of this kind there in China. There are Queensland Park Association which is many requirements of the 'IBISCA' an NGO founded back. We generated project. One of course is a good school curriculum material; we’ve been question. We had two projects which engage with many many volunteers; have concern themselves with altitude we’ve been interviewed and filmed by transects, which have been justified on the media endlessly. There will be a the basis of climate change and future long going engagement with national climate change monitory those in the parks and management groups and Queensland. those being climbing training groups. The first 'IBISCA' project in Panama All sorts of further products are was simply a comparison of what’s ants we are currently looking at going on on the ground and what's as our first publication the special going in the canopy that’s not simple issue about the Queens of Museum at all. But that was the concern the first next year. And there will be cross project in Panama. The project currently 'IBISCA', before 'IBISCA' projects. going on in France is a work in, actually We will be presenting some results there is no original vegetation left in of ant symposium at the International most of Europe so what you’re looking Congress of Ecology which will be held at is artificial ecosystems which should in Queensland this year in August.

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be managed artificially for many many The other thing is a local group of years. We can work in the Forêt de people who are incredibly enthusiastic la Comté, in the Oven, which has prepared to have their lives altered for 2 been managed for grazing, for timber, or 3 years to run one of these projects. for all sorts of things, for hunting for But the potential is there, and you get 5,000 years, quite a long time. So the really useful biodiversity results in a question there will be how is the long- relatively short period of time which is

January 1, 2009 term land use that is well documented not easy to reach in other ways. in Europe, affected the biodiversities on the ground. So the first thing Thank you very much. you need is a good question. I think altitude will translate all the way to go but there are many other questions Q&A related to environmental history, landscape history. However it isn’t Person 1 sufficient to just have a good question Q1: I am from Bogor Batanical gardens. and the place you could do things. You mentioned that most of your study If you are going to bring in a large area is in high altitude, more than 1800 number of scientists from around the meters, is that right? world and allow them to come for, A1: The higher elevation is with say one or two or four week periods, lower diversity and lower number they need to grant money. They can’t of individuals. But they were more spend a week or ten days trying to different from the other elevations. The figure out how to do what they are lowest elevation is actually the richest going to do in a particular place. Four in terms of individuals but in terms of weeks is a very short amount of time how particular an elevation is from the to change something. So there are others, high elevation is very special some logistic issues. The reason we in lots of local endemics species. It is carried out our Australian project, certainly less diversity on the top, but it Atlantic International Park, close to is more different. Brisbane City rather than, say tropical forest in the far north, is the logistics Q2: Yes. But in Indonesia, it is not easy will be very easy for places to stay, to find a place to raise from the lowland fuels, and easy access to field course up to the top of a mountain then you transportation, volunteers, students can compare the different forest type. and so forth, and there’s a lot of The major landscape here is lowland background information so there are a and the most forest damage happens lot of logistics. in the lowland, so usually we consider

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 20 SESSION ONE

the lowland to be the most important in does it take to get necessary funding? collecting speciemens rather than the highland. A1: OK. The second question is easy. A2: In terms of the past history of It took me two years of full time work, clearing and modification, that is not full time, we have other things exactly the situation in Australia. We to do but, like teaching and my own have lost around 80% of our lowland research. It took me two years to make

January 1, 2009 forest in both subtropics and tropics. this project happen from first thinking They were cleared for dairy farming, of it. As an ecologist we actually take for occupation, for building parks and parataxonomic approach. But of course all sorts of things. But we are talking the more you work on a particular group about climate changes here, not other of organism as an ecologist, the more sorts of impacts. I am not saying that you become constrained with your other impacts are not important and of own taxonomies or your own close course they are. But when you have, collaborator with your taxonomies. as we have a subtropical rainforest I think this sort of project though with highly unique community of plants connecting biodiversity and taxonomy and animal sitting on the tropical through to notions like climate change mountain, I mean literally in the last can actually only be good for taxonomy 200 meters of alleviation before the in terms of building the Ramstore land stops, then a small amount of support. I personally do not understand climate change. I do not think we can why taxonomy is not seen as the most avoid 3 or 4 degrees of global warming exciting thing in the world that we can over the next century. Then it is that get something out shortly because topper will simply go. A question then is the new development in taxonomy are all of the similar communities of all the mind-blowing and exciting intellectually mountaintops further in the southern but yet, it is an ongoing problem if we hemisphere for the south or if you wish to chat of ecological questions wish to have them further north. We related biodiversity as entomologist really do not know that but what I am and almost anything else, we just have talking about is the likely impacts of to confront that and deal with it either climate change and how we should be through parataxonomy or coming out responsible for that. from taxonomies.

Person 2 Person 3 Q1: What do you think about the Q1: I have a question about your parataxonomy lack of the supply from biodiversity study using this approach public communities? How much time to analyse diversity changes along

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 21 SESSION ONE

altitude. I think that one place, in your comparing apples with apples and case, will not be general solution for trying to isolate the impacts of altitude. the whole world. I think doing the Whereas if you take a 10,000 meter same analysis in different places will mountain, or whatever, you have get different results, and then we can gradients, then you are going to get get a better answer for the question. such dramatic ecological changes that to some extend you might compare

January 1, 2009 A1: I have been involved in rainforest the tundra with a tropical rainforest with enormous sites in central east then there is going to be very little Australia. However we all know that similarity. Whereas working within forest from such results generalization are ecosystems and rainforest ecosystems, made and then become hypothesis to you get perhaps some notional supports be tested against data elsewhere. But of the sensitivities. yes, we have 2 or 3 thousand of these altitudinal transects similarly studied around the world. Then we can bring them together to predict what is going to happen.

Person 4 Q1: To set up such a research at a mountain that has a higher altitude can be a better place for studies because 1000 meters is really not a high mountain. From my experience in Tibet, mountains have very different biodiversity changes along the altitude from other places.

A1: Sure. As I said, Australia is a very lowland country and 1000 meters is a descent altitudinal gradient in Australia. Though I was comparing 4 or 5 different kinds of broad-leave rainforests, there was no dramatic change in biotype as we went from the lowest elevation to the highest elevation. So in a sense we were

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 22 SESSION ONE

DNA barcoding in plants - from genes to genomics in the conservation of tropical biodiversity January 1, 2009

Dr. W. John Kress National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, USA

That was a really funny joke. I thought traditional way looking at distribution, I have 45 minutes so I have to speed describing plants with specimens of up a little. What I would like to do is to geographic variations. While the idea spend 10 minuets on the background is can we use all these specimens to of what is barcoding cause I know calculate the wholly billions of biological a lot of people are not really familiar collection around the world now. Can with the concept of DNA barcoding. we use this in different ways using I will tell you how it actually came new technology? I put my mind to that about. Determine what could be the concerning the usage of barcoding, it effective barcode of plants and finally seems like an excellent opportunity to talking about some news initiatives, extract information from the specimens which be marked using barcoding. in a new way, where we can actually I am a taxonomist basically. One of tell something new about these my job is in the National Museum plants, something to identify through of Natural History, particularly when evolutionary ecology. I was the head of the US national bureau, who have 4.7 million botanic What is DNA barcoding? The most specimens which determine new simple description or definition is a ways of extracting the information out short, universal gene sequence taken of the specimens. We use a kind of from a standardize portion of the

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 23 SESSION ONE

genome used to identify species. So tool for those who do not know how to species identify is much like we have identify any plants or animals that they a leaf structure or a flower structure don’t have a taxonomy next to him. For or some sort of structure that could invasive species, or species that are help identify to species level. DNA controlling the boarder cross, you have barcoding is used in a number of such universal identifier. ways.

January 1, 2009 Also to test the purity and identity of For the straight basic use of biological product I will give you an barcoding, one is a research tools example about how we do barcoding to us as taxonomists or ecologists looking at the natural medicinal or evolutionary biologist for products in terms of what is really in conservations. It is a “find” tool, and those jars. Finally, a possible discovery also a “discover” tool as well. The tool that will pervade our DNA barcodes research tool is significant for the for extra number of species, and find taxonomist. Would not it be great to plant species or animal species that have some sort of tools that no matter does not match those known species. what part of the plant you have, we Then we can go and look at that could identify. Taxonomies always individual or population. We will take a need leaf structure, flower structure closer look to say this is a new species and some structure we don’t have to or just represents a variant of another identify species. The DNA is a kind of species. So that’s the three basic uses. universal present in all the structures Barcoding process includes two basic of plants and animals. So a universal processes. One is to build up a library barcode to identify will be a very of barcode. Unless we have some thing handy tool. So we use it as a tool, to to compare and then identify specimen look at different life stages, in terms to, barcode will not make sense or be of identifications or other diagnosis. useful. So the first thing we need to do Also it may be a test of consistency or what we are doing now is to build up of species definition since we do not a library of DNA barcodes. I think the for have a single type of character to insects, fishes and birds, the libraries identify species. Now we can get it( are been built very rapidly, particular barcode) cross species, cross major birds. We have almost complete the lineages of plants and animals and barcode library for birds now, so if you see how species transects in genetic find a feather somewhere you can sense between animals, plants, micro probably tell what species that bird is. organisms, probably gingers, legumes, or whatever. In terms of an applied So once we have that library of tool for taxonomy, this is a really good barcodes, then we can use that library

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 24 SESSION ONE

to blast an unknown individual or 50,000,000 and now we are looking for unidentified individual according to matching from other countries. the sequence of that barcode. The DNA barcoding pipeline is taking the Now, what is barcoding and how it specimen, extracting DNA, going develops. First of all, Paul Hebert, a through the PCR process, sequencing, Canadian biologist works on insects editing the DNA sequence and we first propose the idea of barcoding in

January 1, 2009 come out of the short sequence of 2003. So you can see it is a very young DNA, and then we take that sequence, science. He wanted the barcode to be put it into the library, like now the applicable in all forms of life, plants, library we are using or what is called animals, and microorganisms. He the barcode live database or BOLD, suggested that COI (cytochrome oxidise which is been maintained in Guelph I) gene in the mitochondria genome universities in Canada. Eventually was a good place to start because he that library will be established in major knew and it has been showed in a lot DNA repository institutions around the of biogenetic studies that COI gene world, such as Genebank in US. Then is quite variable in a species level ultimately as you have that barcode in animal groups. So far COI seems linked to species name and there will to work quite well in many groups of be a species page such as what we animals. Now what about plants? Plants have in the encyclopedia, and tells are actually behind right now but quickly us what you want to know about that catching up in terms of barcoding world. species, or we just add it to whatever. COI did not work on plants at all. It’s too So this is a big process and a lot of slow and didn’t serve a species level emphasis is on this now. There are identifier. Also the botanical community some major initiatives in terms of think that 50 degree of COI didn’t work barcoding going on right now because then what barcode works? So we the barcode library has been set up 3 or spent in the botany world the last 3 or 4 years ago are based on Smithsonian 4 years doing a lot of experiments and but it is an independent organization to try to find out what will place COI as an promote the usage of DNA barcoding. effective way of barcoding plants. Now The coordinate activities that I know quit a few papers on the controversy of include some Chinese institutions which barcoding of the plants, both in Science are involved in international barcoding and Nature. I think we probably have with the aim of barcoding 5 million reached the consensus now on what specimen representing 500 thousand are going to be the most effective species in 5 years that cost 150 million barcode. dollars. This is a big project and the Canadian government has promised $ Now what criteria would one use

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 25 SESSION ONE

to determine what a good barcode barcode. Focus is on the chloroplast. is? First of all we need some sort of There are multi- copy of chloroplast in gene sequences, standardized gene each cell, relatively conserved structure, sequence. While you have none you can find universal primers, etc. We variation in that sequence, but you focus most of our effects on chloroplast can discriminate it with things like genome and this is what we did back in rbc L, some of you may know that. 2004. There are only several complete

January 1, 2009 It has been used a lot in phylogeny. chloroplast genomes available for It is very slow. The same as COI, plants, so we took two relatively closely which will only give you family if you related genomes, in Solanaceae. We are lucky, not to a species level. So took these two complete genomes in you need something that discriminate the same family and compare how at the species level . You also need variable each gene region of chloroplast conserve plants in this gene region, genome are. with universal primers to easily pull out that gene from any organism. That is So look at that, there is a 2% always a problem for both plants and divergence. We cut out everything animals. Finally, you could use current less than 2% divergence. Firstly we sequencing technology, which I think went to 1% divergence, and this in the Chuck Cannon will talk about. By using figure means this region is less than the current technology, we suggest 1% divergence. So we have a number the barcode should be between 300- of regions. Then we also look at the 800 bp. COI gene is about 600 bp. 2% divergence. So these are the 9 So we start searching for barcode by most divergent sections in chloroplast using this criteria to screen through genome. It turns out that each these 9 different gene regions plants genomes, regions are intergenic spacer regions. and see what works best. There are These are regions that do not code three genomes in plants, which are for any genes and are very variable mitochondria genome, nuclear genome because there are no real restrictions and a special chloroplast genome. The on them. We took those 9 regions mitochondria genome, where the COI and compared them across the whole gene is works not very well because other 9 different genera. Let’s take a in plants mitochondria genome evolve look at this to see if we can identify all much slower. The nuclear genome is the plants in a region. We took a little quite fast in discriminating power but island, 20 miles from Washington D.C. for some technical reasons genes in and we looked at all the 96 collections nuclear genome are very difficult to from that island and compared all the find universal primers. So partly we just regions. It makes a long story shortly did nuclear genome as the sources of became up with one of the spacers, the

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 26 SESSION ONE

trn H-psb A, which fits all of our criteria best possibilities of plant barcode, other better than any other regions. It was on labs including those associated with the average about 450 bp long. We had botanic garden such as Kew are still a from 93%- 100% success in getting it trying to identify new barcodes. There out of the different plants. We also find are a lot of other candidates that are it out from a 100 year old herbarium still out there on table. Admittedly it was specimens back to our idea that how not only the chloroplast genome any can you use botanic collections in more. The whole genomes are in the January 1, 2009 a new and novel way. In terms of choices again more or less the same

variability it has the highest percentage fashion. We look species in pairs across of variation from all the taxa. angiosperms.

Then we want more tests. We took a Here just a sampling, APG, angiosperm favorite genus, a tropical genus, and phylogeny based trees on land plants sequenced 110 different species for including CO1 just for universality trn H-psb A. We can tell 95% of them whatever you see means a box of gene apart. The result is pretty good. This extracted from that region whereas has other evidence that this genus a clear box means spacer. We also began to diversify 22 million years compared them for universality criteria. ago. It is not a very recent gene, which Here are those 10 regions( in the can tell most of the species apart. We figure), trnH-psb A, rbc L, ITS, etc. Blue also tried on another genus, which is a indicates the universality and trn H-psb A legume genus of trees in neo tropics. was about 95%. Things like mat K was We only have 50% resolutions among only about 40%. rbc L was also quite the species. But no genes, even ITS good. The yellow means the ability to was in discriminate for this genus. We discriminate the queen species in the think that’s because these evidence pair we tested. You see something like shows this genus probably began to ITS is really good. matK is pretty good diversify 6 million years ago, so it’s much in terms of things we got sequence longer genus. The reason I put these for. Then the final box should be red two examples up is to point out the DNA when you can combine these things barcoding is not going to be the solution for the universality and the ability to to all our problems. So a lot of variation discriminate. So this is the final box that come to race about evolution, and the you really want to look at. time in evolution diversity also have been taken into consideration. Now, there are problems with using spacers. As we pointed out that a So even though we had in 2005 number of plants that been recognized published that the trn H-psb A has the that first of all, those spacers are

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 27 SESSION ONE

probably variable and there are a lot of out these two-locus barcode. Where is insertions and deletions which makes the apply use of barcode. I walked in it very difficult to align. You can see all my whole fruit store and looked at the the wholes when you compared these entire two of medicinal herb plants. How 57 species. There is a lot of insertions we really know it is in all those jars and and deletions so align can be a something across the boarder? So we problem. There are also a lot of things take the top thousand, actually 1150 called common polymer repeats. That’s species get material of those barcodes January 1, 2009 when you have a single base pair like and see how many we can discriminate.

aaaa or ttttt. That is a problem in terms We ended up only about 800 species of getting the sequence quality in both of medicinal plants but most of the directions. But we believe that genome top ones in 168 genera in 113 families informatics will help us in terms of using this two- locus barcode over 90% getting over some of the problems of species, and using BLAST, we are able alignment or common polymer repeats to identify almost all of them. Here is or such things. So we propose a paper our two- locus barcode approach. Here in 2007 to use of two of these genes. is the anchor rbc L, just playing the One wasn’t so good. Combining alleles. This is one section of the tree, together with two low of this barcode, for the aligned alleles they all come out would actually work quite well. So we new things such as method or means, chose rbcL with ended up polymer which can discriminate the rbcL. Then anchor. Because it is not that variable we use the trnH-psbA to identify those to discriminate from species but it is species. Now anybody could use this very universal to get easily any sample barcode library to check their nature into a family or genus. The problem of products. We can also check how pure alignment did not disappear in terms any particular products also by using of spacer. Right now even though we this. came out with this two-locus barcode synthesis, we really should add one Let’s go back and look at the forestic more in so probably we will have approach of barcoding. What did you among those two or three locus census have in an island or barcode in a barcode probably are made all from tropical forest? We want to discriminate mat K gene. There are some advances or identify all the spices in that plot in developing universal primers for with barcoding work. So we went down matK, at least for angiosperm. Here to Barro Colorado, in Panama, which to make a much more higher profile in is an island in the Panama Canal. It choosing barcode. is a reserve, run by Smithsonian and University of Panama. Smithsonian has Here is one example you want to test set up 50 hectare plot on that island,

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 28 SESSION ONE

and we took 300 species in that plot. phylogeny of plants from BCI. Here They are all identified and we know are the first results. trn H-psbA was what they are, and we are trying to very successful on the 290 species see if we can apply this barcoding to sequenced which is about, or above identify each species. There are 295 95% of them. rbc L is even better, 96% tree species that within 180 genera of species that we could get sequence and 49 families. This is a pretty easy for, and both of them are about 96% exercise because half of the genera species. So we can get the sequence January 1, 2009 only have a single species. rbc L can our of almost all the species on that

tell us. But the other one assembles island. In terms of species identification a larger genera which has numerous using the same BLAST just basic locus species. aligns used by gene bank, it is rather a crude way of comparing unknown or The other thing we want to do is that unidentified sequences to a library of there is some interesting work going sequences. It seems to work very well. on the BCI right now. In the plot, new Essentially we get the result of 97% (280 theory of phylogeny diversity came out out of those 295 species we got). That’s of this mutual theory. How does the pretty high. That is not the most strict concept of phylogeny fit into community case, because in the 3% of the species assemble? We have species in the that we could not assign correctly to plot or forest. We have traits of those 4 genera, including ficus. So even species. Those two combinations of though we have some problems on traits and species are really linked some genera, if you have insect eating together by phylogeny. But often we a plant, we can take that insect, grand it do not have a phylogeny of species in up and extract the DNA to tell you what the forest in terms of understanding that insect is eating. this linkage of species assembly and community structure traits, and how Let’s go on and look at the phylogeny those species are related because the in the next few minutes. So then phylogeny are quite important in terms we decide how we will create this of how these species evolve in relation phylogeny alignable matrix of trn H-psb A to one another. So if we take this the spacer. Because we cannot really phylogeny component, our barcoding align those 200 species in phylogeny, not only serve for the identification although we do have rbc L which we can purposes but also serves in terms align among all the species. Erickson of understanding of evolution and and I decided to make a super matrix eventually conservation of forest. So approach in which we only align trn H- one of our goal is to use barcode to see psbA within boarders. Then we set this if we could actually develop community up in this character taxonomy matrix.

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 29 SESSION ONE

This is just a example and this is just do a study on BCI, a herbarium study how we set it up. For Magnolia, and or seed dispersal study can use this the order Magnoliales, we would align barcode library, or use the phylogeny all the trn H-psbA within that, but then to begin, or look at the functional trait include missing data, or all the other analysis. Doing this actually involves orders we have aligned. So essentially, the other 22 CTFS plots that are we use rbcL as background and trn H- around the world including one near

January 1, 2009 psb A as within order identifier to create the XTBG. There are 22 established the super matrix to build the phylogeny. sites, most of them in the tropics, and 12 candidate sites. We have initiated Here it is. We have now the phylogeny barcoding in 11 of those sites. Here of 200 named species using that super is BCI over here, forest in Porto Rico, matrix approach. How good is it? We and some sites out of Washington. have phylogeny of many things. What We begin to discuss collecting tissue we did is to put all the orders, about from the Xishuangbanna site and also 80 orders on BCI, and compared the Singapore. All of this is moving ahead relationship between them in terms and we now begin to construct the of phylogeny. We compared that with phylogeny and compare this phylogeny the orders according to the latest of these plots wherever they are consensus idea of the APG group. You around the world. Here is the plot in can see the resolutions are quite good. Xishuangbanna that I was able to go Everything it put more or less in the just a month ago, twisted my arm when right place, and that’s all because of I was collecting the tissue. CTFS is now rbcL . If we go to the family level and also called SIGO observatories begin do the same thing. Here is APG on this to compare these sites across both the side and here is BCI. You can see APG temperate, and tropical regions, look at has not yet resolved some relationship this effect of climate change across the the miss yet. We resolved those a little tropical and subtropical forests using bit, but they are still altogether. So the these 50 hector or smaller plots as our resolution in putting things is actually baseline strategy for understanding quite well.Here is mat K, and here is the forest change. 3-gene barcode maker. Our resolution is even getting better because matK At the end, in the title of this talk, “from helps us align some things to the family genes to genomics”, DNA barcoding at level as well. this point is a locus-based approach to identify community phylogeny. Today’s So to sum up, the idea now is to take technology is clear that high throughput, what we learned in the 50 hector plot larger genomic sequencing is just in BCI. Now anybody who wants to around the corner. It is not quite as

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 30 SESSION ONE

simple as locus-based sequencing. But is also to look at the concept of species. when you think about DNA barcoding, There is no way that I am going to you will be looking at all of the fit barcoding over psychology or species, while the genomics right now something else without going back and is just looking at a few species. DNA check. The four genera on BCI have barcoding is really using one to three problems because they are the largest of the gene regions while genomics genera on the island. looks at all the regions. I think as time January 1, 2009 goes on, we will move to one end Person 2 which we have all the genomics for all Q1: The idea of this barcoding is that we of the other things, maybe in my life will have a device to go into the field time. and point at the plant to identify it. Is there a technology that we are able to go without going into the lab and extract Q&A DNA and sequence them or we still have to do the amplification and so on Person 1 with such device? Q1: Through your lecture we know that A1: I was surprised at the first barcoding is a really useful approach. international barcoding conference So when the barcoding classification in Kew in London natural in 2005. results are different from the classical There were at least 3 or 4 bio classification, which one is right? The companies talking about manipulation barcoding or the classical? of sequencing technology. All of them Q2: In the BCI, the barcoding results of were very optimistic about reducing four genomes are found different from sequencing to a handheld device. The the classical classification, it means way we think of it now will not be chip they are special or something else? based and we will have one chip for sequence and identification. That is A: the 1st one l there is no doubt that what I understand so far. I think the the barcoding is the best one. situation is identical to the use of GPS The 2nd: Barcoding is simply one system. The first GPS I took into the of many tools. It is a general way of field 20 years ago was a giant thing and looking at the nature. When you get now we have our GPS on our wrest. contrary result from barcoding, just go back and see why. Are the species transects too narrow, narrower than the barcoding can go? Or just because the species concepts are different. One of the purposes of DNA barcoding

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 31 SESSION ONE

Biodiversity conservation in global change January 1, 2009

Prof. Dr. Xu Jianchu World Agroforestry Center

Good afternoon,I always would like to activity; also what is the impacts on remind my two years of professional biodiversity; scientific uncertainty and career started with botanic garden opportunities; building biodiversity and in 1986. Also thanks particularly for carbon assets for global change. CHEN Jin, my former classmate, for inviting me to share my experience I would like to start with why biodiversity and talk about the landscape of this matters in global change. In Chinese region. I think the logic lie down very philosophy, to formalize a harmonized nicely about biodiversity here and I system, you need 5 elements, gold, also would like to emphasize the link land/earth, energy/fire, water, and in the Hymalaya region which also wood. The biodiversity are all covered applied to the Southeast Asia in these 5 element as a harmonized ecosystem. As for gold, it is no doubt In this presentation, I will try to cover that biodiversity in Yunnan is very rich these topics: 1, why biodiversity and provide very important support for matter; the second, the region: poor mountane ethnical minority. For Highlands of Asia, including SE Asia; instance, one species, Matsutake of in global change I will focus on land Yunnan province, which is collected use and climate change under human by local farmers, generates 60 million$

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per year, just selling to Japanese mountain top people are providing very market. The future options are foundamental ecosystem services not very important, such as variety of only for highland people but also for biodiversity adapting to climate lowland. About 3 billion people in Asia change. As for wood, besides depend on the 10 rivers from highlands. timber, Wood products, the Carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystem is If we look at the biological diversity very important. As for water, usually in this region, you will find it a very January 1, 2009 we look at blue water in lakes, rivers important global area for biodiversity. and wetlands, and forgot the water It is one of four richest vascular plant holding in vegetation in ecosystem regions that you can see in this picture. what we call now green water. There It also has the richest Gymnosperms is a lot of study on it now. Also the in the world as you can see this region hydropower contained in water is (red in the picture). The four global an important landuse solution. As biodiversity hotspots, SW China, Indo- for fire, the fire regime in vegetation Burma, Himalayas, Central Asia are all succession is very important, the covered in this region. Also look at the rural energy depends of biodiversity ecosystem. This is the natural resource and bio-energy by looking at the base for human activities. They are story of Jatropha. Water also very rich ecosystems from highland, to relates to land. Biodiversity can lowland, and finally to the tropical area. contribute to soil conservation and Landslide control, such as species So what happened to biodiversity? selected elsewhere can prevent the There are two big drivers, land use landslide. Nutritional cycle is very or land cover change and climate foundamental in Biodiversity. change. The two drivers are connected. First, land use or land cover change Highlands are the Water Towers of contributes almost 30% of climate Asian. Ten rivers originated from change, or global warming. Also the Asian highlands provide more than global warming continuously effect the half of freshwater for downstream. temperature and water supply that affect It also produces a range of niche land use. Land use; again, contribute to products. This region is rich in mitigate the climate change through the cultural and biological diversity carbon sequestration. which is suggested by yesterday’s performance and covered by many Now let’s look at the land use or speakers. I also would like to say land cover change of the ten major that there is a place with large-scale rivers in central Asia, Indus, Ganges, poverty and social conflicts. The Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween,

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Mekong, Yangtse, the Yellow River, increasing at all. Tarim and Amu Darya. We found most of the natural forests are lost with little I would like to come back to the remaining on the mountain top. rubber plantation in Xishuangbanna where I did local study. You can see So what’s the change of land use in the smallholder plantation is going this region, particularly in the SE Asia? up. This is from government figures.

January 1, 2009 I would like to say, intensive agriculture But the official rubber plantation that in lowland has caused agribiodiversity Xishuangbanna government declares is lose. There are extensive agroforestry about 200,000ha. However, according mosaic landscapes in uplands and to a recent spot imagery, the number also do not forget the the sediment has doubled. The remote sensor data chemical pollution with collapse of also suggests 20% of Xishuangbanna aquatic ecosystem, like Dianchi Lake vegetation is mono-cultural rubber, in Kunming and also the natural forest while the protected areas is only about along the upstream of big rivers in this 12%. So the mono-cultural rubber region. is more than the protected area in Xishuangbanna. Also we need to look at the forest transitions in this region. We get some Let’s come back to the second driver, increment in forest cover now in China climate change. There are many and Vietnam, but deforestation in Laos, paleoclimatic models. Climate Change even in Miama. We should differentiate is nothing new in Highland Asia between forest cover and forest because the rising of Himalaya and density. High density area is usually the temperature are always changing. limited in the upstream with limited However, the magnitude and trend area. of change is new. I try to put the temperature gradings in Himalaya. As In the past two decades, China has you can see, the southern Himalaya experienced the forest transition. The is quite different from the northern area of natural forest has declined Himalaya. The southern Himalaya is of while large area of plantation and course much warmer because they get agroforestry on the farming land are a lot of heat the from the Asia monsoon gained. If we compare China with this from the India Ocean. You can also see global picture, we plant twenty years of the increasing altitude and decreasing forestration, the Chinese forest density temperature. It is always below -10°C. still maintain the same. This means We have a lot of data supporting we increased the forest cover, while that with the increase of altitude, the the forest density is somewhat not

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temperature gets warmer almost three There are also some new studies from times faster than the global average. my former student who is now pursuing a PHD degree in ANU. She found some How might changes in climate affect species are very suitable for studying both ecosystem and society We have the climate change. Look at the blue long-term predominant drivers like poppy, Meconopsis . The species are climate change but also lately we located in the alpine area, and based have historical evidence. In Xinjiang on the alpine grassland, and conifer January 1, 2009 Province, there are evidence of the forest. These species are pollinated by collapse of Loulan Ancient Kingdom different insects. Those insects are very because of the climate change. In sensitive to temperature and rainfall. Tarim basin in Xinjiang in Northern Now the biggest uncertainty about this Himalaya region, all the human region is the trend of rainfall pattern. So societies and ecosystems changed you can see, some species population for the departure of vegetation are getting lower because of the shift reproduction during the glacier of rainfall. Nevertheless, if we put a change. That is the picture that easily broader picture to look at the rangeland can find in Himalaya region. ecosystem, particularly the Tibetan upper rangeland where the stocks in A new publication in Science by the low elevation in winter move to high Chinese scientists from Nanjing elevation in spring. These processes of University shows that Asia monsoon grazing are very vulnerable to climate variation was contributing to the change. But these grazing stocks are collapsing of food production in very important for Tibetan people who Chinese history. You can find some defend on the solar energy for primary shift over Tang Dynasty, Yuan production of the rangeland ecosystem Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. This and the ranglands in turn produce hay shift is because when Asia monsoon for the grazing animals from which gets stronger and marches towards people can get milk, cheese, dung and the northern China, it brings along meat. The dung are very good energy a lot of rain. That is very good for source for cooking, heating for local food production and represents the communities. dynasties with good food supply. Whereas the Asia monsoon gets In the 1970s, the Hymalaya degradation weaker, and retreats to the south, the are concerned in many publication. food production gets lower for the Now we are facing new dilemma supply of the local people. So that also because of deforestration. A is the picture trying to tell from the lot of woody vegetation are moving history. up. This is an evidence also from

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northwest Yunnan in Meili upland What is the trend? I do not like to rangeland area. One reason for this read this all through, but I would like woody vegetation invasion is climate to emphasize the trends are positive change, and the other is that Chinese according to the activity of raining. government does not allow tranditional As for biodiversity, this means an burning of grassland that contributes increasement of invasive species. About to the woody vegetation’s upward to 30% species are at risk due to climate the high elevation. January 1, 2009 change in high altitudes and also in some areas where may have been So the potential of shift of life zones better forest areas in the upper zone assuming there is a 5°C rising is a but already have very low biodiversity projections from IPCC recently. A because of the plantation. Lowland policy is tied together and shows that area is less affected but biodiversity when the life zones shift upwards with is also dropping due to agricultural a 5°C increase, there is a significant Intensification. Then what is happening decrease in alpine life zones, oak to carbon, water, and livelihood of local forest, and evergreen forest, which are people? Still a lot of uncertainties. very rich in biodiversity. So of course it is still unknown what is the impact in Now it is time to think whether the this area and the low elevation. Protected Areas approach works or not, in the mountain region like highland The idea is that species can move in Asia, particularly in Southeast up in himalya in a way we call Island Asia. So you can see huge protected Effects of mountains, desserts, rivers areas in Tibetan Plateau, but very rich and prevention for species migration. biodiversity regions in the mountains Look at this Almaty Dhaka transect. in northwest Yunnan, where a lot of You give this largest migration, but international rivers emerged, get very you get the last long distance desert in tiny little protection. So that is the this region. Also look at the Lanzhou situation. I have on paper published to Calkutta transect. You have many discuss about the protected area can different river cut differently which not prevent any intervention of human prevent species migration again. activity from nearby region, and also will not work for future climate change So, by confidence of climate change adaptation. and also land use change, we can simply map what is called land use So what do we understand about this in different zones from highland region? The tiny dots represent the rangeland, mountane forest, upland 4th IPCC report, the evidence about agriculture to lowland tropic forest. the impact of climate change. What

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happened to highland Asia and SE The climate change is all about Asia? We get nothing here, which knowledge. We need different means in the past several decades we knowledge like public knowledge, do not contribute too much scientifically bureaucratic knowledge for decision to this region about what is the mean makers, local knowledge and scientific climate change impact to biodiversity, knowledge. You can find no one have to conservation. perfect knowledge so we need to work together. So the climate change is January 1, 2009 So we need to deal with uncertainties. about knowledge, adaption is about One certainty is of course the climate water, mitigation is about land use and change. But also there is uncertainty biodiversity. So we need multi-functional of the impact that cast from ecosystem landscape to coping with change to human society, from the high particularly the climate change. altitude to the low altitude. We have some observed change, models and But the climate change is not all bad. modeling that we have knowledge When I visited Tibet in 1988 for the about but also recognized uncertainty first time, I saw no single chilly pepper, of scientific community that we talked no single green vegetable produced about in this circle. We still have a lot in Lasa. Now Lasa is surrounded by imaginable outcome we may see in greenhouses. Because it is almost 3-5 the future but also, for scientists, still a °C in the winter now. Also with new lot of unasked questions and probable technology like greenhouse local people future. adapt quickly. So the climate change is about adaptation of our knowledge, our The impacts to different ecosystems thinking and our action. are also very important. Glacier and snow are the first to response to climate We need to manage forest not only for change. The tipping point is the year biodiversity but also for carbon. Very 2025, when a lot of small glacier, along closely I was invited by the China State with small cultivated area, ecosystems Forestry Administration to work on the and species will disappear. Then the sixth forest inventory. We calculated permafrost which we will talk about the forest density of China, which is later is followed by wetlands& lakes, only 84m3/ha. In the next 5 years, they rangelands, montane forest, upland planned to reach 200 m3/ha. By the agriculture. You should pay attention to way, German forest density is about the large-scale feedback then from the 320 m3/ha. In this carbon formula Hymalaya region to the Asian monsoon. you can see that China will have 174

Runoff and river flows will response to million ha forest and 35 Gt CO2 can climate change most likely later on. be sequestrated through it, which is

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equivalent to 7 years of total emission the minimum union of forest ecosystem in China. They are not only state restoration for the carbon that you have forests, but also collective forests and generated is 2 km2. With this 10x10, private forests. You can see (in the you will get 25 minimum union, which diagram) that most of the plantation is is significantly to the industry. Another done by the communities, and private good news in this type of conference or owners also. meeting, forest management proposed

January 1, 2009 by Chinese government is already So what should we plant? There are adapted by the international society, not more than 100 framework species for only avoiding deforestation like the case ecosystem restoration in Gaoligong in Indonesia. Mountain. The criteria for selection are: endemic, endangered, economic; We try to have China mountain climate fast growing; good canopy for weed change blueprint including, synthesizing control; attraction to other species; existing data and assessing impacts and fire-resistance. We work closely of global change in mountain region with the government on a large scale of China; identifying vulnerable and help to decide what to plant in areas and priority areas for action; different areas. designing conservation and adaptation programs; connecting protected areas, There is a new action near the conservation sites; restoring degraded Mekong, which is supported by ecosystem; transboundary and regional BMZ and GTZ and Implemented by approach for biodiversity conservation; ICRAF, XTBG, KIB, CMU, NAFRI, developing baseline and scenarios AIT, Forest Department of Myanmar. for carbon and biodiversity assets; They came out this Making the establishing national and region carbon Mekong Connected (MMC) proposal, market; promoting sustainable forest which aims at developing carbon & management. biodiversity assets for multifunctional landscape in the Mekong region. We should also look at not only one The idea is to connect the secondary discipline, but multiple disciplines, forest landscape as bio-corridors, such as mountain region of China, the identifying stepping stone 10x10km2 change in temperature and rainfall, and then building carbon and climate impact on droughts and biodiversity assets, and finally we floods, socio-economic status, change will try to market biodiversity and in ecosystem services, ecological carbon assets through valuation and vulnerable areas, dry land ecosystem, payment for these assets. Why the rangeland ecosystem, forest ecosystem, scale is set to be 10x10? Because and most importantly, how to integrate

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them into the strategy design in West China is promoting two programmes, region. one is the Large Scale Forest Restoration Programme and the other is Another important thing is we need also Lowland Conservation Programme. transboundary data collection and But again, the species are limited. How scientific collaboration to deal with to restore the ecosystem? We tried to scientific uncertainties. Let’s care work with forest bureau in a different

January 1, 2009 biodiversity for harmonized ecosystem way of forest restoration by introducing and society. multiple functional species.

Thank you. Person 2 Q1: I would like to ask a question about Q&A the landuse influence on carbon storage, especially in Xishuangbanna. Person 1 You know the area of rubber plantation Q1: I am wondering who is the director is increasing year by year. Now, how of the ecosystem that allows the do you think of carbon storage in this huge destruction along the road from region since large part of the natural Jinghong to XTBG. forest has become rubber plantation now. How do you think about that? A1: I think that is a very good question and that is the struggling between A1: It is actually a very question. There the central government and local is a new project started by DMZ try to government. Firstly, the central cover these two aspects, plantation government is trying to spend a lot of and carbon. We try to develop the money to restore ecosystem, but now methodology that means to build the come to reality not so many declared carbon forest land use. We try to look forests are, you know, which are called at two parts. One is rubber plantation. to restore. But the most mattered We assume that rubber plantation is issue is that local governments try to low carbon because the low carbon promote the economic development, has been stored in the soil, and also like case of rubber plantation in the low carbon above. That is one land Xishuangbanna, was promoted by use and the second is secondary forest. the local government in the past two You can see already rich secondary decades, and now you can see lots forest coverage with high wood of.That is why I would suggest to density. It is not too much plantation in protect the secondary forest system. common arrangement in international But also for ecosystem restoration, market now. Secondary forest is good

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forest carbon. So we need to develop in the protected area, we need always scenario to avoid deforestation through say that protected areas and natural the management of the secondary reserves in China are fine, but not good forest. We need to calculate how much enough. Otherwise the messages will

CO2 leaking from the deforestation of be misleading. The government will say converting very good secondary forest OK, that area is not good enough so continuously into normal kind of rubber we can give up. The second question

January 1, 2009 plantation. A lot of work is needed to will be that now it is a new fashion in develop this kind of baseline under Yunnan Province to develop some international accepted standards. kind of National Parks that try to use of the protected area to develop equal Person 3 circumstance. What’s your comment on Q1: Farmers are making much money that? and government gets higher GDP from rubber plantation. So the landuse will A1: Firstly I think for conservation in be changed to economic forestation. these protected areas are always not How do you think of these policies from enough. So how to manage protected government’s perspective? area effectively? The government noticed that they cannot do anything A1: Firstly, I think for policy makers and because of the restrict standards. They farmers, they need to take a lesson. try to use soft standards such as the Look at rubber, you got a big jump at national park idea that you brought first then a big collapse now. It is only up. It is more kind of soft protection 1/3 the production comparing to the that allows local committee and local beginning. Secondly, we need provide government to generate income. Again, opportunity. What is opportunity? We it is always capacity issues and also try to develop biodiversity in carbon if we manage protected area, or soft- assets, which can be marketed in the protected area like National Park, international market. Someone needs where we hope can always make better to pay for biodiversity conservation, both for people and the ecosystem. similar to carbon. So this is the But I always would like to argue that opportunity available now on the name protected areas and national parks are of climate change. still not enough. We need functional landscape, which is missing in Chinese Person 4 government decision-makings. Q1: As a scientist we need to deliver the message to the society. When discuss about the importance of the situation

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Scaling up: using technology to extrapolate from plot- based studies for the regional planning of biodiversity conservation January 1, 2009

Prof. Dr. Richard Corlett Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Good Afternoon, Everybody! we basically move in biology from mechanical organism scaling scale till I know Mr. Roger raped the time so my to cellular and molecular processes last for a long day and a late time from and up to population community and last night. I spent the last two years, ecosystem processes. Within the last most of the last two years, to my ten or fifty years, like in Pakistan to talk recent book on The Ecology of Tropical about Hamas, there’s being a lot of key East Asia. And one of the things I had facts from the molecular scale to broad learned from this is truth in Southeast scales’ ecology processes. So most of Asia. We know huge amount about all, we know about ecology instinctively this small area, but we know huge of bits in biomass ecology in Southeast amount about the species stressful in Asia is on relatively small scales, lasting Southeast Asia. And it is clear from this a 4 m, a few hundred hectares most previous talk and some of the forests, and relatively in small temporal scales, although that we really need to spare generally be capable run it is very key a lot on ecological knowledge, so we plot studies. Most of the methods that can make ecological comments on the ecologists use for small spatial scales whole nature. just one work has a larger scale. You can’t have larger study areas on foot. OK, over last hundreds of years, There are too many individuals. You can

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map every tree, or genotype every We also have a large number of studies individual, or measure every plant or looking at carbon flux in a variety of animals, and just too much spatial natural and man-made ecosystems. A heterogeneity on large scales, partly review that just out said there’s 84 active nature and particularly in this region sites using eddy covariance methods and anthropogenic while the majority to measure carbon flux. Currently these of landscapes, something like this. data has yet been published. This is

January 1, 2009 just examples showing gross primary Yet many of the key ecological production, ecosystem respiration, and questions as we thought of current net ecosystem production. I noticed this interest concern these larger spatial is another one and post outside. scales and in some case longer time scales as well. The anthropogenic Obviously there is a whole work in impacts on carbon budgets obviously front us. We don’t know data sources. of major interest, responses to climate There are hundreds of small sites, change which currently in highlight, pots generally less than 1 hectare, the migrations over tens or hundreds inventories of plants, the inventories of of kilometers and conservation a lot other organisms, there is long-time questions involve in large progress ecological studies, primates and various on the species live in a low densities, subspecies and the climatological migratory species which are many in data, hundreds of hundreds of weather this region, can not be answered by stations in that century or more some studies that based on plots of a few sites. hectares. So how can we scale up, particularly in space to some extents All sources of information we have a also in time, though I don’t have a lot larger spatial scales. Obviously this time to talk about that. comes through my expansion. Aircraft can provide higher spatial resolution, The major plot–based studies in the higher spectral resolution, higher region include the CTFS box which go temporal resolution, higher signal to heard of and a number of other similar noise ratio, but is logically expensive. forest-dynamics plots, up to fifty-two And remote sensing to aircraft is below hectares, a largest of in plots, which important in North America, I think it every tree for 1cm and diameter be comes expand in Australia, in Japan, measured, identified and re-measured but is been very little used in the tropics, interval. Uh, this is a map of the CTFS so there need be some work, particular plots. The initial one which could show hybrid systems using spectrometer me a native speaker. systems and lidar or radar from lasers

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be particularly promising for looking at So examples of satellite products the physical and chemical properties available presently shows fire data of plant canopies. Satellite data is from the MODIS center on the Terra & in general cheaper and more widely Aqua satellites from August to October available, and tends to converge on 2000 in equatorial Africa. This is the aircraft data, so what you can get MOPPIT center also on Terra & Aqua now from aircraft in ten years you satellites showing carbon dioxides

January 1, 2009 probably to get from satellite. This in Southeast Asia. This is a tropical now huge diversity of satellites with Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) new missions be launched every few which measures rainfall cumulatively month. for a week in 2005. And this is using the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), We all know about Landsat which noticed to look at the spring greening is now being going long enough to in North America. And I couldn’t find provide the most indictable data similar pictures to Southeast Asia, but on land-use change, which is so data from Southeast Asia, comparing important to Southeast Asia that last MODIS eddy covariance estimates thirty years covers the expansionable suggests that this is very good predict time, the massive deforestation in of GPP. Southeast Asia over that period. Higher spatial resolution available Thus, a variety of new missions, the now I think comes WorldView, also Orbiting Carbon Observatory will map Quickbird, which with the similar carbon dioxide close to the ground. So spatial resolution, half meter, which it would be possible to identify major is about as good as you can do carbon dioxide sources and sinks from commercially. This is just in black satellite. GOSAT, a Japanese satellite and white, but there other satellite, se, also European carbon mission,

the Hyperion center produces 220 CO2 mission, biomass mission, I am spectral bans on the 30-meters not quite sure the current states, will special resolution. And what use radar, low-frequency radar to map compromises between this is with global forest biomass at scales of Quickbird you can get most spectral about one hectare, extremely useful for data on a spatial resolution of a few looking carbon estimation. meters. Then is radar which produce information through cloud and light The Argos system is come to use viewable spatial resolution can be to track positions of animals with extremely high, high resolution with transmitters, if you get that, you can also more horizontal resolution. transmit the GPS device which can give

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you an accuracy within 100 meters. lines on satellite images of half-meter Unfortunately, the lightest current resolution over the whole ignore of Argos/GPS transmitter is about 22 g, terrain. You have to be analysis, a bit which if you put it on boob, it wouldn’t of talent person so you can be down in be able to detect out. But that’s fit demonstration project. for larger. And website suggestion that the ultimate will probably on 5g This is a whole easier to do carbon

January 1, 2009 and you could probably get available budgets than biodiversity and there is a GPS transmitter down to 5g. And it’s lot of recent studies that looked at this a drop here just show you 5g comes and with a new satellite been launched a weight distribution mammals. The over the next few years. It looks going majority of mammals and the majority to be practical to come up with carbon of birds are too small to take ERDAS budgets from quite fine spatial scale GPS transmitter. But this project, and high temporal resolution. Doing the International Cooperation for with diversity which was the originally Animal Research using Space which my top is a lot more difficult. I estimated is proposing a new satellite mission about 100 billion trees in the tropically that would allow 1g tags for the most East Asia about 20000 species, so tree- or less than 1g which would allow dies, individual tree-dies forest model tracking by satellite automatically the ideal way of looking at the forest just download the results every day. are really not going to be practical. We Almost any mammals and most of going to have somehow putting these birds for instance including boobs, not 20000 species into a small number including wide eyes unfortunately, not of functional groups or use some including bees, pretty good in racking previously applied approach. And if individual large seeds, caused about you thought all rest of biodiversity, it hundreds of million yuan. gets really difficult. But that would be difficult if the whole region was covered Now, in theory we could use the with continuous forest. We have to deal ‘spectroscopic imaging’ from satellite with fragmentation, the edge effects, plus widely available climatological matrix effects with loading in fires, air data to extrapolate from plot-based pollution, nitrogen deposition, hunting, studies to broad spatial scales. So if the exportation of forestry products etc. you are using high-resolution satellite Some of these things you could model images I think you need to have some from satellite data is you has sufficient sort of automatic or semi-automatic information, for instance, fragmentation, interpretation of the images. There is edge effects, matrix effects you could no way you can sit down and draw model from satellite data if you have

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enough local studies and that’s being Lambir, for instance, in Sarawak I’ve some well-down in the Amazon we got hardly anything left. I means down really demonstrated how the local to one home build and none of the one studies here. In this region we have home build species, none of the large data from relatively uniform forest vertebrates at all. You can’t detect these pots. We have very few edge studies, facts, so possibly you could model fragment studies and studies with the on the bases of possibility within one

January 1, 2009 matrix. Similarly working in fires could region, much look like a……Ur, sorry, I’ll be modeled from satellite data even give up. though net logging is detectable from behind resolution satellite. Examples of these sort things that might be possible to do is been suggested Air pollution which is massive, that El Niño years, a model for China probably the massive biodiversity is going to be lacking in normal years degradation in this region completely towards the end of the century. I under-studied because it is almost realized it probably not true but it has be know none of the data on air pollution suggested that this is possible models, of the region is actually quite a lot in and it thus possible to look at El Niño Southeast China. But most satellite years, we get tree growth and mortality stations with no data outside cities, data from the CTFS plots and similar nitrogen deposition too. Satellite data plots we can get carbon flux data from is available ozone, CO, but ground- the AsiaFlux sites and other similar based needed for others. sites. We can get climate from weather

stations and satellites, fires, CO, CO2 Hunting obviously the harvesting of from satellites, plant phenology from none forest products from canopy satellites, bird migration from satellites, can not be assessed directly. we get this ecosystem. And always Base accessibility we can model data could be confined to get on broad enforcement, cultural factors, local spatial scales, the impact of the El Niño assessment. And hunting I think is year which might give us some idea in going to be a highlighted interference El Niño tends to warm this region. What because massive problems to most is going to be like fifty years or more in of the region if we looked at those the future? plots I think existing in CTFS forest sites in the region, only Mudumalai Other sorts of questions could be and Huai Kha Khaeng have got looked at the combination of plot-based more or less intact megafauna with and satellite studies and modeling. all of our photographs in contrast Satellites are very good for looking at

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post-clearance land-management is going to be practical. I think within practices. Radar, particularly I’ll be five years, we’ll going to have the looking at radar images and you ability to look at carbon on a source could distinguish considerable detail spatial scale, we going into the global different sources of land-management carbon distribution. During this focus by practices. Radar if you extract for diversity we’re going to need a lot more information that you get individually. local-based studies that at calibrating

January 1, 2009 satellite images. Doing this for this It’s potentially possible to monitor region, for tropically East Asia, the protected areas with satellite data political fragmentation is going to need and hence have a semi-automated leadership and coordination, which is alteration that keeps tell land- currently lacking. Thank you! use changes as a result of the interpretations of the area. I am like to do this, look at bird migration in relation to plant phenology in the Q & A region. Every winter hundreds of millions of birds flying south into the Person1 northern part of tropically East Asia, Q: My dearest Corlett, people use the it also down into Thailand they stop El Niño year as a model on climate similarly go down to the Philippine, change. I would think that would be end some go as far as northern Indonesia. of the tropic forests in ensuing. And it’s very interesting to look at this A: Yes, the idea the El Niño years are in relation to phenology and data on model for future climate change I think in abundance in relation to phenology. is a degree has to be suggested. I am In else, it would be possible to model not sure. I mean if many of vertebrates animal species distribution directly results suggest many of the species from data you get from satellites. in tropic Asia. Pretty odd, they go back in fluctuating with frequency to So in conclusion, I’d like to say the climate. I think this fluctuating climate, currently available satellite data for currently the El Niño in which many of regional species and utilize these the species we have today currently satellite data would be available in survive. So whether it would be end I the near future, can potentially be don’t know. used to extrapolate from largely plot- Q: There would be severe drop and lots based studies to regional and global of fire in boreal forests scales. However, doing this anything A: Yeah more complex in carbon that I think Q: Why become savanna of boreal

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forest? landslides etc. So in theory these you A: The combination of El Niño, people, could alternate and just download not El Niño by itself. previous images say one-year interval and look for changes. Of course, in the Person2 tropics, with the cloud that’s easier said Q: Would you please elaborate a bit than done, maybe to do with radar. about an example I’ve seen that you

January 1, 2009 mention about semi-automated early warning system for land-use changes? Person3 Another question track for animals Q: Do you think radar date be able to mostly use for diversity, you said natural turnover dynamics in forests animal on the, animal like, because I through time? Is that can radar be able think today on that particular species, I to have a history of nature works? think always in the data. A: I don’t know. The time depth is not A: Yeah, just start from the second and I am not sure about the spatial question. I previously said that were resolution. The most widely available gone on the tracking wild in a certainty radar data, spatial resolutions of 50m, using the Argos system tracking the you can get with that be enough you animals. It be tracked in Miama, in Sri can get with the turnover. I don’t know. Lanka, I think probably also to track But there is new planned and also large mammals the current system planned radar using lasers instead of is sufficient. All the large birds and radar that can potentially give you much mammals been tracked well. This was greater spatial resolution. The high actually just based on the particular resolution, so potentially you’ll solve paper that I was reading two days this. ago where the suggestion was made. Using this multi-spectral data which you can get from Hyperion center, which used on a spatial resolution, like 30m, you can use these to detect land-use change, small spatial scales like changes in the spectral of the reflectors. If you could compare the satellite images taken at the same year of your national park you could detect land-use changes on the scale of meters to be enough to detect illegal logging, detect logging trials,

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Dissemination of scientific knowledge for biodiversity conservation

09:00-12:15 Friday, 2 January 2009 January2, 2009

Chairman: Prof. Dr. Noel Holbrook Harvard University, USA

09:00-09:45 Botanic gardens, science and the conservation of plant diversity Prof. Sir Peter Crane Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, USA

09:45-10:30 Strategies for plant conservation in South Asia Prof. Dr. Priya Davidar Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondichery University, India

10:30-10:45 Coffee and Poster

10:45-11:30 Science and conservation policy- Two sides of the same coin? Dr. Joachim Gratzfeld Botanic Gardens Conservation International, UK

11:30-12:15 Seven pillars of biodiversity (we are not alone) Prof. Dr. Chuck Cannon Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

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Botanic gardens, science and the conservation of plant diversity January 2, 2009

Prof. Sir Peter Crane Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, USA

Thank you very much. It’s a great who will be. What I want to do today is pleasure to be back here again at this to give you two little stories, and then a wonderful garden. I think that all of few general conclusions and that’ll be us should come from overseas with my full of thirty-five minutes, I think. great humility and admiration for what have been accomplished here over This year is an important one in the the last fifty years. We have been development of our science. We will just for a short period of time and it celebrate in 2009 the 200 anniversary really is marvelous to see just how of the birth Charles Darwin, and we will lively the study of plant diversity and celebrate the 150 anniversary of the conservation is here at XTBG. What publication of the Origin of Species. I want to do today is to talk a little Darwin’s 200-birthday party will take bit about the conservation of plant place in the middle of February. As a diversity from a prospective gained former director of Kew, I would like to both from academic and administration make the connection between the two, of large botanic gardens. Darwin and botanic gardens, which is from the connection between Darwin Botanic gardens are really the experts and Hooker. Darwin very much laid on in plant diversity. If they are not Hooker for botanical materials, botanical concerned with plant diversity, then ideas, support and encouragement to

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His career. I want to say a little bit published his book on insectivorous about one aspect of Darwin’s work plants, in which he describes how that I think is relevant to my talk this insectivorous plants work, considering morning and Darwin and Hooker not only Drosera, but also a range of made important contributions in this other insectivorous plants of which this area. Darwin was a botanical collector is one to be fly-trap pioneer. until his best man turned up. What I Darwin mentioned in that book in 1875, January 2, 2009 want to talk about today is Darwin’s work on insectivorous plants, and “This plant, commonly called Venus’s Hooker himself was working on the fly-trap, from the rapidity and force insectivorous plants too. of its movements, is one of the most wonderful in the world”. He illustrated The history of Darwin’s work on how it works. What was really interested insectivorous plants is connected him, I think, was how this remarkable with the writing of the Origin of plant evolve. So he said in his book: Species. Because in the summer “Can any light be thrown on the steps of 1860, after the Origin of Species by which these remarkable powers had been published in November were gradually acquired?” of 1859, Darwin retreated with his family to this house, south of London, In his book, he uses a variety of to reject copy and only stand on the approaches to try to think about how edge of Ashdown forest. Forest area something seemly strange accumulated made him deeper. Darwin describes to be a fly-trap might be evolved. He at beginning of his book on the uses essentially comparative approach, Insectivorous Plants, “going up and where he relied on much of the down of the hills looking for orchids, expertise of Hooker about hypothetical and finding instead these little curious ancestors and transitional forms. He things.” Sun-dew, Drosera, a common looks at a variety of different species of insectivorous plant around the world, insectivorous plants: Drosera , Dionaea , and he wrote to Hooker in July of that Aldrovanda , the Droseraceae, and year, “I’ve done nothing here; but Drosophyllum in the Droseraceae, and at first I amused myself with a few couple of other plants. observations on the insect catching powers of Drosera, and I must We now have a much better picture of consult you some time whether my the full diversity of insectivorous plants “twaddle” is worth communicating to that were available and we recognize the Linnean Society”. the relationships among some of the plants. So Drosera, Dionaea, Darwin eventually much later Aldrovanda and Droseraceae also

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Drosophyllum and one described much phase just before moves into liana’s more recently in Dioncophyllaceae phase of life circle. the genus Triphyophyllum described more recently actual based on We also associate what Darwin did material collected. There are various in Aldrovanda with Venus’s fly-trap. insectivorous plants, but were ruined, Aldrovanda is a particularly interesting so they eventually need to get some plant. Venus’s fly-trap is endemic to conservation. the southeast of North America while January 2, 2009 Aldrovanda is much more widely spread We now know those insectivorous in the old world, and it’s water plant. plants have genetic contact occurring But it has the same kind of trapping in four different places in Angiosperm mechanism, that we see in Venus’s fly- Phylogeny. With that knowledge now, trap. we have a few interesting questions to answer. Here I’ll just point to one So we now know through a phylogenetic of them, which is the remarkable work, that Dionaea and Aldrovanda parallel evolution of pitfall traps in are sister taxa, one new world, one three different groups, Nepenthes, old world. They are related to a Cephalotus, and Heliamphora. So one diverse group, Drosera spp. and then interesting question that comes out the sister group to this combination, of the science of insectivorous plants including Nepenthes , Drosophyllum what we’ve learned since Darwin is and Triphyophyllum , the particular what lies behind the amazing parallel insectivorous liana. evolution of these kinds of pitfall traps. What’s interesting about this group? I But that’s not what I really want to think from a conservation point of view, talk about today. What I want to there are lots of species in Drosera speak a little bit more about is the and quite a few species in Nepenthes. position of the Venus’s fly-trap. We But the rest of these groups are pretty now have a context for these fly- species poor. It turns out that some of traps that illuminate some of the these species are not in great change issues Darwin was concerned about from a conservation point of view. among the things that they know Dionaea is an extremely restrictive about such as Drosophyllum, and plant; it occurs only, in the wild, a few also thing they didn’t know about such counties in South Carolina, and a few as Triphyophyllum, a tropical liana more in North Carolina. It occurs in that occurs in West Africa. It is not places like beach that are easy from insectivorous for the whole life circle. them to spread dramatically. Darwin was It passes through the insectivorous on to this himself: “Of the six genera,

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Drosera has been incomparably concerned about conserving these the most successful in the battle for species then I don’t know who will be. life…… It presents a marked contrast with the five other genera”. He also We are enthusiastic to talk about pointed out: “It is strange fact that ecosystem services, and to talk about Dionaea, which is one of the most some of the large-scale problems. beautifully adapted plants in the Botanical gardens in particular, which

January 2, 2009 vegetable kingdom, should apparently is one of the points I want to make be on the high road to extinction”. The here, should be concerned about the habitat in which it occurs are lowlands ongoing conservation of some of these and plains of South Carolina and remarkable species. Otherwise they will North Carolina. The moisture has to go. No one else could take the time to be just right and the shade cover has bother. to be just right. It is a plant that today in the wild, is not so easy to find. It So “Variety ”, another quote from will not go extinct of course, because Darwin, “as geology tells us, is the we have it in cultivation and we will prelude to extinction.” Now this is continue to grow it. But then it might the slide I often use to represent my only exist in cultivation. philosophy of botanical gardens and I think it will be well exemplified by Unfortunately, its sister group, XTBG, and that is botanical gardens like Aldrovanda, is not so charismatic. It zoos, have haltingly moved along this grows in a isolated lake in Eastern spectrum would be not just concerned Poland, quite close to the former with collections of topical plants, but Soviet Union. It is on the way out. In with more practical conservation Europe, it is extremely endangered. organizations. This is what we’ve It doesn’t have the attraction to heard yesterday from Botanic Gardens move children in large quantities and Conservation International, and I think therefore it does extinct in the wild and most people would accept it. they probably would go completely. It is very important that we do, because This rather long but I hope interesting as Darwin said, “variety is the prelude introduction is to make the point that to extinction.” Plants are no exception these species are important. They are to the general rule in biology that important part of the botanical world. I most species are rare. This is actual a cannot point to the fact that they have combination of a very large number, I great economic significance but they think over 100,000 species and their are important part of the botanical distribution accesses. But what I simply world. If botanical gardens are not point out is that someone ignored the

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65% of those species only occur in years ago. I think it’s instructive to one TDWG level 3. While TDWG compare, for example, the knowledge level 3 is pretty limited, but it does for Madagascar flora against the make the point that most species are knowledge for UK. In UK, we have pretty restricted. So, to use Darwin’s lots of botanists, very few plants, analogy, most species are rare and and relatively small place. While in they are endangered. So most of the Madagascar, there are not so many world’s plant species, fall into this level January 2, 2009 botanists but much more challenge. In and botanic gardens are concerned terms of global biodiversity, it is a much about them. more important flora in terms of the high level of endemism. So the question here is how we can increase the relevance and impact We are finding new plant species all of botanic gardens in conserving the time. This is just an example from plant diversity. I think very simply BBC website about a year ago. Giant what we can do is implement, palm tree, a new species of giant facilitate and encourage, not only in self-destructing palm on the island of situ conservation, but also ex situ Madagascar where we finding new conservation, sustainable utilization, species all the time, is been found and also the restoration of habitats, in Madagascar. That is a place with by doing this things ourselves and by obvious ongoing massive changes in providing relevant information. habitat. It’s very rich of flora and the approach has been adopted in Kew, Now we come on to the second part, and also in Botanical Garden of Paris. which is just to say a little bit more It is not trying to cover the flora in about what have been done with Madagascar at this point, but to focus plant conservation in Madagascar. on some particular groups, orchids for Madagascar is one of these example, or trees worked by George biodiversity hotspots in this Norman Schatz who wrote a book, Generic Tree Myers’ map. It is largely based on the Flora of Madagascar , focusing on things distribution of those plant species that that can be done that are relatively are relatively restricted. Madagascar trackable and can provide important of this level’s endemism is 89%. baseline information for conservational biologists and ecologists to do their The general understanding of is work in Madagascar. much more poorer than we would like to. This is a table actually from a Palms, legumes and other groups Royal Society Report on conserving have been the focus. I am just going biodiversity that I worked on a few to highlight the data from the orchids,

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palms and legumes works. Here you of species of legumes that are rare see the numbers of species described species, we find that 82% of those for Madagascar, and then you see species has only one to ten specimens. the number of new species described in those books from orchids, palms So basically what we can conclude and legumes. So, very large numbers from this analysis is just as Darwin of new species are still coming into said “things that are rare, tend to be light. January 2, 2009 endangered; things are rare, tend to be rare in the herbarium collections.” One question is how do the Therefore by focusing on just those collections be accumulated for species that are represented by few Madagascar, how well do they reflect specimens would get most herbaria the species we would find there. species. So this provides us a way of That’s a size based on looking at attacking those species and identifying one group, the legume, and the use those species that are likely to be in Madagascar is 400 dollars for endangered in the wild, just because a species. They will be assessed they are rare in the collections. It’s not from the stand point of IUCN perfect, but it’s good, it’s good enough conservation categories. They will to make quite rapid progress. If you also be, in one the rarest examples, think about how you might digitize eight a database in the major herbaria that million specimens, it’s much easier just are half hold from Madagascar. So to digitize a few hundred thousand of the major herbaria will be in Paris, them. For those few hundred thousand, Kew, Missouri and the herbarium of we’ve probably get most of the Madagascar itself. So all the legume endangered species. It’s not surprising in all these herbaria are now in a that as we find new species, we can’t single database. So we can ask tell which species will go extinct. I mean, some questions about what those so extinction is completely annoying collections represent in terms of the when dealing with plant diversity. species of Legumes. Here is an example. This is a very So all of the 435 species of interesting plant, Takhtajania perrieri , the Legumes represented in an endemic species to Madagascar. my collections are known from When I was interested in Winteraceae, Madagascar. Half of them roughly which was none long ago, just a few are known from only one to ten specimens are collected in Paris specimens in the combined herbaria Herbarium in 19 century. It was, about that are collected from Madagascar. 80 years later, rediscovered in the wild. But when we look at the numbers So we might conclude the Takhtajania

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is not extinct; it is just endangered and kinds of filed guide could have provided, have not been found in a moment. But highlighting target species where the it is still restricted in its distribution in collectors should go to get those target the long term. species and when they should go to find them. So a lot of information in the If you pull out all of these legumes herbarium can be used for the practical collections on the map of Madagascar, work to guide field biologists, in this case seed bank collectors, to target

January 2, 2009 it’s also not so perfect. You see the collections are concentrated in some their species in the field. places. On the other hand, it’s not bad. It does provide a basis for interacting Then the other point I would make is with the kind of satellite images we this again that seed bank is not just heard about yesterday, and also about getting the seeds, you have to with the geological ground maps of send people into the field. Going into Madagascar with which we could start the field they can provide you with the to construct vegetation maps and to preliminary RDL assessment, they can understand the distribution of species. provide field information on population status and threats; they do what to Another important part of the increased conservation capacity in conservation on Madagascar plant the wild, and provide all kinds of other species is the work of seed bank information about species relatively maybe Pritchard will say more about cheaper for each species. it later. The seed band takes species that are rare in the wild, focusing on Kew working with Conservation endemic endangered and species International and also working with known as vulnerable. Missouri Botanic Garden, is very interested in generating vegetation What interests me about the seed bank maps for the whole Madagascar and is not just the business of getting seeds preparing tools for existing protected preserved ex situ, but the interaction areas. That’s particularly timely now between herbaria data that we’ve just because coming out of the circle of discussed and the seed banking work Durban Vision processes back in 2003; itself. To do seed banking you have the government of Madagascar made to send people into the field. To send a commitment to substantially increase people into the field you need to know international parks and reserves. where to send them. You could use the Being an intern of that process has herbaria to figure out where to send been a joint project by Conservation them. This is the Madagascar example International, Kew, and Missouri Botanic of Malawi, but this is the example that Garden.

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Here is a map of the vegetation in say in terms of general themes? I am Madagascar that came out just last just finishing up by making a couple of year and the Atlas allows us to see the general point. The first is the incredible kinds of primary vegetation. Secondary value that comes out of working in or disturbed in somewhere? How partnership, combining samples, (we much it remains, where it remains, often speak of collections, I think we and very importantly, how the areas could better speak of collecting samples of the different kinds of forests have January 2, 2009 of plant diversity) and focusing on been changing through time. This is producing user-oriented products. I another general point I want to come think also incredibly important, taking back in a moment. the interrelation to the theme of this symposium, is producing information We made an early vegetation map in documents change through time. I think Madagascar, based on information this has particular traction with policy back in the 70s, and then again in the makers and with the general public. 90s, then again in 21st century. I think How are things changed? We do find this kind of information being able to changes in the herbaria saying how follow trends through time is extremely things changed in a time scale. important. So by vegetation type we can see which vegetation types are In the herbarium world, we do have disappearing. So for example, we many duplicates, but we also have see the spiny forest here has been enormous number of specimens in sum, reduced by 30% whereas some of and enormous progress has been made the other forests, such western dry to database. We heard yesterday that forest has reduced by 40 percent and the herbarium here is pulling database western sub-humid forest are 50% and we need continued to do it. There less. This also could be compared are large amounts of effort going into it. to those communities that are very protected in existing reserves to see These are some important databases, which one is a relatively protected, the Kew electronic plant information what should be priority to Madagascar. center, TROPICOS, Encyclopedia Life, and Biodiversity Heritage Library, a So these I think are very practical digitization search engine and so on. outcomes for how these different We already have the Global Biodiversity activities in herbaria and seed bank Information Facilities, the African Plants and remote sensing on the ground Initiative, now the Latin American to be integrated in meaningful ways Facilities, and I hope soon with the for both ex situ conservation and in collaboration of Chinese colleagues situ conservation. So, what can we to be put Asian plants together with

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digitized information on herbaria with at is the using of IUCN red list criteria. new kinds of products like conservation Back in 1997, we had about ten percent chips, rapid reference collections field to the total plant species scored for red guides and so on. list criteria. Now we have probable less than that. In the UK, I said earlier that we have a perfect combination of not so many We have a lot of work to do. We can plants in a small place and lots of use the information in herbaria to get January 2, 2009 botanists. So we’ve been able to a not perfect but quick and good red monitor changes through a series of list assessment. So it is another one surveys during the last thirty years and of the benefits that can come from the most recent one is in 2003. Now georeferenced herbaria data. So we we are able to start relate the kinds of can do this in an automated, in a changes that going on in the British semiautomated way, once we get the flora to some of the factors behind. data and we should, because what This is the species Campanula latifolia , we want to do is to stop to follow the and we seem to be losing it based changes in red list data through time on changes in nutrient status. Here for species. This is already a process are invasive species that we seem under way, of course not for plants, to be gaining in a relative short time. but we started to think about how it is Those species seem to be expanding, moving for plants. A sample red list is like Lemna minuta, and Epilobium a sample of plants that we can follow brunnescens as a result of climate through time to get a general, overall change. sense of how plant diversity is falling through time. So that’s one way to get Those kinds of data show changes into the overall questions. occurring over relevantly short time span. Here is another one which is Another way I want to mention here very becoming a problem in UK. This is quickly is the way of WWF. UK always not a plant but a leaf mining moth, told there are two important graphs they Cameraria ohridella. It hits on have to keep in mind. This is one of chestnuts. This is its distribution in them, humanity’s global footprint; this is 2003, and this is in 2005. If it continues the other one, the Global Living Planet to increase, chestnuts will probably Index. So the scientists may ask what’s goes away. the global living planet index actually based on. What about large scale changes through time of plant diversity? One of Global Living Planet Index is similar the area I think we are not very good to the IUCN sampled red list, and it is

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split up into tropical, tropical forests, I’ll just show one slide that I think is dry lands, etc. What’s it based on is very important and very interesting. population trends in about a thousand There are about eighty thousand total vertebrate species from around accessions of cultivated chickpea in the the world. The question is, it is just seed banks of the world. About twenty a sample of vertebrate species, seven percent of those accessions and could botanical communities deal with related wild species. It seems to me to be really rather important in

January 2, 2009 represent that trend? How would we design a sampling strategy to look at thinking about chickpea diversity and the fates of populations in different we need to get those species into seed plant species, and would be followed bank. through time to give us some kind of higher level assessment of plant Going back to this charismatic diversity instead. So that I think is one insectivorous plant Aldrovanda again, of the new challenges. an action has been taken. We can talk about ecosystem services; we can talk I just want to finish by saying that about how we should approach these we can do this but we also need to issues; but unless actual action of take action from ex situ conservation. conservation, they will go extinct and it When we discovered new species is the most important work of botanical like Wollemia nobilis in the wild that gardens. has hundreds remaining individuals, Thank you for your attentions. we would be daft not to move those plants into ex situ conservation. I Q & A think the Sydney Botanic Garden did a very nice job in rising money Person 1 for conservation. When we know of Q: what are botanic gardens in an endemic species on the island Madagascar doing to preserve their of Mauritius, where a quarter of the flora vegetation? species have less than fifty individuals A : They tried to get plants from the spiny in the wild, we need to take actions forest into cultivation. So they are not to get those plants in conservation. dependent just on those species from Otherwise they would go. going endangered in habitat. So these are some actives to do that. But ex situ We can do it in different ways in conservation is a tricky thing that can’t different places. In Chicago, we do be done for species in a seed bank way. it with rare plants and with crops we So the answer is they are doing a little, need to do the same thing. with their limited resources but obviously not as much as what we would like.

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Obviously gardens in other parts supplemented photographs is a good of the world have some of those intermediate stair. species in cultivation, but it doesn’t make much sense for gardens in the But come back to your main point, temperate part of world to struggle the progress on databasing and growing Madagascar species in the digitalizing information related with the glass houses. We must design, you plant diversity is really extraordinary. I mean, the African Plants Initiative for

January 2, 2009 know, much more effective ways. But nevertheless, I think in some example, went from zero to over two circumstances it is important part of hundred thousand specimens within fifty what the botanical gardens should be institutions in about five years. Money doing. made that happen. But I think, since we have the encyclopedia of life project, Person 2 with this substantial founding, we have Q: I want to connect your thought all initiatives going on there. I think they with yesterday’s talk about barcode, are already starting to come together because they are all about and cooperate,. As John mentioned conservation and digitalizing the yesterday, they were also linked species by botanical gardens. But together on genetic levels. another issue is that I think it will be great if some kind of hand-hold So things are changing rapidly. But the device that can recognize species in key step to making these hebaria is to the wild so that even a normal people get that information in digitized form. For not can know whether this species the administrators of those institutions, is endangered or not. Then the it is a tricky bonds between putting local people can take conservation resources into the basic science, putting actions. That will be very cheap. resources into getting new samples and putting resources into making better A: well, I think as John said yesterday, use of the samples. So that I think all I think it will probably come faster of these is about balance and trade-off. than we think. In the meantime, I It’ll be messy, and there will be lots of think there are a lot that we can do. activities on many different fronts. But I With herbarium specimen scanning, think it is preceding, I think the prospect it is very easy to make a rapid field of having more and more digital data guide to a relatively restricted area in electronic forms is coming to us very which is so much better than a quickly. I hope it will be a priority force flora. Flora is a wonderful thing for in communities. botanical specialists, but to have a field guide with actual specimens

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Strategies for plant conservation in South Asia

January 2, 2009

Prof. Dr. Priya Davidar Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, India

I would like to talk about the a Gondwana origin. This grass was challenges that we are facing on thought to have been extinct for a plant conservation in South Asia. I hundred years and was classified in will mainly focus on India particularly the RDL as extinct. It was rediscovered the Western Ghats because of my 10 years ago. The is a parasitic shrub familiarity with the situation. Dendrophthoe memecylifolia belonging to the family Loranthaceae. It can be I am introducing two species that listed as endangered as it has a limited summarize the problem of plant distribution and highly specialized host species conservation in South Asia. preferences. However it is not in the The first species is Eriochrysis RDL, but its host plant Eleaocarpus rangacharii , a grass species endemic recurvatus, which is also a rare to a particular mountaintop in the endemic is listed in the RDL. So we Western Ghats. It is a rare genus have possible threatened species that that is also distributed in South are not listed in RDL, species that are Africa and Australia, which indicates correctly listed, and species that are

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wrongly classified. So in summary, The major threats to wild plants in those are the problems that we have India are habitat loss. India is currently in plant conservation in South Asia. expanding forest cover and forest cover has increased by 1% from 1990 to 2005 We have around 16000 species of (www.mongabay.com/deforestation), angiosperms in South Asia. The level whereas Sri Lanka lost 17.6% of its of endemism is fairly high with 31% of forest cover during the same period

January 2, 2009 endemic species and 20% endemic (www.mongabay.com/deforestation). genera. When we look at the Western Therefore although India seems to be Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, gaining forests, at the local level there is we have 5000 angiosperms from 220 increasing degradation of forests due to genera and 217 families of which non-sustainable harvesting of plants for 61% of the species and 37% of the leaves, fuel-wood and other products. genera are endemic. Loss of primary forests in the Western Ghats due to land use changes is a Globally one in eight plant species cause of concern. The protected areas are threatened; therefore about 13% covers about 5% of the area in India of the world’s flora are threatened. and 9% in Sri Lanka, and have been According to IUCN 2004, out of 3120 located in open deciduous forests that listed in India, 10% are threatened, are important for the conservation of and 46% have been classified as large mammals such as tigers, but have data deficient, which means that low conservation value for plants. there is no data for these species. In Sri Lanka among the 3314 species I am going to focus mostly on Western only 8% are listed as threatened. Ghats. Western Ghats is a mountain Therefore for the large majority of range along the western side of India, plants in the subcontinent, we do not which runs north to south along the have much data. We have robust western edge of the Deccan Plateau. data for plants that have medicinal It is a biodiversity hotspot with high value because they are commercially levels of endemism and a unique biota. important. They are quite well studied Advantages of working on these forests and monitored compared to other wild are that they have fewer plant species plants. Among the medicinal plants compared to forests of Southeast Asia in India, 49% are threatened, 113 and Amazonia. The flora are relatively are endangered, and 44 are critically well-known and species easy to identify endangered. Over harvesting has since we have very good herbaria and resulted in the decline of medicinal many floras. plant species.

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There are many unique floristic of 482 species of evergreen trees was elements of the Western Ghats: There to look at the environmental tolerances are about 1000 evergreen trees of of species to assess their potential to which 60% are endemic to the Western adapt to climatic changes. Ghats. An example is Michelia nilagirica, a Magnoliaceae which Rare species are more prone to occurs in the higher elevation forests. extinction: As Darwin said, rarity is the

January 2, 2009 Another unique and charismatic prelude of extinction. In the database on groups is the genus Strobilanthes of 356 endemic tree species, we identified the Acanthaceae. There are 52 species 84 species with less than 50 records in peninsula India, 85% of them are and which have a latitudinal ranges endemic to WG. Strobilanthes has a less than 100 km. These species monocarpic life history and for most of constitute 34% of these endemic trees. its life cycle it is in vegetation condition Of these 84 species, 22 have been so it is hard to identify. It flowers listed Red Data book, of which 6 are gregariously in cycles of 6-12 years, listed as Extinct (known only from which vary between species, and then type specimen), 8 as Endangered, 2 it dies off. The best known species Vulnerable and 6 as Rare. Remaining is Strobilanthes kunthianus, which 62 spp. (73%) have not been listed covers the high elevation mountain at all. So many possibly endangered tops of the Western and Eastern Ghats species are not included in the Red like a blue carpet during its flowering Data Book. season. The other interesting groups are the gingers which are popular at To assess the potential of trees to XTBG. There are about 200 species of tolerate climate change, we assessed gingers from 21 genera in the Indian tree distributions in the Western Ghats subcontinent, and 37% of the species across climatic gradients. What we are endemic to the Western Ghats. found is that rainfall seasonality and temperature (which decrease with In order to assess the vulnerability of increasing altitudes) influence species species to habitat loss and climate diversity and rarity. Species with limited change, we looked at two databases: environmental tolerance, i. e. species one based on historical records restricted to narrow seasonality regimes gleaned from herbaria and literature on and elevational ranges also have limited the distribution ranges of 356 species distributional ranges in the Western of endemic trees of the Western Ghats. Ghats. About 32% of the rare species This database was used to assess have narrow environmental ranges and rarity. The second database consisting might be more vulnerable to climate

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change. Therefore in summary if Asia, Eastern Himalayas. We all share rainfall seasonality increases due this species. to climate change almost one-third of the tree flora in WG would be threatened and these species have Q & A very low migratory potential because they are very slow growing. Person 1 (Cao Min)

January 2, 2009 Q: WG is an important region in terms What should be the priority for In situ of biodiversity conservation of the conservation? Databases should be world. We saw some threats to the upgraded with more data from plant local plant species in your presentation. inventories. We need to identify and Climate change proved to be one of monitor populations of threatened the factors that leading to the growth species. We need to increase the of endangered plant species. But I coverage of protected areas, and think human population growth is also to maintain habitat connectivity and another important factor. migratory potential. That means we A: Human population growth certainly have to maintain connectivity across is a big factor. Both of them are very latitudinal and attitudinal gradients so important. that species can migrate with regard to climate change. We also need ex Person 2 (John Kress) situ propagation in botanical gardens Q: Thanks very much for your and seed banks, etc. Field botanists presentation. I want to comment on and ecologists need to communicate this data deficient of IUCN category. I with colleagues in botanical gardens think it is extremely misleading which to have coordinated in situ and ex situ goes back to Peter’s presentation conservation. We also need to plan as well. I would argue that it is not regional networks for coordinating the data are not sufficient, but the research and conservation. India- analysis. Peter showed that there Nepal-Bhutan-China share many are about 250,000,000 herbarium Himalayan species. Many rain forest specimens located around the world. species are common to India-Sri That is enough data at least to provide Lanka-Myanmar-Malaysia and other preliminary conservation assessment SE Asian countries. We need to above 75%. So the question is not we maintain trans boundary connectivity do not have the data but we do not for species. Finally, to conclude, this know how to analyze the data. species, Gaultheria fragantissima is A: Many people considered about distributed in the mountains of South getting these data together but the data

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are not been Presented.

Person 3 Q: It is very clear that there are a lot of data out there in Southeast Asia. There is also a large number of institutions and trained people. This is what you said of translating into coordinate actions. I know there are network of botanical gardens. At the global scale, we are now developing very broadly based partnerships for

January 2, 2009 plant conservation, including botanical gardens, herbaria, and NGOs. This could be a very effective way because we must communicate with each other. Are there any initiatives in Southeast Asia towards the regional partnerships on plant conservations? A: Not much effort on that as far as I know. We have been trying to do things like that but it has not gone anywhere so far. We cannot cooperate effectively. We need to do that.

Person 4 Comment: You remind us a saying that when you lose a species, it is not only to loss that name, but also the functional traits. You hit on that at the very beginning by looking on that monocarp species.

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Science and conservation policy – Two sides of the same coin? January 2, 2009

Dr. Joachim Gratzfeld Botanic Gardens Conservation International, UK

Thank you very much. In my what is in those for the world of plants presentation entitled “Science and with a special emphasis on the Global conservation policy – Two sides of Strategy for Plant Conservation as a the same coin” I would like to talk programme of work of the Convention about science-policy interfaces, on Biological Diversity that puts science the mechanisms and processes and conservation ideas into policy that encompass relations between action. scientists and policy and decision- makers and aim at ensuring that The following slide lists a number of decisions are made on the basis of reports on and assessments of the best available scientific knowledge state of affairs of biodiversity. It is by no and information. In the following, I means comprehensive and provides would like to provide a few examples just the tip of the ice berg of publications of scientific publications on the state that have been produced over the past of the environment and/or biodiversity, two to three decades: and discuss how their findings were policy relevant or indeed have In 1987, more than twenty years ago, influenced decision-making. In the Office of Technology Assessment particular, I would like to highlight of the US Congress which was the

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technical agency at that time that This series focuses on providing provided Congress with analyses technical support to the Parties to the of major public policy issues related Convention on Biological Diversity, e.g. scientific and technological challenges, on freshwater biodiversity, biodiversity published the report Technologies conservation in the tropics, or global to Maintain Biological Diversity. It ecological and economic analyses and was the first ever official document assessments such as the significance using the term biological diversity. of global coral trade. January 2, 2009 The breadth of this report in terms of content and analysis is in fact quite UNEP’s Global Biodiversity Assessment amazing. It addresses all known published in 1995 was a remarkable dimensions of biodiversity and related review and assessment of the management issues, including in knowledge of biodiversity at that time. and ex situ conservation measures. It was a wide-ranging analysis of This report discusses the various the science underpinning biological dimensions of biodiversity loss in a diversity. The review was funded in the very comprehensive manner with order of two million US dollars from the implications for policy going beyond Global Environment Facility, and was addressing species extinctions only. the work of more than 1500 scientists. Unfortunately, it failed to attract the In 1990, IUCN and WRI published recognition it deserved and did not Conserving the World’s Biological achieve political legitimacy. Diversity. This report highlighted that most of the major policy decisions that In 1997, UNEP launched the Global affect the use of natural resources are Environmental Outlook with the latest taken in urban environments removed issue in this series published in 2007 from the realities of the rural areas. It (GEO 4). It highlights major threats aimed at reminding decision-makers to the planet such as climate change, on the value of biodiversity for human the rate of extinction of species, and prosperity outside cities, and urged for the challenge of feeding a growing the development of new policies that population. Opportunities identified ensure a continuing flow of benefits to address biodiversity loss include from biological resources to humanity. emphasizing the role of conservation within pro-poor policies; valuation of The UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity series biodiversity and use of new market reports launched in 1992 presented mechanisms; as well as conservation the results of projects carried out by focusing on ecosystem services. The WCMC in partnership with IUCN, latest report concludes “enough is WWF and other organizations. already known to make better decisions

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on the conservation and wise use of endorsed by the WSSD and the United biodiversity”. Nations General Assembly and was incorporated as a new target under the Unfortunately, as we all know, Millennium Development Goals. biodiversity is still declining despite this accumulated knowledge. Before moving to the next slide, I should also mention that as of 1995, in FAO’s State of the World’s Plant response to Article 6 of the Convention January 2, 2009 Genetic Resources for Food and on Biological Diversity, a number of Agriculture, published in 1998, national and regional reports on the provides the first comprehensive state of biological diversity are being assessment of the state of plant produced. These national/regional genetic resources. It also assessed biodiversity strategies and action plans the effectiveness and capacity of (NBSAPs/RBSAPs) remind us that relevant institutions to develop although biodiversity is an issue of and implement initiatives for the global conservation concern, practically conservation and sustainable use of it can only be resolved at national plant genetic resources. levels.

In 2002, the United Nations I would like to turn now to the Millennium Secretary General commissioned Ecosystem Assessment. Initiated by the preparation of summary situation WRI, UNEP, the International Council reports and forecasts for the sectors for Science (ICSU) and UNESCO of Water, Energy, Health, Agriculture, in 2000, and reported in 2005, it Biodiversity, the so-called WEHAB was an attempt to redo the Global series reports for the World Summit Biodiversity Assessment I mentioned on Sustainable Development (WSSD) earlier, but this time with the needed in Johannesburg, South Africa in political commitment and legitimacy autumn 2002. This was perhaps the as it was represented by a multi- first time biodiversity was given equal stakeholder board including various prominence in the global debate Multilateral Environment Agreements, about sustainable development. As representatives from business, NGOs a result, the 2010 Biodiversity Target and government. The Millennium (which the Parties to the Convention Ecosystem Assessment was the largest on Biological Diversity had adopted global assessment ever undertaken earlier in 2002 to achieve a significant on the health of ecosystems. Some reduction of the current rate of 1360 experts from 95 countries biodiversity loss at the global, regional participated in this initiative. While and national level by 2010) was its findings are highly policy relevant

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they may nevertheless not be policy is currently underway for its third prescriptive. edition (Global Biodiversity Outlook 3). The GBO notes the importance of The key conclusions of the Millennium mainstreaming biodiversity conservation Ecosystem Assessment: A reduction concerns across sectors, in particular in the rate of biodiversity loss for also to address the increasing certain components of biodiversity and significance of climate change as

January 2, 2009 for certain indicators, and in certain a driver of biodiversity loss, and of regions is possible; the majority of maintaining biological diversity for both the targets that the Convention on mitigation and adaptation measures in Biological Diversity has established times of global environmental change. as part of its framework for assessing The conclusions of the GBO, along progress towards the 2010 Biodiversity with the findings of the Millennium Target are achievable, provided that Ecosystem Assessment mean a the necessary actions are taken; and, reorientation in policy needs for the for the most part, the tools needed Convention on Biological Diversity and to achieve the 2010 Biodiversity for global biodiversity conservation Target including programmes of actors generally. work, principles and guidelines, have already been developed. Let me now briefly turn to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species which So why are we still losing biodiversity? is widely recognised as the most Let us look at some more examples. comprehensive global approach for evaluating the conservation status of The second meeting of the Conference plant and animal species. From its small of the Parties to the Convention on beginning more than four decades Biologial Diversity in 1995 called for ago, the IUCN Red List has grown in the preparation of a periodic report size and complexity, and now plays an on the status of biological diversity, increasingly prominent role in informing the Global Biodiversity Outlook, GBO. policies and guiding conservation It suggested that the GBO should action. While the conservation status provide a summary of the status of of certain groups such as of birds, biological diversity and an analysis mammals and amphibians is well- of the steps being undertaken by known, assessments of most of the taxa the global community to ensure pertaining to the world of plants are very that biodiversity is conserved and much lagging behind. The 1997 IUCN used sustainably. The first edition Red List of Threatened Plants includes of the Global Biodiversity Outlook 34’000 species, the vast majority of was published in 2001 and work which however has not been evaluated

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against the revised 2001 IUCN Red “too narrowly” focusing on plants, it is List Categories and Criteria and now regarded as a very effective CBD most of these species are therefore decision. More importantly, its genesis not included in the latest Red List was not from the CBD Parties but from publications. The 2007 IUCN Global the botanic garden community. Red List comprises 12’043 plants of which 8’447 have been listed as So what is the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)? First and

January 2, 2009 threatened. Considering a gobal total of some 350’000 plant species, the foremost, it is a successful example urgent need to have a more targeted of an evolving partnership for plant assessment focus on this component conservation. It provides a strategic of biodiversity goes without saying. framework for plant conservation action from global to local levels. It connects As mentioned earlier, the list of governmental and non-governmental environmental assessment and partners, and science institutions and status reports is hugely long, and policy-making authorities alike. The to conclude this general overview, I GSPC was developed through a multi- would like to point out just three more stakeholder consultation process and from this plethora of publications that includes 16 outcome-oriented targets policy and decision-makers are spoilt to be met by 2010. These targets are for choice: EarthWatch’s State of the being regarded as trend-setting in World series reports, WWF’s Living the development of outcome-oriented Planet Report, and FAO’s Global objectives, and this model is now taken Forest Resources Assessments. And up by other programmes of work of the they always reach the same daunting CBD. conclusions: loss of biodiversity is not slowing, and ecosystems More than any other initiative, the continue to degrade. Global Strategy for Plant Conservation has been acknowledged to have I would like now to turn to the Global stimulated the engagement of the Strategy for Plant Conservation global plant conservation community which was approved by the in the work of the CBD. Parties are Conference of the Parties to the encouraged to develop national and Convention on Biological Diversity regional responses to the GSPC and (CBD) in 2002. It was a response nominate GSPC national focal points to from the CBD Parties to one, but promote implementation and monitoring. particular issue of biodiversity As shown on this slide, examples conservation – plant diversity. of countries that have successfully Initially met with reservations as developed their own strategies following

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the model of the GSPC are the United Canada and Mexico. Its establishment Kingdom, China and South Africa, and led to improved awareness of the there are many more. GSPC beyond the actual botanic garden community, e.g. among other In the same vein, a number of botanic governmental and non-governmental gardens and related national and conservation organizations, regional networks have developed universities and research centers.

January 2, 2009 strategies and projects in response Practical horticulture in support of the to the GSPC. For example, Oxford conservation of the flora of Britain and Botanic Gardens have ensured Ireland is the objective of the Target that the GSPC is incorporated into 8 Project led by the regional botanic teaching in all years of the Biological garden network (PlantNetwork). This Sciences degree course at Oxford project aims to grow the threatened University. The GSPC itself has plants of Britain and Ireland ex situ and become the syllabus for a course to link them to conservation activities module in plant conservation. Every in situ through building horticultural visitor to the garden is given a guide expertise and knowledge in propagating to the GSPC explaining the 16 targets. and cultivating the native flora. Missouri Botanical Garden focuses its work on 7 the 16 GSPC targets Six years have passed since the including taxonomic research and adoption of the GSPC by the CBD activities related to the establishment Parties in 2002. A review of the of inventories, conservation status progress in the implementation of assessments, identification of centers the GSPC was carried out in 2008 of plant diversity and endemism to under the chairmanship of the Global inform conservation priority setting, Partnership for Plant Conservation – and work with local communities to a voluntary initiative bringing together develop models for sustainable use international, regional and national of plants, raise awareness and build organizations to contribute to the capacity. Here is another example implementation of the GSPC. The of how the GSPC has brought review states that while progress has attention on the plight of the status been made towards achieving a number of plant diversity to the forefront of of targets including GSPC target 8 – wider conservation efforts. The North ex situ conservation, the urgency of American Botanic Garden Strategy for safeguarding plant diversity worldwide Plant Conservation is a comprehensive remains very high. In particular, the continent-wide strategy including denvelopment and implementation botanic garden associations in the US, of recovery and reintroduction

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programmes as part of GSPC target for botanic gardens. Another important 8 still shows little progress, and area for BGCI in support of plant more in-depth consideration needs conservation is to contribute to global to be given to the impacts of climate conservation assessments using the change on plants and ecosystems. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria Important challenges also remain – let me highlight here the examples of for those GSPC targets pertaining to the Red List of Oaks and the Red List

January 2, 2009 the sustainable use of plant genetic of Magnolias published two years ago; resources. other taxa we are currently working on to establish their conservation status are Botanic Gardens Conservation maples and rhododendrons. BGCI is International (BGCI) has been also addressing pressing environmental associated with the Global Strategy issues like global climate change and for Plant Conservation from its impacts on the world of plants; and the beginning. BGCI supported we are in the process of setting up a its development, adoption and global information service related to the implementation, and also provides the links between climate change, plants secretariat to the Global Partnership and ecosystems. Monitoring progress for Plant Conservation mentioned in the implementation of GSPC target 8 earlier. Assisting countries and using BGCI’s PlantSearch database is botanic gardens and related networks an important activity for BGCI to identify in developing their responses major gaps in ex situ conservation. to the GSPC is at the heart of It is therefore essential that botanic BGCI’s endeavour to foster plant gardens around the world facilitate the conservation. BGCI works at various update of this global database on a levels of intervention which I would regular basis. The difficulty of obtaining like to illustrate with examples in the information on ex situ conservation that following slides: Dr. Priya Davidar just mentioned in her presentation from India illustrates well Development of resources and tools those challenges. that contribute to building capacity and enhance knowledge in the field BGCI is also implementing a number of plant conservation: These include of practical conservation programmes for instance to explain multilateral in collaboration with botanic gardens environment agreements and policies and other conservation partners. These of special relevance to botanic include species-specific ex- and in gardens; I would like to mention situ conservation projects focusing BGCI’s CBD and CITES manuals on threatened taxa, for instance

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Aquilaria crassna (Thymelaeaceae) language we use to communicate our in Cambodia or Bretschneidera scientific findings. Scientists and policy- sinensis (Bretschneideraceae) in makers talk past each other in their China. Engaging local communities own jargons and this is compounded in integrated programmes that by the diversity of various existing link conservation and activities for languages. Information dissemination improved livelihoods are becoming and distribution is not one and

January 2, 2009 a more and more essential part of the same thing, we need to better BGCI’s work programme. guide the reader and produce target audience-oriented policy guidance I would like to draw my presentation using appropriate styles and jargons. to a close. To summarize what I have So, interpreting the evidence base to been trying to discuss and illustrate in formulate policies which can be effective this presentation about the challenge and which are understood by everyone in linking science and conservation is also a key role and niche for botanic policy, I would like to highlight the gardens and I think we have to aspire to following points: that in a much more firm manner.

Despite a plethora of scientific reports BGCI has set out its strategy in on the state of our biological heritage, responding to these challenges in its we still have limited data, tools and Five Year Plan 2007 – 2012. More technologies, especially in developing emphasis on recovery and restoration countries, for a number of scientific programmes, a continued commitment fields. There is a lack of applied to supporting ex situ conservation as resources to undertake taxonomical a precautionary approach in the face research; there are still very few of global climate change, a focus on conservation status assessments conservation activities using plants for many taxa – the world of plants of economic importance (medicinal is grossly under-represented. We and nutritional plants), and promoting need to better understand species, science-policy interfaces for plant for example reproductive biology, conservation by participating in or and we need to gain more expertise facilitating various policy fora and in conservation techniques such events designed for different target as seed conservation. Developing audiences. alternative management responses to global climate change will become I would like to conclude my presentation increasingly critical. Then, we need with some “intriguing” questions. First to think also much more about the of all: Are we focussing conservation

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efforts on the right priorities? intergovernmental bodies. Science and For example, should we focus policy will need to be better connected on crop wild relatives or can we in these fora. More importantly, north- afford also to put our efforts into south and south-south capacity building conserving rare species (with and knowledge transfer need to be equally uncommon names…) like accelerated. Science alone will not solve Bretschneidera sinensis –which may problems. There is also a significant

January 2, 2009 not have an immediately apparent role for society and its choices as far critical role in the functioning of the as the type of the environment and ecosystem within which it occurs? biodiversity it wants is concerned. In other words, can we practice triage on endangered species to So, conservation scientists need to achieve quick and viable wins? work on several fronts. We need to build Is putting values on ecosystem an excellent conservation biology base. services for human well-being, the We need to develop new science at the “economic argument” helpful or interface with other disciplines. And we not in advancing the conservation need to better understand the role of agenda? Are policy makers science-policy interfaces in delivering interested in Red Lists and other the results of science to society. biodiversity status assessments? Therefore, science and conservation If not, how can we promote their policy are two sides of the same coin. value? What priority can we achieve Thank you! from the science base for future policy development? Well, I do not have ready-made answers to these Q & A questions. Certainly, however, policy and decision-makers are looking Person 1 for simple explanations of complex Q: You remind us that policy-makers and issues. The challenge is to de- scientists are actually talking in different mystify our work so that the policy languages. I cannot agree more with process can better understand the that. But unfortunately, here most people meaning of the scientific evidence. are not policy-makers but scientists and students. So this message may not Loss of biodiversity continues to reach out to policy-makers in China. I be a major issue facing human have a question which is not specifically societies despite the efforts for you and which is in my mind for undertaken through international some time: In China, I do not see a treaties, rules and regulations and good connection between scientific

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education and the perspective of what key role in improving this situation. The you can practically do later using research institutes need to pay attention what you have learned in ecology and to that, and the directors and professors environmental science. E. g. there should guide scientific research with are little opportunities for scientific a practical orientation. In so doing, consulting work. The government students will not concentrate only on does not pay a high priority to that. very specialized scientific questions but

January 2, 2009 However, when I was a student in also think about practical solutions for the Netherlands, I saw my friends big environmental challenges. I think transferring very quickly from their XTBG is trying to work very hard in this scientific studies to work in the public direction. sector as well as in non-governmental organizations and associations. This Person 2 question is for all the people here and Q: I guess agriculture is a driving force also for Director Chen Jin, how can for species extinction. Conservation of we develop a more robust scientific crop wild relatives is important in this education that prepares us for the kind context. If you look around XTBG, or on of career in environmental sciences your drive from Jinghong to XTBG you and conservation in which we can can see land degradation everywhere have a real impact on the society? as a result of agriculture. So what is the role of a botanic garden, a repository of A1: I believe you are in person actually species or should it argue with politics? an example of this kind of experts we need in the future. You mentioned A: It is probably not an “either or” that you have been studying in question. We need an approach the Netherlands. I think one of the that deploys a certain degree of important dimensions to be well- pragmatism. At the same time, we also prepared for work when coming cannot do everything and so we need to out of university is to encourage focus conservation efforts on activities the government to promote such of specific interest to and research exchanges, so that students from expertise of the individual garden; China can go abroad and study in coordination among the gardens other countries as well. This will forge therefore becomes very important to ultimately a broader perspective and build work complementarity. Making prepare better for a practical job research findings available in the following the years at university. language that policy and decision- makers understand remains vital for I think universities are playing a A2: every research domain the garden is

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working on.

Person 3 Q: An important question is what the government is doing for young people? A: I think that most governments respond to what the people ask for. So it is the responsibility of each individual to put forth what the government should do and

January 2, 2009 I am sure most governments are sensitive to listen to these requests. One of the ways such issues or ideas can be addressed is in NGOs associated with global issues and working together to get the government’s attention to what needs to be done. To engage in either NGOs or other types of civil society institutions is a very good way for young people to draw attention to their concerns.

Thank you.

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Seven pillars of biodiversity (we are not alone)

January 2, 2009

Prof. Dr. Chuck Cannon Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS

Thank you very much. I am dissemination of knowledge and very happy to be here at the 50 information, I’d also like to bring up that anniversary of XTBG. I am very there is a ATBC, Asia- Pacific meeting in happy to be here on faculty and I Chiang Mai next month. This is website would like to congratulate XTBG on I’ve just actually got this off the web 50 years of excellent work. I think this morning. So the deadline has been the garden is in very good condition extended so you can still register in the and it’s a very good resource for the early bird registration. Chinese people and the Southeast Asia in general. I think it’s a good Another thing I would like to mention tribute to longstanding commitment is, the original idea for this talk is by establishing a research here at Dissemination of scientific knowledge in such a special place. I just want to the purpose of biodiversity conservation, congratulate on so much success. so I really was thinking about how to get the ideas about how our currently Since we are talking about the data of science and technology, and

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what we think is very valuable, mean we are now routinely doing things how we transmit that to the general that were virtually impossible 5 years public for the purpose of biodiversity ago. I saw comments in publication conservation. I’ve been thinking a a single lab can now do the work of lot about this in different aspects. So basically an entire genome center used I hadn’t really thought much about to do ten years ago and probably more genomics and that’s a lecture I’m than that. So we are at a really tiny time

January 2, 2009 going to give in Chiang Mai. So I’m when there is a lot of convergence of actually giving a much more complete different ideas. I’d like to propose this lecture on genomics conservation idea that there is a second ‘modern next month, in Chiang Mai. Because synthesis’ is coming up, mixed up with John Kress mentioned, and also E.O.Wilson’s idea of ‘consilience’ that Richard did as well, so I will just talk we are going to see the convergence a little bit information here about what of a lot of intercounter knowledge and I’m currently doing. But these are technology that will come together. the topics I would like to talk about What is the first modern synthesis? Just today. I am calling this The Second a quickly introduce. I think it is important Modern Synthesis, the Conservation to remember when we talk about the Endgame, and then the Seven Pillars theory of evolution that Darwin and of Biodiversity. Wallace, they did not know anything about genetics. When they proposed As an educator, I mean I am still a the theory of natural selection, they faculty in Texas Tech University. I were completely ignorant of genetics. taught there for 6 years and I often They were looking at organisms. talk to the class with hundreds of They were trying to understand major graduates that are not majors. A lot patterns. They had never heard of of them don't have a very strong Mendel. So their breakthrough is even background in Biology, so I was really more remarkable for that reason. As talking to the tough audience of the an educator also, I often found that time. I was struggling with getting the you get much better response from message of excitement across. I think the undergraduates and particularly it is very important to get across the from young people if you show Charles message that we are living in a very Darwin as a young man and you point exiting time. It’s a very exiting time out the fact that he made his major to be a scientist. There are amazing breakthroughs and insights when he breakthroughs on so many fronts that was a young man. He voyaged around we are really gaining a holistic view on the world on the Beagle when he was biology and ecosystems in general. It in his twenties and he made his own was just impossible in ten years ago. I mental breakthroughs when he was still

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quite young. So as the general(are second modern synthesis on its way. It you talking about Mao?) back there is primarily due to this DNA sequencing has mentioned that it’s the young technology. It is not an ‘incremental’ people that are important and you are change. This is not a small movement, the one that going to make the major small increase about ? but a huge leap breakthroughs. That’s the graduate forward. You probably can read that in the back of the room there, the table. I’d like to say that these are the ones that really will contribute to the technologies that we have right now January 2, 2009 and this table continues on to upcoming future of conservation. We always see Charles Darwin as an older technologies and some of these are man. I think it is very important to quite amazing. They said they will remember that he was young when release their machine next year and it he made his major breakthroughs. is the third generation of sequencers I’d also like to bring up that it is his that will make things more faster and birthday. On Internet you have a very cheaper as well. So I think the second nice background about some of his modern synthesis were really going to work on parasitic plants and things. learn more about human genomics in This 200 years seem like a long time particular because that is the focus of but it is not really that long ago. The most genomic biology. But real genomic publication of The Origin Of Species biology in general we will learn more is great work published 150 years in the next few years than we previous ago. I would really like to express known in the past hundreds. This shows my gratitude to Mr. Darwin because you a little bit time map of genomic without him I would not have a job biology’s evolution. You can see here today. in this 1999, 10 years ago, this was when they sequence the first human The first modern synthesis was chromosome. Just 10 years ago. when darwinian ideas about natural Then a few years later they published selection was brought together with first draft of the human genome. This Mendelian genetics. So a lot of the was 8 years ago. Things are really theoretic work was done by Fisher, progressing very rapidly so now, 2008, Dobzhansky and many others and we have publications of the first diploide they brought together genetics human genomes. We now have, I think revolution and createed the first a handful of human genomes that have modern synthesis that contribute so been completed. There are a thousand much to our understanding about of human genomic projects under evolution and how things were. way that will be completed soon. The number of genomes our there that are I’d really like to propose that there is a completed is rapidly rapidly increasing.

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A lot of these have also got to depend I’ve been using it as a basis for a lot of on bioinformatics. It will bring together stuff I’ve been doing. The bioinformatics all the different databases, information capacity is quite amazing. So in the sources, and a lot of work will look like second modern synthesis, we will move this. I started out as a field biologist. past the rather categorical concepts of I went to Borneo, I lived in the forest ‘genes’ and ‘species’ and really begin for quite a bit. I love the rainforest but to understand how these regulatory for the next few years unfortunately I pathways are working together, deep January 2, 2009 am not so exited about it. It is not the genomic diversity as it relates from way things will work for many of the the individual and up to populations people are doing a lot of work that will and species and so forth. I think it will push things forward. Bioinformatics is be quite different from the previous going to be a major challenge. It will breakthroughs because it will be be where a lot of contribution is made those large groups and collaborative to the future of this work where it goes. researchers who are going to make It is quite amazing what they are able these breakthroughs. These are the to do. On my good days, I am an OK people from the Michael Smith Cancer programmer. I can do all right when Genome Center that are doing the I am writing programmes. So when I sequencing for my group. You can see was getting into this data, I would write in the text a large number of people run something and try to analyse a few this center. They are actually producing million reads. I would set it up in the a lot of data and most of the people are afternoon and go home and come back bioinformatics people as well. There will in the morning, perhaps the analysis be large groups of collaborating people was done. So I was actually looking making this contribution. around for other software that might be able to do it. There is package that Just to get into the genomics a little actually came out from the human bit, this is a kind of stuff I added since genome project called the “mummer”. yesterday. Just to go into a little bit The mummer package is free. You can detail about what the available next- download it, store in your computer, gen sequencing technologies are. The and set it up and do something, get a most common right now is something cup of coffee, and you will get answers called 454 parallel sequencing. People later this afternoon. When I sat back like it most because these sequences down, it was done. So I was very are rather long in relation to the other humbled by this programme can run technologies. The sequences are millions of reads against hundreds of coming in fragments of 4 or 5 hundred millions of base pairs and line them all. base pairs. They are relatively short It’s a very powerful programme and but they are still not that short compare

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to the traditional solar reads. It’s also some basic numbers. When we talk quite expensive and does not generate about computers we are talking about that much data. The other two 32 bit addressing, 64 bit addressing. technologies we have been focusing You might have heard these terms on Illumina platform from Solexa. This before. Most of the computers we are table is not very accurate and it is using are 32 bit and this refers to how another sign of how quickly things are many addresses they can make for a

January 2, 2009 changing. It says it produces reads piece of memory on the chip. That’s of 25 bp long, which was last year. why most 32-bit machines can only go They are actually up to 50 now with up to 4 Gb a run. This is the number of the paired-in technology that assists addresses a 32-bit machine can have a great deal on the assembly of the in its memory. So a 32-bit machine can genome. This technology is available. only have about 4 billion addresses. A lot of machines are running at the A 64-bit machine as you can see, now center here in Shenzhen, as one of has much greater capacity. That size of the biggest clusters of machines in the computer, that type of architecture in the world. They are running, I am not sure, memory of the computer can now hold a 24 hours a day. Another technologies very huge number of addresses. When here is called Solid from ABI and that’s you think about the DNA sequence, you the thing developed in Beijing Institute think 36 bp is a very short piece of DNA of Genomics. They are going to be a sequence. But when you think about cluster of ABI in Asia, so this will be the number of possible sequences that a major center. They’ve got machine you can have in such a short fragment there, and offered to sequence things of DNA, it’s rather huge. It’s larger for my group as well. We are hopefully than the architecture on the 64-bit sending them samples. There is computer. So within a stretch of 36 bp, an additional layer of complexity in you can actually have more information analyzing the data from the Solid than a 64-bit computer can store on machine, which makes it a little bit its memory. So you can actually map difficult. But it produces 2 Gb of data 256 64-bit architect chips onto just the in a single run. This is a very large information of 36 bp sequence. There is amount of data. The human genome a great deal of specificity in such a short is about 300 Megabytes, so they can fragment of DNA. When you think about easily sequence a human genome in the size of the genome that are out a single reaction. The major problem there. The poplar genome is about 480 is the size of the reads. They are very MB. The chestnut genome is about 800 short, less than a hundred bp long. Mb. You can fit over a million completely But just to kind of give you an idea of unique genomes within the space of what this means really, these are just a 36 bp sequence. Even though they

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are very short reads, there’s extremely reference assembly, you can do the high specificity. Even though it seems de novo assembly, using a series of that you are getting very tiny pieces of programmes that become available to information, they are very complex and create contigs and then you can align have very high information context. so it. You can go to this data pipeline I really think 36 bp is really plenty of and get your markers discovery. I am information. sure it is difficult when you have de

January 2, 2009 novo organisms and you do not have Basic concepts about what we are a reference genome for. But even with doing? We are not doing‘genome’ these limitations, right now we have projects. My aim is not to construct a the majority of the chloroplast and physical map of these genomes. We mitochondrial genomes for these four are looking for genomic diversity, and species in over 1 million base pairs of that does not require a physical map. the nuclear sequence. So it is possible That’s not the goal of the projects. We to do this without a reference and to need to free our minds of an assembly- come up with a lot of information. It is based approach. That has been the actually one of the agonies. I do not limitation for these micro-arrays, know where to go yet. There are so focusing on the assembly. Myself had much possibility for this data. There are kind of got caught up by assembly so many things you can do with it from of these things. It is very difficult. phylogeography to functional genomics You don’t have a reference genome. that I have not be able to bit off a piece So the reason this technology is so to really chew on yet. powerful with humans is that we have the human genome that we know the This is just an example of what the data sequence of. You sequence the human looks like when you aligned it. All of genome, then you can align it against these little reads are lined up. This looks the reference genome. But for tropical very repetitive but actually it’s highly trees, we do not have the reference unique. This little sequence here has genome so we had to do what was a lot of ‘T’s and ‘A’s and ‘GC’s around called de novo assembly. and these are all the same. But they are very specific. It is very unlikely you So it’s two pathways we are pursuing will randomly get that sequence even in my lab. This is the data pipeline though it is very short. It is actually quit we have constructed. This is all free accurate. You can really assemble these software. These are programmes things using such short reads. In the that I’ve written. This is free software past months I really made my own step you can download from the Internet away from assembly why am wasting to analyze your data. You can do the my time trying to assemble these

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things? I really want to use assembly- finger printer or signature. We expanded free analysis because I am not trying a little bit so we also have three species to read the genome. I am just trying in the chestnut subfamily, Chrysolepis to get the information out of the chrysophylla , Lithocarpus havilandii and genome. I am going to forget about Lithocarpus turbinatus. I also similated try to put them back together. We are the sequencing of Arabidopsis, Poplar pursuing two interesting options now, and Rice genome. So you can actually

January 2, 2009 using virtual hybridization against the similate the sequencing reaction for known DNA microarrays that are out these three known gemones as well, there and deep mining of complex and compare the data that you get. k-mers. You can actually go and download affymetrix and microarrays You can see the correlations of these off the Internet right now. There are pro-sequences on the X- axis. You 20 plant species that have been have this sum individual against all of there, Rice, Soya Bean, Arabidopsis, the other individuals. See the by the etc . You can download these arrays time when you get up to rice against that been designed to determine gene this Ramin individual, there is very little expression. These are all functional correlation in frequency of these pro- genes that you can use. So you can sequences in the genome. So this is download these things and hybridize a very powerful way of distinguishing virtually against your data. I’ve done these different organisms. If you this for 4 of the Ramin individuals. actually step back and say, OK this These are the 4individuals that are just takes the entire complex. 25-mers Sum, peninsular of Malaysia, and you in the data. Every unique stretch of can see the sum went quit different 25 bp in that genomic data, and begin than the Pah. This is the correlation in to think about hundreds of millions of the frequency of these pro-sequence these in the data. I screened it down to data for these different individuals. 40million or so. This is again 2 Ramin You can see these individuals are individuals of the same species aligned very highly related and the red dots against each other. You can see this here versus the black dots. The red is just one bunch of those 40 million; dots are ones that are unique to the about 1 million 25-mers and there are Ramin Genome. So there are 200 a number of things quite different. We and something pro-sequences that are talking about the frequency of these are unique to the Ramin Genome 25mers. So this individual has some in the one that been so far. So That 25mers that is much more frequent than gives you 250 low site that are each the individuals of the same species. 25 bp long and unique to that genome These will be very powerful tools of that species. It’s a very powerful when distinguishing the tiniest things.

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Even at individual level, this kind of days ago. That’s what they estimate genomic data will be very powerful. the number of the people in the world is In response to what John said about 6,750,166,706. We are rapidly reaching the budge that has been spent on the the conservation endgame. Paul bar-coding. I am not criticizing bar- Ehrlich predicted the global hunger will coding. I just want to point out the fact cause‘The Population Bomb’. This did that there are a lot of opportunities out not happen because agriculture actually here because of this new technology. produce more food than he predicted January 2, 2009 We can look at the budget. If we but I think his argument is still very are just thinking about the available valuable and it might not be food. It will technologies we can start isolating be other natural resources in different DNA today and sending them to the part of the world, such as energy and genomic centers. Just given that water. This is going to be an issue budget, we can get 2X coverage of an everywhere. E.O. Wilson also described average genome of a tropical plant. the challenges to life, as we know it in we can probably do about 10,000 his book ‘The Future of Life’. species. If we get a third of the money for bioinformatics and computers, So what is an endgame? In chess, we still get about 6,000 species. We there is a different set of strategy. So can do it today. What could we do you are reaching the end of the game. about the genomic data? To find out You have roughly equal number of more about that you have to come to pieces, equal ability of the players, and Chiang Mai because I am stepping it will often last a very long time if you out of the genomic discussion right have a different set of strategy. I think now and get back to what I am really we are now kind of at the conservation going to talk about. endgame. We are reaching the limits of natural resources. We have seen We are kind of returning to that idea many different slides about the 10%, the assimilation of information. 2009 best situation 20% natural forest left. is a very exiting time to be a scientist. So we are very rapidly reaching the It’s also an extreme challenging time. endgame. So really can we hope to We are obviously reaching some reach a draw? Unfortunately, we are kind of major change in the world. It not evenly matched I think. Natural is very obvious to everyone, global resource is the black chess and human climate change, the end of ‘peak’ population is quickly increasing, so oil, a lot of natural resources are the endgame is actually not balanced. seriously depleted, global population As we are approaching this endgame, is quickly reaching seven billion! I we need to develop new strategies, just got this off Internet a couple of maybe radically different ideas about

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how we can teach people, how we in the natural resource basis is even can send our conservation message more dangerous and more fragile. This out. We have to recognize that we is a very important point to make that we are at the disadvantage here. Human are living beyond our needs. If you look development is a current whether we at the map of where the consumption are going to control it. We also need is happening, this evaluates the size of to be realistic about our goals. the country, the level of consumption that is going on in that country. You can January 2, 2009 When are thinking about the see it is really imbalanced between conservation, we have to think where the biodiversity is, where the the pieces on the map. This is a wealth of natural resources are, and project that I have been involved where the wealth in terms of economy in Indonesia, in Sulawesi, trying to and finances are, there is a major map out the conservation priorities in imbalance. Look at the size of Japan, Sulawesi. We took all the available look at North America, look at Brazil data, the bio data, the environmental on the other hand, and many of the data, the geological data and put countries in Africa, where a lot of the them altogether and came up with this biodiversity is. So you can see there map here. We are trying to pinpoint is a major imbalance here between where the most important pieces are the wealthy countries in term of the on this chessboard if you want to think economies and wealthy countries in it that way, and where to focus our terms of biodiversity. We have to think strategy. This kind of thinking is very about that when we are thinking about bible. There are a lot of organizations the conservation endgame. There doing this kind of study. I think they is a communication crisis. We have are very important. But I think there enormous amount of information. I is also another on earth in 1971 how told my undergraduates that when many hectares those people are I was a undergraduate, we knew a using per hectare that are occupied. small fraction of biology than we have If you are in the purple region, you known now. What they had taught me are using a lot more earth than you was relatively small subside of what actually occupied. So this is 2001. It we know now. So it is actually a much is saying now we are reaching 120% bigger challenge as a biology professor of capacity of earth productivity. We to teach biology, particularly in a general are consuming more than the earth way to undergraduates, to non-majors, if producing. We are living on credit because we know so much more basically and we have seen recently biology now than we did. So what do we in the US what this can do with the teach? That’s actually a major problem. economy. The idea of living on credit How do we communicate this idea to

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the general public? It is even more urbanized, the concept of ‘biophilia’ is challenging when you think about the going to have less power. I think we urbanization of the world’s population. need some kind of iconography, some This is an interesting map showing way expressing these connections and you the travel time from any location the importance of biodiversity to the on earth to a major urban city. It’s general public. Just show you some actually getting lighter and lighter. draft about how to get these across and You see here the scale bar, how January 2, 2009 it’s in working progress. many days it takes to reach a major urban city from any location on earth. Thinking about the tree of life. I think The world is definitely shrinking. It it is a very powerful symbol and is not just a figure of speech. We something that gained recently so are rapidly connecting all the dots. we have been able to understand the You can almost see on dark spots historical relationships among all the in North America. There is no place species and life. Somebody presents in the US where is more than a few some problems when you use it as an hours away from a city. So it is a very icon because it implies directionality small world. A lot of the people are and lineages. If you teach in the US, living in city. We are reaching a major it is also a very controversial notion tipping point that more than half of that we are related to primates, we all the world’s population lives in the city connected in the history of life. It seems that happened in the past few years. like the most non-controversial issue to Most of the people do not come in me. They just hooked around. But as we contact with the natural world. How are becoming increasingly urbanized, are we going to communicate the people have very little experience with importance of nature to humanity that the natural world. This idea of natural has had very little experience with selection being an controversy still has a nature? That is a major challenge lot of weight. So I would like to introduce in getting our message across as the idea of sever pillars of biodiversity. conservations and importance of Thinking about the major lineages and biodiversity. If you walk outside, how they relate to one another, in a very there are a lot of kids playing in the simple sense, microbes, plants, fungi, garden. But the garden is actually a invertebrates, vertebrates, Our wealth, very carefully medically controlled our health, and everything that in our in relation to our true willingness. lives are maintained by countless other So how do we communicate with living things. Let’s kind of walk through these people? E.O. Wilson put the these seven pillars. Micros, they are the idea of ‘biophilia’ forward but since earliest one of life, the simplest design, we are becoming more and more

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with a single circular genome which is earth are fungi. In the soil a single clone a single chromosome. They are also can cover counties in Wisconsin. They very vital because they contribute are very good at recycle, re-using, chloroplast and mitochondria to the and reducing. They can come in quite rest of lives. Our cells depend upon shocking color sometimes. So you can mitochondria and plant cells capture modify this a little bit as well. Fungi often sunlight using chloroplast. These form association with plants, so they

January 2, 2009 things are originally microbes. So you have some kind of connection to plants. can modify the seven pillars of life by They also run parasity on different having the vertebrates, invertebrates organisms. Fungi do not interrupt other and fungi resting on microbes. Then organisms in a whole bunch. They do everything we do, is depending on not have any kind of spore dispersal microbes. You can also have some mechanism or very few. They do not kind of inter-connections of microbes really do much about seed dispersal into these different ranges of life. things acted with other organisms.

So plants. The capture solar energy, SO invertebrates. This is the most turn it into sugar, fiber, fuel, and diverse clade of life. They interact wood, so they are very important with every kind of organisms in every resources that we use. All ecosystems ecosystem. They provide very central are structured upon them. Natural pollination services. So insects, the productivity comes primarily from most diverse and most important in plants. The grass family contributes ecosystems. I also would like to bring most to our food and energy. So up spiders. I become fascinated with they are very critical for ecosystems spiders in the last couple of years since everywhere. Then you can modify living in the garden. It can be a very the structure again a little bit, and put good indicator of habitat quality and plants at the base. But you still have condition because they are predators a interface of microbes and you have on a invertebrate level. They are the top this big interconnection between the predators many times and often hunt in mitochondria and the chloroplast different ways. We have web-building between plants and microbes. So all of spiders for sampling flies and that kind these things are very interconnected. of invertebrates; we have jumping spiders that are running around and So fungi. Maybe you can think of it as hunting. This is actually a spider that the ‘Internet’ of the natural world. You looks like an ant. There are a number might see it everywhere. In the soil of ant-mimics that are jumping spiders. they connect many different organisms. See its front legs have kind of turned Some of the largest organisms on into antenna-mimics. I thinks spiders are

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a very neglected group. It can be very occurred to things on earth, humans informative about habitat condition. evolved. So here we are somewhere So you can modify this a little bit on this vertebrate pillar and we began more. Invertebrates encounter much to very rapidly expand. Now we totally larger and you can have interactions dominate earth. We wrapped ourselves here between invertebrates and around very pillar and invaded every plants because there is pollination little space on this pillar of life. Most going on. They provide central foods ‘wildlife’ has undergone a recent and January 2, 2009 to a lot of invertebrate species. It is dramatic reduction in population size good to remember there is increasing and ecological dominance. So humans diverse speciation between plants are have become a very important part of invertebrates occur. the ecosystems worldwide.

So vertebrates. We are kind of late How did humans manage to do this? comers in the history of life when we We created these artificially controlled about ecosystem. We provide really ecosystems based upon agriculture few direct services except those are and domestication. So now we have a domesticated. So the vertebrates very directional ecosystem. All these are fit here. We do provide some microbes, plants, invertebrates are seed dispersal services and things all kind of bound together by human to plants. While they do provide a lot activity. We create crops, we create of services to us. We made a little fields, we provide fertilizers, we put a bit modification so this is an ever lot of artificial inputs of the ecosystem more complex situation where there so forth we create this artificial pillar of are a lot of interconnection between agriculture. those pillars. It is no longer the idea that pillars are next to each other but When we first began to develop, we they are inter-linked, inter-locked. had a few human populations coming The width of indicates diversity, the out and quickly we took over more and height indicate productivity. I am more of this. For one thing, agriculture sure you have noticed I have been dose increase the productivity normally. talking about 7 pillars but I only We can usually get more biomass out of talked about five. I am talking about the region using agriculture than natural the natural situation so we have systems do. So we kind of dominate these 5 major pillars, they are very these regions more and more, and intertwined, and interdependent. fragmented natural areas quite a bit. They developed over hundreds of millions of year of evolution, then we The seventh pillar to me, will be have this very dramatic event that biodiversity itself. If we can teach people

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that we are truly not alone, we are we possibly stand without it and do we only a species that aligns many other want to? We are not alone in this world. species, we are actually integrated into We have nature within us. We rely on nature. We have microbes living in our nature for everything. We must not cells; we have bacteria in our blood; forget that we are not alone. we have many different organisms that living with us, upon us and associated That’s it.

January 2, 2009 with us. We are definitely not alone.

You might have noticed as I am going through this there is a kind of fillings Q&A nature of natural systems inside this network of human dominance. We Person 1 can think of humans as a strangling Q: Thanks for this fantastic talk. Is fig. If we are a small seed germinated there some relation between the DNA on top of this pillar of life, we grow barcoding and genome sequencing and down and we wrapped more and which one is cheaper? more around the rest of the natural world. Will we kill our host? That’s a A: You do not really have to go to very fundamental question. Thinking Chiang Mai to listen to the talk. We are about human as a strangling fig can going to post a summary of the genomic be a powerful way for people who work that we have done, how we use may not have a understanding of the data, and how the data can be prey and predator relationship, what potentially used. invertebrates and fungi are. It might be a compelling vital way to present I think the answer depends on the them. We can actually add more and objective of your data. I think the DNA more details into this. You can present barcode will be very for things that data and ecosystem in a more stick designed for it. But I think we can get mathematical way based upon this beyond the idea of simply sampling the kind of symbolism. You can actually forest. We are facing such a crisis of use it to instruct people about the environment and we cannot wait. We brilliance of ecosystem and the human are waiting for the genomic technology relationship to it. to benefit the tropical biology and it will be too late. In a decade, we will I would like to end it with a few finally have the technology but we will questions. Thinking about people as a have nothing to study. It is still a wise decision to go ahead and invest. It may strangling fig on the tree of life, could

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take you a couple of years to get a get your markers, put them on chip and good answer. But what you will get is then you screen your DNA against that so much more powerful than a single chip. There is no PCR, no sequencing barcode. You will be able to look at reaction. It is a DNA strand hybridization functional genes and many aspects reaction. It is much more simple and of genome evolution. I think adopting sensitive. Then you can go to the field this technology is available now. and screw a little bit fluid from that leave

January 2, 2009 It is actually going to get cheaper. into this thing, and they will identify for You can use the budget that John you. mentioned to sequence on a order of 10,000 species. It is just the problem of handling the data. But I think it is capable. Once you get to the point, in a day you are done. You give me the data, in a few days I will get to the point. Developing these pipelines is the problem but once they are in place. As for the machines, I am talking to people of Beijing Institute of Genomics. They are very interested with what I am doing. They are using SOLiD, which is actually a different machine producing different kind of data so it is another level of difficulty for analysis. But I think this will all be cracked by someone. So I think it is worth investment. We are going to send more samples to resequence. We have examples from chestnut family and all the major branches in that clade. We will be able to do a lot. In response to what John said about sequencing technology, if you look at what people use as genome type platforms, for humans, for domesticate animals, PCR sequencing has nothing to do with it. It is like you create a database,

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Bringing scientific institutions into action

14:00-17:30 Friday, 2 January 2009 January 2, 2009

Chairman: Dr. Peter W. Jackson National Botanic Gardens of Ireland

14:00 – 14:45: Turning challenges into opportunities: need for supporting empirical and applied research agenda for achieving an adaptive management regime for biodiversity conservation and sustaining ecosystem services Mr. Hasan Moinuddin GMS Environment Operations Center, Thailand

14:45-15:30 Conservation on Yunnan golden monkey Prof. Long Yongcheng The Nature Conservancy China, China

15:30-16:00 Coffee Break and Poster

16:00-16:45 Perspectives of botanical gardens’ contribution to biodiversity conservation Prof. Dr. CHEN Jin Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

16:45-17:30 Tropical seed conservation and ecosystem services: a research perspective Dr. Hugh W. Pritchard Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK

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Turning challenges into opportunities: need for supporting empirical and applied research agenda for achieving an adaptive management regime for biodiversity conservation and sustaining ecosystem services January 2, 2009

Mr. Hasan Moinuddin GMS Environment Operations Center, Thailand

I would ask the first speak Dr. Hasan days. And I think that while we were Moinuddin from the Greater Mekong looking at high tech and advancement Subregion environment operation in knowledge as we go along, I would center in Thailand to make his like perhaps bring you a little back presentation on: turning challenges to the Stone Age. And that is to deal into opportunities: need for supporting with human beings and the nature of empirical and applied research decision-making etc. Now, the title here agenda for achieving an adaptive is a little bit too populate, be very long, management regime for biodiversity but what I am trying to say is the XTBG conservation and sustaining has played a role in this program and I ecosystem services. would like to look at that role and also see whether future perhaps should be. Thank you very much! Good afternoon! I hope you’ll not have any Before we begin, just a quick questions after the lunch. So that introduction or information: what is a was very strategy decision to put GMS, the Greater Mekong Subregion? this because my presentation will be A program that six counties in Asia, different from all the curricula you including China, which two provinces have seen for the last one and a half in China are part of the Greater

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Mekong Subregion. The others are island, may be an island were sinking. Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Launched into 2006, stages have been and Thailand. Now they meet every equaled to the second environment three years in the summit, it is called ministers’ meeting in 2008. And we are the GMS summit or heads of state. working to scaling up by Biodiversity The last summit took place in the Conservation Corridors Initiative activity March 2008 in Phnom Penh. And by 2011. Basically, what is the approach before that, there was the second by Biodiversity Conservation Corridors January 2, 2009 summit that took place in 2005 in Initiative? So we know that protected Kunming. They have GMS ministers’ areas are there. And there is a huge meetings that are basically meeting move to actually establish as many of finance ministers, because finance protected areas as possible. Sometimes ministers are actually driving the the target was flag as at least 10 to 12% GMS investment. The Asian Develop of the total land area of the world, even Bank only acts as secretary and more, if possible. facilitator. And we have about 11 major sectors in the Greater Mekong Currently, as you may have heard even Subregion are going on. If you look yesterday Dr. Chiu Sein as well, you here, you have an enrollment. There know, there is very little land available is a working group on the enrollment. on the production. What we saw in Just give you an idea: it is an informal our discussion of the design was that integration of institutions that work protected areas are islands sitting together. And most of the programs around and they are getting more and that RDB implemented about probably more intricate into enclosure or even 12 to 13 billion dollars investment of cut of or even be deserted in some which the Asian Development Bank countries. We saw that the connectivity, only has a third of that. The second the basic ideas-defragment. You GMS summit, here is a picture of connect either through a linear corridor that, indoors, as well as the first or a stepping-stone corridor, or through Environment Ministers’ Meeting which a sustainable landscape, which have was held 2005. They are indoors. a various variety or diverse land-use options. Now the corridor obviously will The Biodiversity Conservation be protected area, but then you need Corridors Initiative, we use to buffer them with isolation, and then abbreviation BCI. Yesterday I saw you need to create something here, Prof Kress, I think, put out also BCI so continuous strips of land etc or but that is supposed to be island stepping-stones on larger landscapes. somewhere. But this one is not in More importantly what are the sub-

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borders of the program are first of all tri-border forest area between Laos, improve livelihoods. We think there is Cambodia and Vietnam. Here is the no conservation possible without the Cardamom Mountains. This is basically human dimension. We have to take bordering on the part of Thailand on development; specially life will be this side. Here is the Western Forestry expected consideration or also take Complex. Dr. Chiu Sein yesterday into account. Then we have optimum said well the large primate mammals basically still exist here, which is true. January 2, 2009 land-use. Most of the land that is currently available in the Greater This is a connectivity we are talking Mekong Subregion still hasn’t resolve about Concorca in the south and the issues of land continue and land Western Forestry Complex in the north. excise. You will have varieties of Here is Xishuangbanna and you are management regimes and this is looking at the northern part of Laos important to actually give proper land here. As well as we are looking at analysis and land-use right to many northern part of Vietnam from this side. of the biologists, for example, there We are given have been the gain read are over 70 or 80 million right now been discovered, so to say, as well as within the Greater Mekong Subregion. the donkey’s slap doors, south china Restoration is a very important monkey. Now these are some of the part of it, as I said connectivity is pilot sites we have. I’ll just skip this and important. So that restoration that go strike to the targets. make for the ecosystem productivity and hence capacity of a sustainable Now the conventional biodiversity development. Capacity needs to actually has a target of 2015 which talks be built also at the local level and about protected areas, protected area the provincial level as well as the sustain and integrate wider landscapes. nation level. And finally there is no They of course use seascapes from implementation without financing in marine areas. Now if I look at the 2009 the long term. Our program is a ten target of the BCI, what you see here year program, so we are going a little are these pinkish type of lines are bit infinite. corridors of economic development. The Greater Mekong Subregion Now what we started with, as I said, countries have decided that they would is trans-boundary areas, we are like to have connectivity along these looking at trans-boundary areas. zones, and connectivity is through Here is Vietnam and Laos. This is these economical corridors, which also called the central land map. You get means that they cut right through large border land map here. Here is the landscapes of high biodiversity areas. These high biodiversity areas basically

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have been assessed on the basis the protected areas basically were the of many studies and services and national nature reserves; for example, literature that is there in biodiversity. these are national nature reserves What we actually mean to say is how here. You have another nature reserve, we can mitigate the impacts of corridor which has a more of a provincial level. development as well as economical You also have some provincial nature development along these corridors. reserves and you have smaller nature

January 2, 2009 This one actually comes from reserve like Mengsong so long and Kunming right down to Bangkok here. so far. Here although we thought this There is another southern corridor. should be a national nature reserve, this was not a national nature reserve. This By 2009, at least five biodiversity is the Mengsong forest area. I am going corridor pilot sites established, poverty to talk about a little bit later about that. reduction measures and restoration is undertaken and ecosystem What we learned was we together service payment mechanisms have with the help of scientists from XTBG been developed. This is our target. and from other parts of China we look Currently we have yard, we have got at what is the connectivity, where are draft corridor designs zoning and we going to see whether corridors are demarcation that have been proposed. possible, feasible and so on. So these Here we are. We have 9 important are some of the potential corridor areas measures that been undertaken. We that we are undertaken at that time have ecosystem restoration that has when I mapped and just made some been initiated in some of the site. of the basis for discussion. And finally We have payments for ecosystem when the project started we had this services under studied. corridor area that was chosen and this corridor area you know very well that Now currently we designed the you always think this line of opposition Xishuangbanna biodiversity corridor. so you thought this was the shortest We look at the economical corridor possible distance and see what we as I just have explained. This is our can do here. This is of course different tri-corridor from Kunming down. It elevations and two different nature goes to Jinghong, and then it is now reserves under two different institutions been collected with this highway one the YEPB or EPB, Environment that goes on to the Laos border and Protection Bureau and the other on move on. We look at this area and we the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve first said that what are the protected Bureau. areas that you can find. And most of

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Now in the corridor which goes these are some basic status, you know, between Mangao and Nabanhe. You a number of functions, religious, house see Nabanhe here. You get Mangao wards, population, the sizing factors of here. There are about 40 villages these corridors Shangyng-Mengla and that are in targeted, and this in theory Nabanhe - Mangao. of which we are currently looking at probably 15 or 16, something like And this is a sort of structure you may

January 2, 2009 that, within the first phase. Total area look very complex, but you have a of this corridor is 15446ha. If you look project manage officer here then is at satellite map, it’s about a year of prefecture guide’s group with high a half or you see you have Mangao leaders that are been moved to. In this here, you have Nabanhe here. box, there are a lot of people there. You see a slight, sort of you know, You see Prof. CHEN Jin’s name here. curbing snake-like from nation going You have Hu Shaoyun who is the to most of the slopes, steep slopes EPB director. And XTBG is one of the and high regions where forest is still organizations, here, with the others existing. What we do know that there like EPB and VH and so on and so far. are deers and other mammals etc. Right, there are some other cooperation that are still around and they move agencies also Agriculture Forest Bureau along. The other corridor that is in the and so on which are participating in this south, here we can see in this part. program. This is Shangyng, and that’s Mengla, and then here is the connectivity. What we do know currently is that on We found that there was not much the poverty alleviation the villages of inhabitants here, but all these areas all in funds have been set up. So they is robber. This all sounded by robbers have pilots in 6 villages. The villages under stage. This was the only really have received the money in their own green area that connecting these accounts. They have distributed the two. And there is a large, highway of money. As proposed, they have got it course going down to the south till back. Some of them have actually have the Laos border. So we found that got into a second cycle of the credit this is very important to have a food lending etc. The main reason is that it productions status there. We got is important to give the local people an them and take them out and they option to improve their livelihoods on moved out. And these are the current restoration savings have been prepared status that will be expectation some for restoration, different kinds of savings time under protected strategies of on the areas to be disturbed. They have corridor linking the two here. Now gone into feared. They have disturbed.

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Which areas be connectivity, what the just before the years we were there in villagers need to do in order to protect 2005 or maybe earlier. So we could see those areas which will be restored when you looked at land-use changes etc. If you look at one of the pictures, in Xishuangbanna basically immediately basically is talking about determine after 2003, 2004 after 2009 has been farmland improvement area. Here. So a rapid extension of rural plantation, farmland is not actually excluded. It which obviously is not bad. If there

January 2, 2009 is part of the restoration area. If you anybody said that was bad. We have are wanting, you also have diversity some problems with that maybe want with agro-forestry. Village-guards more focus on that. have been trained, security could be ensured. They are been hired by OK, emerging issues and challenges the villagers. They have been given I meant to highlight a few of these certain contract to work. vulnerability and risks to food security and biodiversity from the potential Now what is we are seen as one of the climate change impact is coming. And major achievements is that Mengsong, it is not just potential climate changing as I said, Mengsong forest area has impact. The main issues when you been looked at in terms of fit-ability. It have monoculture you also increase is fit-able to declare there is a nature vulnerability, of the people to market reserve. Basic information, report to vulnerability, of the pricing, and of that government officials, conservation me say academics that comes out and workshop, side-visit of the vice so on and so far. So it needs to be governor, you see, our on-sun heroes, also taken into consideration what kind most of them are being on-sun heroes of land-use they are having on their sitting here. Instructions are given to farms. Establishing policy regulation foreign bureau by the governors’ office framework, recognizing concept of for future planning. Conservation as biodiversity corridors is one of the well as I know is part of Bulong nature major challenges. Securing financial reserve. If you look at the next one, resources for the up-scaling investment this is not exactly the map of Bulong activities of the biodiversity corridors nature reserve, but this was the is another challenge. And then I have targeted area that one was studying. another slide on challenges. Competing I don’t know how to read Chinese, but land-uses, as I said, competing land- I am guessing. All these are robots. If uses actions, monoculture, cash crop you think it is different, let me know. expansion versus diversify and forestry OK, good! So when did it happen, it and agro-biodiversity models. We happened in the last two years. So have model on agriculture. I think what

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we are trying to do is to integrate local communities through diversity agriculture with forestry. Without to certification and agro-forestry, then bring, however, biodiversity move undertaking trans-boundary initiatives out into the corridors and see how it between Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and reports. Absence of producing policy finally the employed environment sector framework that gives incentives and approach. disincentives, absence of regulation OK, the up scaling of such corridor January 2, 2009 framework for establishing the corridors, creating forest databases initiatives would contain No.1, net cash through land model, social safeguard flow to households. We have to provide and net cash engross. Very important something for improving livelihoods social save guard right now because using village laboratory funds that we of a downtime of very high GDP get initiated. If they are successful, we growth rate in China. You are hope that this would be the major we are currently having liberties coming decentralizing directly let cash flows to back to their origins. We are thinking the people who are on the crown. No2, maybe there is an estimate of half land-use intonations are very important. a million re-back and also they will Very few people had actually indulged be going back to rural areas or to intonation after doing the protected area hand around in urban areas. The borders. They have just set down and government is trying to put it in the set down, that is enough. I don’t think public central investment program. that is enough. Buffering the protected areas within the corridors, propagating But our opportunities that we are diverse 19 options and sustainable talking about which is turning the forest management are really important. challenges into opportunities. One Yesterday you heard about volumes. would be, if the last one you look There is a lot, lot of forest, but there at the last one: linking founding for is less volume of yields. And I think up-scaling to enhancing rural land it’s the same forest management opportunities, social safeguard rule along way to create that. Cash- go back from forest sector and based deforestation avoidance under carbon sequestrate. The first one reduction of dimensions that is red; is enhancing carbon sequestration cash-based forest restoration with potential and deforestation of long; rotation indigenous species avoidance under REDD. REDD for carbon sequestration and again means reducing emissions from cash-based plantations, fast growing deforestation and land degradation. species for house-wards cash through Addressing food security in climate and promoting forwardly just wood change risks and vulnerability of processing.

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You see what we are looking at is can do something about it. So this that these are exciting times not has now been declared as a nature because of high-tech development reserve. So the question would be and knowledge, but also exciting can we do something at the Myanmar times because we are also grow. So border, can we do something at the 2009 this year will be the watermark Laos border. This is one of Dr. CHEN of trying to figure out whether we can Jin’s proposals in 2005. When you

January 2, 2009 survive financial. But in these times connect Xishuangbanna with Laos and we are also asked to look innovatively you connect Vietnam, across to Laos, in the challenges and the challenges and then we can see some corridor are, this is the right time to invest, right possibilities along these areas. time to invest in renewable energy, right time to invest in biodiversity OK, now I go to the future role and conservation through certain other expectations. I did not cite anything techniques that are there, or certain from the British Society or any other other frameworks that are there. And international. I am just stating a this also the right time to say: well, selection from the Chinese academy look at Robert, we just looked down of Sciences 9 transitions that were in this singer, you see the prices how declared by the president and Prof. Lu they are. Many of the farmers are on the 21st of November 2008. These basically dig out rice together and put are not all on line. I just take a few which everything under robber, what are you I thought, you know, a better select, going to eat tomorrow? We are the just to be my arguments. No.1, change robber and team prices are basically in research mode from an isolated, collapse. Of course, that will come free exploration to innovation activities aback after 6 month, 8 month, 1 year, concerning sustainable development; 2 years, but then you have the cycle No.2, change from conventional practice going up and down. So this is the right of laying stress only on research papers time to propagate. Rushing is always and awards to also give importance to propagating. innovative contributions of research work to practice and development OK, up-scaling of the BCI as I said, trends; No.3, stressing innovation and really had been looking at this in the technology transfer; No.6, converging last one and a half years. And this from a system mainly compose of area, this area is promising because research institutes according to about a tentative estimate is about academic decisions to a massive grade 80% of forest cover. It’s still intact. composed of both research institutes And we need to see whether we and innovation customs.

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Now we can not ask straight away and see these windmills are demons, how much of that has been down you know, big evil forces that we must because that just we’re among the fight them. And this one man on a half of this declaration has happened, horse with a little lance and try to fight and all the transitions will take a long against the windmills. Here what we time to happen. But my question say is on the personal level because is: what is XTBG doing in that there is a personal communication

January 2, 2009 framework? Because XTBG is one of and acceptance and there is a person the major pioneer institutions. The key on the governor’s side, the prefecture questions that are very importantly is who is willing , understanding and yes. XTBG is a pioneering biodiversity listening that things are happened, research in the serial, and XTBG has that the management decision that are an excellent database and has a very be taken. But is this institutionalized? good reputation now build up over the It is not institutionalize. CAS has a years. Can XTBG link as pioneering great standing in China. Can CAS diversity research to economic see whether the prefecture and research and provide a plat form for prevention levels and these roles policy makers to understand dollars been institutionalized? Do we have a and RMB in the context of ecosystem commission here in XTBG because services? You see, ministry or finance, of its major role be played yet, can develop planners, policy makers, play this role on a continuous bases. politicians, they know money. I also Currently what we see is a lot of know money. Now if you talk about personal conflicts, here and there. biodiversity, oh, my goodness, this is I don’t like this, I mean this, we are a rare, this is a demon, this is…..Ur, not there anymore. So that is what I beg your pardon, what did you say? am saying, we are back to the stone- To go researchers and professors age, you know. So whatever scientific and stuff who are working on advancement we do, whatever implementation of activity. Can XTBG knowledge we have, we may go around play a policy and implementation role, with our mobile phones, getting a turning challenges into opportunities? little bit of the sap and looking at the Currently I know in the BCI program genome here. Out there, we are back that Dr. CHEN Jin and others have in the Stone Age. So we have to do a been instrumental in getting in the focus; we have to do understanding; we Bulong nature reserve established. have to do accept ion; we have grow The Bulong nature reserve is actually these institutionalized manner. And that like dokesho if you ever heard of is what the XTBG opportunities are: that story rushing against windmills turning challenges into opportunities.

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And I thank you very much. I hope I one of the major conditionality is the am in time. lunch market. What is the current status of the forest and how much carbon Thank you very much for that speech. sequestration is there, and what is the Any questions anyone would like to conditionality, what are we bringing put? in terms of conditionality. So I think in the up-scaling that will be part of the research that we will do continuous January 2, 2009 Q & A research and at the same time we will look at the existing information that Person 1 we have, and look at the design of the Q: Nature reserves, the question: how indigenous species. In Thailand we do you assess the capacity of the know that the framework approach tree species in occurrence of carbon has been used in Chiangmai, which sequestration? has a lot of number of species that are A: There are a few research programs putting there. But the department of ongoing that are looking at forest national parks and forest department in ecosystem types. The forest Thailand have used much less number ecosystem, each forest ecosystem of species and yet have created a type, whether is a dry forest or is very good comeback of that kind of evergreen forest etc or deciduous forests under the JUPI program in the forest, has a particular carbon last ten years. Now the question is not sequestration potential even all the whether there is 100% sequestration, gross and land and deforestation, etc. 50% sequestration. I think the question We are looking at mature evergreen is that if you have plenty, in normally forest about 7T (tones) per ha-1yr-1 ends up to an average to 10T ha-1yr-1. of carbon sequestration. And we are Because it is growing and it absorbs looking at plantations, new plantations much larger quantities. If there is a of sequestration potential about 10T mature forest, that the forest ecosystem per ha-1yr-1. What happened here defines exactly what is the range of is that already some researches in carbon sequestration. So I think you Xishuangbanna has taken place do not choose the species because of on one or two our selected forest carbon sequestration. You choose the ecosystems. And I am going to look at species because of forest ecosystem that in our next BCI design up-scaling compatibility. What is compatible in the document and try to present that. next door, and that is where we go in Under the reduction of a mission from terms of framework. deforestation and land degradation, Person 2

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Q: Different country has the different are implementing, WWF assisting. In situation. For example in China, China, let’s comes back to Yunnan, the the project is facilitated by the local government is implementing; the XTBG institute like XTBG, and some other is assisting and giving technique advice country like Cambodia which is and is part of the implementation team. facilitated by the international NGOs. However, in the BCI up-scaling, XTBG So whether any judgment so what basically will probably provide research kind of approach is much more services and technique advice and January 2, 2009 success in the long-term perspective. we are not being on the mainstream implementation. Implementation has to A: OK, I lost my presentation here be taken out. So phase-wise we have where the monkeys are present planned this way. here. But I can say that, let’s look at country-by-country and just be Person 3 let grave very grave, you see. In Q: You mentioned money and everybody Thailand, the entire implementation cares that. What are going to do with is down by the government agencies. the farmers? You have to give some There are no NGOs at all. And incentives that means probably if you they are doing quite a good job. gain some money from ecosystem In Vietnam, there is collaboration services …how much money you save between prevention governments’ per hectare or spent ... implementation and the WWF. But that was also ended in Phase 1, A: Yeah, very important question. I because it is been prepared for up- think one of the reasons why we have scaling in phase 2. In Cambodia, testing the village revolving funds at because of the institutional, structure village level is when we went out the was there. After the civil war finished implementation and all our expanding the international NGOs were able to from XTBG are here. You can find get decorations of protected areas. out that one of the questions resided Now they are sitting in there like is should be account whether the territory position holders in there. money should be given the involving But that is changing dramatically. In fund should back we at the township? the second phase, the prevention Because that is larger, you know, governments are going to takeover. organization units that have government So that is the stages we are moving control. And all the villagers, as I know, into because each country has a we don’t like that. We don’t want to do different. In Laos, it’s completely that. So we decided that these funds different. The national government is must be operated and controlled by in charge. The prevention government the villagers. That is our conduit. We

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use that conduit in Vietnam. We use Q: I want to know do you have some that conduit in Thailand. We use the expectations of the future of the same mechanism here to first get corridors. Let’s say when it takes 50 start their own fund, let them get years, how we look at the corridors? expedience now when come in but ecosystem service maybe come in. A: Well, I am not sure how they look like. Our suggestion always would be But the program has a 2015 target. And

January 2, 2009 never put it into a centralized regional, the 2015 target for the program, if as we provincial, prefecture never fund, are proceeding to Phase 2 and Phase never. All this go directly to either 3, and we know that the Environment the villagers or the community based Ministers’ meeting in Phnom Penh organizations, associations that has already asked us to prepare for are working in other countries that the investment framework. The 2015 are doing this kind of similar work. target is that every corridor that will Give them the money directly; let working on from the year 2006-2007 will them account for it, even if there is have some connectivity reestablished a linkage of low percent percentiles. between the protected areas. This In this more important for them to is one. Whether the stepping- understand gross through level stones are related to linear forest, democracy and dealing with this whatever it’s possible. No. 2 we’ll have under decentralized level. We have sustainable use options there, of land- learned this experience from many use. Sustainable use means that the other Southeast Asian and substation monoculture will be with other diversity countries. So that will be our way fighting in forms of land-use. We do forward. In the example from Laos, not question that robbery is important. which has already a similar system Robbery is very important. Coffee is where this sent are being account. It important; tea is important; all these is the operatives of hydropower have are very important. But our question agreed to put the revenue that they is a balance. The balance is important will generate from which percentiles because even taking our vegetation will go for BES. We may put it into a cover from one area obviously create big fund. We still wonder to know how landslip. And that landslip needs to road it’s going to work. I personally feel maize land costs. Those are costs that that’s under right base. So that would I externalize. Nobody actually thinks be my long answer to your short about that. But we have to get the question. government to understand that they are certain vulnerable areas where robber Person 4 has to go, where forest cover have

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to comeback. And that’s the issue. large mammals are actually moving So by 2015 at least, we will have north to south. And what needs to be listed the 3rd most important parties, done to restore these areas, to continue then livelihood will back. There is a and enhance that movement. In China, livelihood coming out of this activity. they have down some surveys of what There is a connection between people kind of mammals and others are moving were living there and the protected in the corridor. They have not yet put any monitor system because there is no January 2, 2009 environment not because they are under force or they are under some large-scale distraction. The distraction big police, but they understand that of forest grows very slowly, and it just there is valuable income coming out goes, you know, meter by meter. So we of that forest. Be it a romantic, be it need to perhaps find out what kind of senses, be it oils, be it NTFPs, or be monitoring will be putting in place once it entertainment. So this is our vision biodiversity corridors are established for 2015. 2050, if the climate change in regular framework, I think, in China. continues as it supposed to, then I am But in other countries there is some very pessimistic here. monitoring.

Closing remarks

Chairman: Could I finish with, are you aware this: biodiversity is currently already using the corridors for movement between these important areas, and have got mechanisms and base to monitor to what extents this would be to have important and justified their existence.

Answers: Yes, in different countries it is different, at different stages. I think give you one example from Thailand as I said, which is connecting Western Parts of Campracham. They have done a very detailed analysis and survey of which mammals, which

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Conservation on Yunnan golden monkey January 2, 2009

Prof. Long Yongcheng The Nature Conservancy - China

First of all, I would like to thank for monkeys. So it’s really the first time for Prof. Chen Jin’s invitation to such me. a meeting. I really appreciate this opportunity to enjoy so many nice So, my presentation will have three presentations. It might take me 1 parts. The first one is about the species. month to digest the questions that Then I will tell you the history about the raised in this meeting. survey in the past and the third part will be what we are doing so far. I think XTBG is really amazing to me in two ways. The first one is in So, at the first part for this species, such a remote town such a great what I can say is that they are beautiful gathering with so many talents here creature, great creation of the god. to present their findings and propose Here the god is actually the nature. This some of the insights. The second is the concept proposed by a Dutch one is that so many botany students philosopher, Baruch de Spinoza, about just stay here and listen to my talk on three and half centuries ago.

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So, this is the monkey, with a face monkeys. Here you see the fir forests and red lips. It’s a really humanlike are their main habitats. When I first animal. And you see this is a soldier travel to US in Oregon in 1991 I saw so of The Flying Tiger. And I think many many fir forests in the area and said, of you must be very familiar with the ‘We should bring some golden monkeys Flying Tiger, which is famous during here’. But actually, all the creatures are the 2nd world war. So when look at the created by the god (the nature) and you mouth and the teeth, you can see that can find that they always have certain January 2, 2009 the monkey is really very human like ecological function in that ecosystem, creature. Almost no difference! And I which makes sure zero waste in the should also mention that this monkey system. So if you bring something to is the biggest monkey in the world. somewhere as the artificial modification, Some of the males can be over 50 then you can hardly avoid such kilograms, but I just say 40 kilograms. mistakes because we are human From this photo, you can see how beings, not god—the nature. huge the male is. The female is usually about 10 to 15 kg. But the male you Lichen is their main diet. In this world, can see here, if you put Yaomin and very few mammals use lichen as their his wife sit together, that might be the main diet. So this is very creative and same contrast. Most of the primates unique ecology niche. This species is are found in tropical area because very different from any other kinds of they don’t have fat under the skin, and primate species as far as we know. that’s why they can hardly bear the Unlike the all the other flower and cold. These monkeys are very special coniferous plants, the lichen doesn’t and they are always associated with have the one-year cycles. snow mountains. So sometimes they can go up to 5000 meters above see These monkeys spend a lot of time on level. Actually, I did have a chance to the ground. Sometimes the momkeys take photos on the monkeys while I will bring the baby on the ground to was standing at the elevation about search for food and so the kids will be 4750 meter. able to learn the skills. Based on my observation in 1998, the monkeys spent This is so unusual. That’s a unique about 20% of their time on the ground. adaptation, which we know very little Actually I do have a bias to give such so far even after a study that have a result because: 1) you can see the lasted for over two decades. It is monkeys in a distant if they are on the very hard to see the monkeys in wild. tree crowns; 2) you can only see them Sometimes, it will take us about 3 in a very close distance when they are months for only one glimpse of the on the ground.

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The basic unit for the monkey’s But in the literature, you can always society is the one male unit (OMU). find it was 1890. It was wrong because One male usually have 3 or 4 wives. everybody just cited each other. In this picture, the male has four Actually, only in last year,when I had a wives. Maybe that’s why the male is chance to read the original publication so tired, and its status may keep for in 1898 in French, I noticed that the about 5-10 years and then another date was 1895, a five-year difference.

January 2, 2009 one in that group would take his place. The competition for mates is The field survey in China was performed very fierce. That’s why the males by Professor Li Zixiang, Ma Shilai and become bigger and bigger, and the Wang Yingqiang from Kunming Institute average weight is 40 kg. of Zoology in this site. It was in 1980 that for the first time human knew about So now, I will talk about the surveys the monkey in the wild. Then Professor and history in the past. First record Bai Shouchang from Kunming Institute about the species is taken by a of Zoology performed a field survey French missionary in 1871. He wrote to search for all the populations in the in his report in 1871, Dec. 26, ‘Oh, I wild. By he just collected some stories heard somebody said that there is a from the local communities. The real huge black monkey with a long tail in search for all the populations is done the northwest Yunnan’. But later, in by me. This is really a long process. 1895, in a real survey searching for Initiated this in 1987, it took me almost the living specimen, Biet and Soulie ten years to find all the populations. The were successful to get 7 specimens data was published in 1994 and 1996. and brought them to French. Biet was Recently somebody mentioned a new another French missionary who then observation of Vietnam golden monkey served as the bishop in northwest found in the boarder between China Yunnan’s Deqing County. and Vietnam, which is a new population. I think we should just announce to the The first Chinese scientist who found world when we’ve found all of them. this species is Professor Peng from Kunmin Institute of Zoology. In 1962, No.1 in this map shows the place where he collected 8 hides in a shop in they recorded the monkey for the first Deqing County. His finding confirmed time. I changed the location just one the existence of this species. month ago because according to the literature, the monkeys are called by the Another thing I should mention is local people “ZHICHA”. Only the local that Biet and Soulie found it in 1895. people there call this monkey in that

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way. But recently, when I carefully of the integration are right and some are study the first publication in 1898, I not. found this site. All the 7 specimens came from the three sites nearby. During the survey done in 2005, 5 local So only one month ago, I changed management authorities were involved that. and this is the results.

No.2 is just one-day walk from Here I would like to raise one question: January 2, 2009 Deqing. It is the place where the Why in such a large area, more than Chinese scientist first saw the 10 thousand square kilometers, the monkeys in wild. From this site, total population of the monkey is so Chinese scientists collected 3 little while this area within the Yunnan specimens and they are still stored Baima Snow mountain National Nature in Kunming Institute of Zoology. But Reserve, which is less than 3 thousand the population is extinct already. At square kilometers, we can see that that time, this is the only site where almost over 60%-70% of the total the survey team actually saw the population of the species? While within monkey. the nature reserve, the monkeys here in this area about 100 square kilometers These circles (on the graph) are are more than those found in all the rest drawn based on the interview with of the reserve. Why? I think the reason local communities done by Professor for this phenomenon is the protection Bai Shouchang. In fact, they didn’t for the monkeys is in place in the have coordinates. I just put that like reserve, especially in this site. This also this based on the original map and means there is no much real protection their position related to the rivers. for the monkey species in other places. Bai claimed the monkey then has 11 groups with 800 individuals in total. Now we’ve found three groups of the monkey have been extinct. For an This is my survey results published instance, this is the 1st site where our in 1994. This is the first time to give Chinese scientists saw the monkeys. coordinates and size for each of the The specimen are still there, but the 20 populations. monkey population has vanished. Three groups are still outside the nature This is the map for the monkey’s reserve. You see, the monkeys do geographical distribution and not know the boundary of the nature population published in 1996 also by reserve. They just live where the diet is. me. I integrated the 20 populations into 13 ones though actually some As I mentioned, hunting is still the main

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threat to the monkeys, otherwise partnership for the monkey species we will not have the situation that range-wide conservation action. this place with such high population Fortunately, we got the half a million while other places so few. Habitat US dollars fund and then got all the loss poses another chief threat in the partners to be involved in the action. long run because we have so many We have mobilized some scientists people, even in northwest Yunnan. (both domestic and overseas), and all

January 2, 2009 kinds of authorities, including SFA (State This is some data published on Forest Administration), Yunnan forestry “Molecular Ecology” in 2007. We department, Tibet forestry department, found three gene-pools for the and all the local management monkey species range-widely. You authorities in the area to be involved can see this is the one outside the in the action. From this photo, you nature reserves and it is also the most can see these guys are from the Tibet endangered gene-pool. Forestry Bureau. I tried to bring all of them together and sat down for the Also the needs of the HR( Human discussion on the species conservation Resource) and financial resource issues. This photo shows the 2nd for the local management are meeting of the Yunnan sunb-nose desperate. For an instance, Baima monkey project steering meeting, and Snow Mountain National Nature we also have the 3rd and 4th meetings Reserve has only 7 staff, and they for the project. are supposed to take care of an area almost 3000 square kilometers. That’s We also have a local ranger training impossible. of the management authorities, and then they could know how to do the I took this photo just last year. It management, how to survey, and how shows sometimes we have no tents to take care of the animals. It’s very or shelters to stay. The working important to get support from local condition is very poor. At the moment communities. we are trying to promote the tourism in that area, and perhaps this is the We initiated the “hunters to protectors” only way for us to sustain the monkey project, and we establish the hunter populations found in that area. conservation association in the area. This guy is over 80 years old and he Now I should mention what we used to be the best hunter in the village are doing for this species for the and had already killed over 100 Yunnan conservation. First one is that we golden monkeys in the past. However, are trying to build and sustain the he is now teaching his son to be a good

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protector. could be easily look up from the system. That’s a really kind of the application We also initiated the conservation of the concept that Richard mentioned biology study on the monkeys. Now yesterday. a international study center is going to be established soon. Yunnan The last thing we did is try to promote provincial government has taken this the public awareness and get support

January 2, 2009 into the agenda and so far 50 million from society. This is a book published Chinese Yuan has been in place for the public appreciation. This is the already. I do believe in near future it assistant secretary of the Department will attract the eyeballs of the world. of States of US. She came all the way from US to see the monkeys in the This is a picture from the discovery field with me. This is Yunnan’s two channel. We are trying to formulate top officials held this monkey photo in the China Golden Monkey last year’s NPC. So we are expecting Conservation Action Plan, not just such conservation action will soon Yunnan golden monkey, but also get quite some support from Chinese other two species of the golden government. That’s what I want to say. monkey genus. The action will cover 7 provnices, including Yunnan, Thanks. Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Hubei, Guizhou and Tibet. So we have done a lot of discussions with local Q & A management authorities and local rangers about this action. Now we Person 1 are trying to persuade State Forestry Q1: The monkeys only eat the lichens? Administration to formulate such Not fruits? action plan. Chinese government has set aside a lot of money for the action A: The main diet of the monkey is lichen, already and just wait for the action because it is such a universal food plan for the guidance. in that area and you can find lichens everywhere. Of course they would like We are also trying to set up a GIS- to taste fruits with no much sugar. They based Info Management System. usually prefer the food that is bitter in The 50*50 meter grid system has tasty. As you know, fruit is only available been set up for whole Laojun seasonally while the lichen can be found Mountain Area, which is about 7,000 all year around. Just like the people in square kilometers. All the detailed South China, we have rice everyday, information for each of this grids

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but we also have cucumbers or took to realize the changes. pumpkins for certain seasons. A: That’s a good question. It really took Q2. What is the relationship between a long time. I had to contact the local this monkey species and the golden hunters to search for the monkeys monkeys in Guizhou, Hubei, and during the long process for searching other provinces? the monkey populations, and then many

January 2, 2009 of the local hunters are my friends A: They are from the same genus, the already. Usually, they are the best and genus of golden monkeys. We call most prestigious hunters in the region. them golden monkeys because the After such two decades, we established first species in this genus is Sichuan very good relationship, very intimate. golden monkey with really golden Also, they became the true lovers of the hair and it looks real golden in color. monkeys during the process. We also So this monkey genus is named as established the Hunter Conservation golden monkey genus. When we Association in the local area, and kept found the other 3 species in this them under the management of local genus and found they are not golden forestry bureau. Now they stop hunting in color, it is noo late since the genus and become protectors to work for the name is used already. That’s why we local forestry bureau. keep on calling them golden monkey. Vietnam golden monkey, Guizhou Person 3 golden monkey, Sichuan golden Q: About the hunting, is there a market monkey and Yunnan golden monkey for it or just local consumption? are the four species in the genus. The Vietnam golden monkey usually lives A: Mainly local consumption, but in lower than 1,000m asl., the Guizhou the past some part of the monkey is golden monkey lives between believed to have medicinal effect, and 1,000 to 2,000m asl., the Sichuan one monkey can be exchanged for over golden monkey,2,000-3,000m asl., 100 kilogram of rice. That is a really and this Yunnan golden monkey, value to them. Sometimes I talk with 3,000-5,000m asl. my friends: “If you go into a jungle and see $1,000, will you take that? You Person2 might not in the public but how about in Q: It is a very interesting report. You the forest and nobody knows? It is the just mentioned one way to protect same for the hunters. Yunnan golden monkey, which is turning the hunter to protector. I am Person 4 wondering that what approaches you

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Q1: What is the main difference regret and promised not to kill a monkey between the male and female again. Sometimes you have to be Yunnan golden monkey? You patient because such hunting practice mentioned that the male monkey are has lasted for thousand years in the usually very big, but apart from the areas. color, the size, are there also some other differences?

January 2, 2009 Q2: What is the sex ratio of the golden monkey?

A: To me, the sex ratio is just like human, around one to one. But there is fierce competition among the males because one male usually has 3 or 4 or 5 or even 8 mates. The females always tend to choose the biggest one. If I were monkey, perhaps I would have no chance to gain any mates!

The hair is different. I will show you, look at this picture, this is the male, this is the female. That’s obvious.

Person 5 Q: It almost takes you 20 years to accomplish the change from hunters to protectors. As you survey in forest, did you see the hunters kill the monkey? What did you do?

A: I only have one chance to see the hunter kill the monkey. He was an old man when I first met him in 1988, he was killing a female. I didn’t hire him as my assistant. I just persuaded him and told him how valuable these monkeys were. He then felt really

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Perspectives of botanical gardens’ contribution to biodiversity conservation January 2, 2009

Prof. Dr. CHEN Jin Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS

Good afternoon everyone, after make contributions to the biodiversity two days of excellent presentations conservation. As research institutes, and discussions about the botanic botanic gardens generate knowledge gardens’ role in the biodiversity on conservation or plant science, conservation, I wish my presentation ecology, horticulture that relevant to is still available to our audience. As conservation, provide material for one of the research institute, we need research and conservation programs, to discuss how the botanic gardens carry out ex-situ conservation for make contribution to the biodiversity endangered species, involve into local/ conservation. regional biodiversity in-situ conservation program and public education. Those I think most of the people here know are the functions that a botanic garden the definition of botanic garden. They can play. Actually, botanic gardens are institutions holding documented (BGs) can really go through these collections of living plants for the channels towards conservation and purposes of scientific research, BGs really take very unique partition to conservation, display and education. provide implement to conservation. Theoretically, botanic gardens have better materials, which can Here is a more comprehensive list

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of ways that Botanic gardens can public understanding of biodiversity, implement the CBD by Wyse Jackson its importance and loss. Many botanic & Sutherland in 2000 gardens play important roles in school 1. Contributing to national biodiversity and university teaching (Article 13) strategies and sustainable 8. Developing the capacity of partner development (Article 6) institutions for biodiversity conservation 2. Undertaking work in plant taxonomy through collecting fees, research

January 2, 2009 systematics, floristics, inventories, support, equipment, information, monitoring, and surveys (Article 7) training, shared specimens. As well 3. Contributing through the as providing access to their vast development, designation, care and conservation resource of stored and management of protected areas, managed biodiversity (Article 15) habitat restoration or re-creation 9. Making information on their and wild plant population research, collections and the results of their recovery or management (Article 8) research widely available through 4. Developing and maintaining published and unpublished literature germplasm collections including and accessible databases. Many seed banks, field genebanks, tissue botanic gardens share data on their collections in culture, individual collections (Article 17) species recovery programmes, and 10. Cooperating in technical and databanks (Article 9) scientific areas, including joint research 5. Identifying and developing and staff exchanges (Article 18) economically important species in commercial horticulture, forestry and One the one hand, we often heard some agriculture, and in bioprospecting kind of discussion about for example (Article 10) the collection in crisis. This passage 6. Undertaking research in many is from universities that suffer from relevant field, such as taxonomy, financial difficulties or do not know how ecology, biochemistry, ethnobotany, to make use of the collections. Because education, horticulture, plant the collections in the universities or the anatomy, biogeography and providing herbaria are not well used and they training opportunities and courses in have to maintain them. This is the idea conservation and related disciplines, that proposed by some scientists. often available to national and international trainees (Article 12) There are actually a lot of discussions, 7. Providing public education and including one meeting I attended in developing environmental awareness, Paris called the Buffon International including programmes to promote Symposium, which is a collection of

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people from natural history museums center. That is coming either from and a couple of botanic gardens. conservation communities or from We met together to discuss how the scientific communities, or common natural history institutes can play a public. A couple years ago I went to much more important role in the future Bogor. The Bogor botanic garden made conservation or knowledge generation a clear statement to make Bogor a programme. conservation center or something like

January 2, 2009 that. That is the kind of things that we That is a paper published in Nature can discuss here. If you talk about the for the botanic gardens. Probably ex situ conservation, we might ask how comparing to those natural history many native species, especially those research institutes, botanic gardens with accurate record from wild and how are in much better situation, noticed many endangered species have been a couple of years ago by Nature maintained inside the botanical garden, using the title Gardens in Full Bloom. and how much effort has been put into Everything is good for the gardens. reintroduction program. They get good finance, have good skills on preserving rare plants, which Another thing we would like to ask may provide relevant material for is how many botanical gardens are molecular researches. really involved into local or regional in- situ conservation program. How many This talk comes from Mike Maunder. habitats have been saved? Which He was supposed to attend our national or local conservation regulation symposium but he has another established with the facilitation of BGs? appointment. He mentioned that the botanic gardens are rather skillful in We provide material to research and running educational programmes and conservation programs. People often garden design to attract the public. argue about botanical gardens profitable In Mike’s paper, he used a picture or non-profitable organization since we took in China, which is the Fairy charge for some kind of service, also Lake Botanical Garden. So, botanical we get very good price for entrance fee. gardens are in blossom, great. But So it always makes people confused, if we talk about botanical gardens’ especially when comparing to some contribution to the conservation, other commercial-based theme park. probably the role needs to be re- Then, to enhance public awareness examined. For example, botanical through educational program, we can gardens have been considered ask those gardens, whether the major to play the role as a conservation purpose of visitors to the garden is to

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be educated or some other purposes. which is both a conservation agency So are those educational programs and research institute. They got a we conducted really functional? A lot much higher number of publications, of questions remain unanswered and more than 570: ecology, which is very let's discuss one by one. related to conservation, 40.0%; zoology, 23.8%; environmental science, 14.7%; First, are those BGs knowledge as for biodiversity and conservation

January 2, 2009 generating center for conservation? with the same category and same Those are the publications in SCI, definition, they got 14.6%, which means which is the Science Citation Index, comparing with those pure conservation not the stupid Chinese idea( laugh). based research institutes probably From 2005-2008, we published 179 botanical gardens are not directly papers. We calculated the papers towards the core part of the theory. into categories. So for plant science, 35.2%; ecology,19.6%; environmental So my first conclusion is that most, science 11.7%; forestry, 7.3%; or many research botanical gardens biodiversity and conservation, 6.1%, generate knowledge that is relevant to not very high. conservation, but not directly towards, or be the major force for the core If you think XTBG might be a special knowledge of conservation. This is my case, let’s look at a much more first judgment. famous one, Missouri Garden. They have much more publication during Nowadays we are talking more and the same period: plant science, more about the role of botanical 75.7%; evolutionary biology, 13.4%; gardens in Ex-situ conservation. This chemistry, medicinal, 10.1%; ecology, is an academician from the Institute 6.6%; pharmacology and pharmacy, of Botany, CAS. He mention that 6.3%; biodiversity and conservation, botanical garden has many roles but 2.4%. probably is the only organization that could carry out native plant species You may doubt using the category of ex-situ conservation. Prof. Barthlott SCI has some kind of bias. We noticed has also mentioned several times that for ecology, we got roughly one in European BGs, α-diversity of the searching generally belongs to the SCI total species number of the plants in category. If you have a different pool, it each botanical garden is extremely is easy to get a different ratio. But we high. They are often small in size, only can look at one famous organization, 700 ha or so, while holding maybe Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), more than 10,000 species. However,

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the ß-diversity is extremely poor. We just mentioned that 39796 species They noticed some species are just in the garden are preserved in the eight transplanted from one garden to the BGs, but how many are native species? other. So in terms of the value for The data pool we are using is of total genetic diversity, it is not as rich as the 28851 specie. 64.6 % are China’s collection of specimen. native species; 55% of China’s native plants in genus; 83% of China’s native

January 2, 2009 OK, let’s look into China’s case. We plants in family. So more or less 50% of have packed all the database from the the 40,000 species maintained in these 8 major botanical gardens in China, 8 botanical gardens are China’s native including XTBG, South China BG, plants. Wuhan BG, which are the 3 major botanical gardens belong to CAS. However, if we look into the endemic The other 5 are Beijing BG (CAS), and endangered plants, the situation is Fairy Lake BG ( now belongs to the very different. Whole China’s endemic government but also correspondent plants in genus are 243. Only 42% with CAS), Nanjing BG, Guiling BG, totally 102 endemic genus has been Tulufan BG( CAS). preserved in the eight gardens. Whole red-book listed plants include 392 So we believe these 8 botanical species and 204 (52%) species have gardens hold at least 80% of the total been collected in the eight BGs. Among specimen number in the whole China. a total of 3471 IUCN listed species, only We have very accurate data for the 594 (17.1%) have been collected. total specimen number, which is 39796, including taxa under species, If you look at where the plants are which belong 409 family and 3914 from and how the botanical gardens genus. It is very surprising to look at collect those plants, you will notice the species duplication in botanical most collecting concentrate on a few gardens. We can notice that 93% of provinces. So the botanical gardens the plants have been maintained in should collect more plants in those one single botanical garden. Very few untouched provinces such as Qinghai. duplicates. I guess this is mainly due Not only in China, this is a study also to the widespread distribution of these carried out by Mike Maunder. They 8 gardens in different geographic noticed that in many botanical gardens region. So technically they just collect the frequency of the commercial sources the plants near their gardens. I believe is very positive correlated with the this is very different comparing to the frequency of palm collection in botanical gardens, which means either to be on gardens in Europe or North America.

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the market, or to be maintained in developed by Prof. Ma and other of my the garden. So it is not that selective. colleagues to develop a corridor. We Then my second conclusion would also discussed a lot of mechanisms to be that although quite high proportion coordinate with the local conservation of native plant species have been agencies such as Xishuangbanna collected in China’s BGs, systemic National Nature Reserve Administration accession collection policy still need Bureau and other Bureaus. We have

January 2, 2009 to be implemented such as where to an annual meeting to exchange collect, how to duplicate, especially information. The paper about 20ha for those endemic and endangered plot is now available in the lobby the species. hotel, which is one of the cooperative programme between XTBG and the Involving into In-situ conservation, nature reserve. I will talk a little bit into the XTBG case. You might recognize this picture We are also involved to biodiversity showed this morning that suggests the impact assessment lead by Prof. Cao. land use change in Xishuangbanna This programme is try to get very from 1976- 2003. XTBG, together quantitative data in the appearance of with some other scholars proposed the degradation of the forest diversity. and established the protected area in This regulation has been promoted by Xishuangbanna. Those five dark red State Forestry Agency to wider usage, area( in the figure) are protected. If not only in Yunnan province but also in you compare this map with here, you other provinces. will recognize that most green color still exists inside the protected area. We also work very hard to try So what you mean is more or less half to establish ecosystem service of the forests outside the protected mechanism. We got the proxy from the area are simply gone. Yesterday I Xishuangbanna government; some of argued with my colleagues. Even my colleagues also published a paper there are a lot of problems with on it. Actually two days ago I discussed the protected areas; still it is a very with the governor whether we can effective way to save forests. So use this as an example to really do this is a very powerful evidence to something for that. We already helped demonstrate that. the Xishuangbanna government to get information about the permission to This is a story about BCI that we charge extra money from the electricity have already discussed. XTBG has power station for the ecological been involved in this project. This is compensation.

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This is a piece of so-called Chinese as a conservation center, a research red title document, which is very institute. We provide material and powerful. This idea is proposed by information to conservation but, what Prof. Zhu Hua, who is here. Although is common public’s point of view? We the exact boundary need to be want to do a serious research trying to determined, because I am trying to understand botanical gardens’ image in build a bigger area. Nevertheless, public. There is a wild elephant valley

January 2, 2009 if this protected area is dashed in, park that we are going to compare the protect area in Xishuangbanna with XTBG. We designed a 5-points will increase from 14% to 19%. This measurement, 1=very disagree, 2 = is 115431ha in size. So that should disagree, 3 = no comments, 4 =agree, 5 be very good for the conservation = very agree. This survey is conducted in this region. It is not SCI, but it is by my student and this is unpublished important. data. We are happy with the data because the public strongly supports So BGs, especially those BGs located that XTBG as a research institute, a at plant species rich area, should and place for germplasm preservation, and have a great potential to, by joining a place to enhance public environment local in-situ conservation program, awareness. While they do not so agree make significant contribution to with it as a place for entertainment. conservation. That is the message I So it is not a place for fun, seriously. would like to convey here. But still, we enjoy high reputation. So this is kind of statistics. If there is no For the public engagement, I also significance, the answer is poor. If you take XTBG for example. I noticed compare XTBG with the wild elephant that one of my colleagues also valley, you can notice a lot of statement gave this example from Edinburgh have significant difference. Only for BG. According to the interviews or “a place for entertainment”, there is questionnaires, majority of visitors not significant difference. So for the do not come to their garden, nor public, XTBG is place that does serious to most botanic gardens, with the conservation, education and knowledge specific aim of learning, but to generating, which is great. find peace and tranquility, to eat, to read a newspaper, to relax, for Traditional environmental education recreation, to play games, to be with and interpretive programs only provide their family or to escape from their knowledge, without attitudes and families. There is one thing we want behavior improvement. So in this to ask ourselves. We took XTBG learner-centered training program, people have the opportunities for self-

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discovery, participation and sensory for each type. The reactions from people involvement that probably can make are also categorized into three types, some difference. So we invited the no-interfered observation, no person students from the nearby school and stop or no person pass, and time for did a series of research on that. They watch. Here is the result. The negative are assigned a couple of things such and objective ones are significantly as searching plants’ label, taking higher than those two both in the no

January 2, 2009 photographs, painting on the ground, person stop or no person pass, and and lots of other competitions. They time for watch. The conclusion we can also stay here overnight, having draw here is that picture shows negative parties and dancing. phenomenon actually is more attractive, or more influential to keep people stay Another questionnaire we designed longer period for watching. including testing for knowledge, methods and attitude. For knowledge, So the thing I would like to emphasize people can choose between agree here is that most BGs have some and disagree; for methods, we use kinds of EDUCATION program, but Yes or No; for attitude, we have the most difficulty part is to evaluate 5-points. So the questionnaire has the effectiveness. Serious researches been prepared and has three forms, are needed for new theory and new one for immediately before; one for practice. immediately after, and one for four months later. This is a summary of In conclusion, the present blossoming the result. We have noticed that in the situation for many BGs worldwide result of Kruskal-Wallis test, there is comparing to many other NHIs, no difference in Knowledge, method, probably due to the recognition of the but significant difference in attitude. scientific value of its living collections, This means training programme is as well as BGs’ continually concern to really worth for changing attitude, public’s needs. It is a long way to go for especially for long periods. BGs, to make full use of their resources, and to play a vital and non-substituted This is a picture display with a lot role in biodiversity conservation. of pictures. We want to know What kind of picture is more attractive to Thank you! the audience. We categorized those pictures into three types, negative and objective, abstract, positive and objective. Five pictures are selected

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Q&A some kind of dream for the future. One is the most beautiful garden; one is the Person 1 regional conservation leader; one is Q: It is such an exciting presentation the international recognized research that I could hardly keep myself silent. institute; one is national germplasm You raised a very important issue to conservation place. That is our dream. us that whether botanical gardens January 2, 2009 are equal to conservation centres. Person 2

I think the answer should be yes! Q1: Zoos and botanical gardens have Firstly, botanical gardens should be been completely separated for some the biodiversity conservation research reason. But if your aim is conservation, center. Over 100 papers are published might not make sense to combine on this topic from BGs every year. aspects of botanical gardens together Secondly, I think this is very good with animals. articulation in certain ways like A1: Actually a couple of years ago some knowledge transferring, gaining public people also suggested that, because support and society’s recognition kids like animals more than plants. on the conservation issues. Thirdly, When you hold expertise on ecology BGs can really play a key role in and plants, you need expertise on both ex-situ and in-situ conservation. zoology to keep the animals. Fourthly, BGs ensure the sustainable Q2: But much of your scientific research conservation come true because we has involved plant- animal interaction. can generate income. It is hard to A2: Yes. We tried to hold a small group raise fund in other ways but this is of people major in animal science. But it really much simplified process. XTBG is difficult. also plays a key role as you listed here to provide technical support Person 3 for the governments’ administration Q1: I am kind of surprised that negative management for all the other protected & objective images are the most areas. So lastly, combining all these attractive. Did you do any follow up points together you can make BGs interview about why they stopped? equal to conservation centers. Now A1: Actually the research includes my question is, as a decision maker 2 parts. One is observation, one is for XTBG, what is your mission for this interview. After letting them watching all garden? the pictures, we gave them an interview. We showed them all the pictures A: Tomorrow morning I will to the and asked which pictures they still committee our mission, situation, and remembered. The data from that part, is

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very agreed to that one. It is continuously support negative & objective pictures.

Person 4 Q: As Dr. Gratzfeld mentioned in his lecture that a scientist speaks a different language from policy makers. I think local people also speak another language, their own language. As a scientist, and the director of XTBG, what do you think about the relationship between the three groups? What roles the local people play? January 2, 2009 A: Firstly, I think the people here should try to get over these difficulties in language

boundary. For the government officials, we need to make friends with them. For the local people, I mentioned the tour guides here a couple of times. They will get married, have kids, and stay inside the village. But they learned a lot from the garden, such as the green philosophy and beauty of the plants. That is also one part of the influence. Last year, we cooperated with local TV station to develop a special TV program. Each episode is 15min shoot. By all the Chinese and the Dai and the Aka languages. The title is Stories from Tropical Rainforest . We try to invite local people as movie stars to show their knowledge, beauty of their culture, trying to influence the local people.

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Tropical seed conservation and ecosystem services: a research perspective

January 2, 2009

Dr. Hugh W. Pritchard Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK

Thank you very much. Firstly I would that one species. Secondly to address like to say congratulations to all the challenges particularly in seeds stuff in XTBG on the anniversary storage around tropical oilseeds and on behalf of the director of the Kew, around recalcitrant seeds in relation Professor Stephen D. Hopper, to similar work and support in targets who also sent his apologies for not 3&8 of GSPC and then finally to being able to attend this meeting. reach your attention what I describe So the topic today is Tropical in ecosystem’s failure between the seed conservation and ecosystem distribution of seeds and the distribution services. What I want to do is to of plant species. So in terms of what cover three broad areas. Firstly to try you’re interested in seeds, particularly to impress on you the importance of good value of money in terms of seed seeds for the ecosystem services; conservation or plant conservation and and the value of preserving seeds sustainable use. Firstly seeds are often in situ , does not mean conserve desiccation tolerant; they germinate in

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wide environment conditions quite we should reflect the main means of often; they are produced in large reproduction in plants via seeds. numbers annually and which is species dependent; they persist in So there are lots of good reasons for the environment and therefore they appreciating plants and seeds as a part could store the genetic memories. of ecosystem services. I’d like to give They represent the genetic diversity some examples and I would come to

January 2, 2009 not just the parents, but the group of the reliance on plant diversity. Plant sampling strategy of that population or crops medicine globally, 80% of our or that individual species. At the plant based food intake comes from bottom the three traits of seeds, in just 12 species from crops and 8 of terms of Provisioning service, various those are cereals like grains, and 4 are in dispersal mechanisms, including tubers. But we actually know there are mammals, they serve as a food probably more than 30,000 species of source, vitamin source, chemical plants are edible plants. In addition, source and the medicines. in terms of medicinal species, 70% of the world’s population is dependent on Primarily seeds support the traditional medicines as primary health provisioning-side of ecosystem care. Just in China alone, there are services and I will come to two more than 5000 species in traditional examples of science around new Chinese medicine. So that also crops (oil seeds) and tree seeds in supports traditional provisioning science terms of conservation problems. Of of the ecosystem services. Another course seeds can generate plants example is our reliance serving as local and plant support all aspects of the people from non-woody forest products. ecosystem services, supporting and The total extraction of non-woody forest regulating in terms of nutrient cycling products is around 7 million dollars a and also climate regulation. Also the year based on the FAO in 2005 and 4 human will be in fact associated with and a quarter million tones is extracted the cultural services of ecosystem as food, the majority of that is as for plants and beautiful landscape, oilseeds and nuts. beautiful gardens as XTBG. so biodiversity I think is one of the key You’ll be familiar also with the potential aspect in ecosystem services and of seeds in regulating and supporting what I mean by the biodiversity services in ecosystem with the is the number of species, the expectation to rebuild natural capital. relative abundance of species and A very interesting read if you haven’t composition and interactions and looked at that yet is to the book by

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Storm Cunningham called reWealth But the more direct human activities where he emphasizes the constant called deforestation by burning redevelopment of the environment contributes 20% to gas emission in 2 in some of the regions for 2 trillion terms of CO . Between 1960s and dollars, not only to revitalize 1990s, we reduce the world forest by economies, rebuild communities but one fifth. It is reported 25 countries lost to restore structures, replenish natural for all forests and 29 of the countries

January 2, 2009 resources, also to repair damaged lost 90% forest cover and we continue land and recover the natural capital. to deforest at around 100,000 km2 per To achieve the latter part we talk year. about broadcast sowing or seeds. So we need to consider our So in terms of our interests in conservation options for species in ecosystem services, what they the natural environment. We prefer provide are seed production, to conserve them in situ, but the dispersal, survival and germination pressure of human population to our or enable plants to continue to research makes it more and more provide ecosystem services. What difficult. However the global average we particularly concern is the threat for protected areas is 12% of lands. I of loss of ecosystem services, think it is 16% in China with the target the driving towards considering of around 19%. On the other hand, conservation options and that loss as scientists, we do reliance on ex for the most part is human-driven situ conservation to preserve species. and the direct or indirect impact here There are various means of banking ex would be climate change. It was situ. We can try in vitro/cryo -banking of summarized very clearly in 2006 the meristems, began vitro/cryo-banking rejected increase in temperature over of choral material, such as somatic last 20 years or so would expect to embryos, tissue culture cells. We can those impact. The impacts will be get bank pollen. We can bank DNA. But past to 2 degree increase by 2100. all these methods have limitations in We will see in developing countries terms of a limited sample size or limited and the tropical countries an above genetic diversity and indeed sampling average increase of temperature stored DNA will not regenerate whole and a decrease in yield of crops in plant either. As for ex situ conservation, their production. Secondly in terms the seed banking and the review that of spectrum species existence, about was mentioned this morning reviewed 2°C increase will cause 40~45% that there are more than 5 million PGR percent of species facing extinction. accessions across the world and 90%

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of these are actually seed-based. So platitude research so we have been seed banking is the first method for involved in the building of network ex situ conservation. across the world with 120 partner institutes in more than 50 countries. I’ve been forced to be involved in a Now the main seed conservation global project that was conceived in partner countries are 18 and they range 1992 and finally became more certain from the USA, Mexico and Chili to

January 2, 2009 from 1996. It is called Millennium African countries and then in this part of Seed Bank Project but it is managed the world all capable states in Australia by U.K. Lottery government. We and also China, particularly we are secured 75 million funds for about 15 working with the Kunming Institute of years from 1996 to 2010 from the UK Botany. You see here the Germ Bank of lottery, or we would say the lottery Wild Species in Kunming I was pleased losers which we have the money from, to attend the opening in October 2008 and also from corporate and private and we have a 10-year agreement with sponsors. In the first phase of the KIB assigned by Mr. Crane to help KIB project, we conserved U.K. flora. As conserve up to 4000 species by 2008 to there are only 14,000 species in U.K. 2010. flora and with around 600 species already conserved, so we have 800 So there have been several species to conserve in 3 years which collaborations and the main objective is what we essentially did. So we is to help conserve seeds for 200 now have 90% of bankable flora from years. You’ll be right to ask do we have U.K. conserved. We also built the the seeds in the bank that are 200 Wellcome Trust Millennium Building, years old and the answer is No. Our the housed of millennium seed bank. understanding of seeds is based on empirical studies that unable to develop Now Phase II of the project, we have models. So we were a few years ago to say is far more challenging. We offered some seeds that have been started with the target of collecting found in a wallet of a Dutch merchant 10% of the world’s plants based on on a ship, but were boarded by British the estimated 242,000 species in pirates here. So these are pirates in the mid 1990s. It is 24,000 species English Channel. But the ship had to conserve in ten years. We have stopped in the Cape and the seeds passed 20.000 species and we will we found have come from the Cape this year achieve this target within flora and we found 3 of the collections 2009. I’m willing to put it as well. The actually germinated, Lipparia , Acaria project also involved training and and the Leucospermum . As you see

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here we can carbon date the seeds falling on the climate change. The study to make sure indeed they were has been developed by economists and more than 200 yeas old. In general you see some interesting value here seed banking is not just for a few about the economic value of ecosystem seeds to survive, dry and storage services for 30 trillion dollars around. but to enable the majority of seeds To preserve the tropical rain forests we to survive for 200 years. In the way cost between 1 dollar and 28 dollars

January 2, 2009 of going back is to collect the seeds per hectare per year, depending on that the point of natural dispersal the forest. To conserve a whole floristic then to dry the seeds at 50 and region, such as the Cape would at the 50% humidity to 3~7% moisture start of costing 500 million U.S. dollars content, which is quite dry, then to and then along going cost 24 million clean the dry seeds and to check the dollars. And to conserve and make purity using X-ray from all directions. sure of 2000 network (18% of biomass) Then the dry seeds are cleaned to for 25 EU countries would be about 6 transfer to containers. So the seeds billion euros per year. stay dry and we see here various jars perfect for this particular purpose. In terms of summarizing our Then the jars are transferred to cold conservation tools, there are large storage among 20 centigrade. This scales of global conservation efforts is our particular storage place. Then under way to dry-store tens of the seeds can germinate. We do thousands of species with orthodox 10,000 germination tests a year. seeds. But given there are more than 300,000 species that estimated as The collections in terms of genetic higher plants, there it a lot more work representation come from usually to do and we have a draft outline more than 50 individuals. There budget for 2010~2025 to help conserve are more than 30,000 seeds but maybe another 45,000 species with it only costs 2500 pounds the collaboration around the world. As all species. That seems like rigidly species can be banked in our bank then an expensive insurance policy for how to storage them in a way we would plant conservation. Just to get a few like them to. These are the challenges from the study, I found it particularly and we are moving forward. They helpful that this year The economics related tropical oil seeds in the dry state of ecosystem & biodiversity reported and they relate to recalcitrant seeds in on their studies on the cost of the content of GSPC. conserving the lands. Their studies have caused a lot of interesting cost Tropical oilseeds we mentioned this morning particularly is Jatropha curcas.

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Jatropha curcas is in a large genus it and you get two troughs and they with 170 species, which has been are printing invents and they are in the found in Latin American up to lipid of an orchid. We used 100,000 Mexico, and it contains seeds with seeds to get a lipid content graph. 40% of oil. There are so of the region I don’t know what the saturated fat with 2000 hectares associated with content but you see the lipid freeze BP(British Petrol) around the world. in different temperatures. When at

January 2, 2009 So in a commercialized project of the top we start to rewarm you have Jatropha, they particularly grow in a greater cooperativity between the marginal lands. Secondly I would fats. If you start at around -30 of the like you to remember another species and they finish at around -5 species Allanblackia floribunda in . Fascinatingly, we observed comparing tropical Africa. 7% oil in seeds and storage in the dry state where is no 55% saturated so unlike Jatropha water in the seeds, at temperature of curcas , which has 25%, saturated, 20 ,5 and -18 , that storage -18 but we have two species with was worse than storage 5 . I’ve been high proportions of saturated fats speculating in those in 1993 and this is compared to many of the species. due to a problem with an intermediate What this means is that their physical physical transformation in these lipids properties and join temperatures are so storing seeds when their RNA are very odd also compare species which partly fluid, and partly solid state with have a higher level of unsaturated not necessarily constitutes to the fats. longevity.

We’re very interested in looking at Now a much more eloquent explanation the physical stability of oilseeds. for these problems have been provided We do that by generating thermal by Crane in the US. The study is looking fingerprints. This is the system at the main oil structure in Cuphea. we use, a differential scanning Actually they looked at 26 species. I just calorimetric and allows this to look have 5 here stored at -18 . This is dry at the physical transformation in seed. Those seeds from the species C. seeds when we cool them 10 / parsonia have 60~80% of short chain min to around -100 , and rewarm saturate fats, C12 and C14. So they them to 40 and we can compare cannot tolerant cold storage. The two the reference sample which contains species at the top have much lower level no seed. The thermal fingerprint of these saturated fats. What they find we get, dependent on the direction was that when you look at the scanning which you go at the bottom we cool of electronic microscope images upper

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in the figure, if you are not prepared storage traits. Concerning to recalcitrant to handle the seeds in terms of post seeds and the GSPC, I have explained storage and the germination test, earlier how orthodox seeds resoponse you get massive destructions. They to the dry condition such as 3~7% have crystallized fat at the top. At the moistry content. Now here are the seeds bottom of this image, you pre-heat of 10 tropical African dryland trees. I the seeds carefully and you have want you to see the coconut germinate

January 2, 2009 a greater opportunity of recovery against moist content, and you’ll see the biodiversity. The effect of -18 that out of ten there are seven horizontal is a decreasing germination fell by lines so as moist content reduced, 32~74% which is a major drop. If germination is retained for most part you handle the seeds probably post then we can transfer to -18~-20 . storage you would recover some of We have 3 lines here signified by the the biodiversity but not all. So you blue arrows, Vitellaria parodoxa , S. see here the fingerprints for 4 of the cuminii , and T. emetica . We show the species and they have very high practical recalcitrant seeds response melting temperature. The main peak we dry 40% moist content of these is 25 and the lowest species, C. seeds showed high moisture then you glossostoma is around -23 . There reduce them around 20~25% moisture. is a series of melts from that to 25 . It turns out that the recalcitrant seed What Crane and his colleagues have have a very strong association with found was if you heat the dry seeds habitant. Reported recalcitrant species for an hour to 45 to melt all the increase significantly as we go from fat, you can recover about 77%of the the deserts very few of them, through germinations. You don’t recover all to the moist forest in the temperate or of these. So we have a problem with the tropical. But in the tropical forest the dry oil seeds been stored in -18 . If worst case of senario, is 47% of tropical we don’t handle them properly they moist species will be desiccation would lose biodiversity. If we handle sensitive. With the estimation of more them properly, we can recover some than 300,000 higher plant species of them but not totally. producing in seeds and probably more than 50% of the world’s plant species So one of the imperatives for future are in tropical forests, it means that research work should be to screen we had at least 75000 species to have the oil composition and content in the recalcitrant seeds. It turns out that tropical material to produce thermal the majority of recalcitrant seeds been fingerprints which will only take 30 identified so far are ‘trees’. They are minutes to generate and to assess dominant species of temperate and

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tropical forests. So in Southesat you look at the seed coat ratio in terms Asia, dipterocarp are recalcitrant. of the moisture ration and coverage There are 2 examples here. I have to the whole seed. What we find is mentioned Trichilia emetica, and that if you take here, a seed coat ratio Vitellaria paradoxa is from dryland in 0.2(20% coat weight to the seed), and Africa. There are dryland recalcitrant we take the largest seed, then we have seed species. a probability of 0.5. This is published on

January 2, 2009 Annals of Botany in 2006 and there is We’ve looked at this association open access so you can reach this from further by choosing the target family, home. which are sufficient seed biology. This is the Seminum Palmarum . We So we’ve made some progress towards have been studying this species in models to predict protocols and the last 5 years with a very simple contravention options for a wide range test using silica gel to dry a limited of species. That is on the target 3, but number of seeds to low moist on the target 8 we have a group of content, then check the gel there seeds biologists failed. The key target is after. You can see from the graph 60 % threatened species in accessible here that there is a very strong ex situ collections. Many seed bank association between seeds with project will extract DNA and it will be desiccation sensitivity and species achieved in a number of countries, distribution in wet habitats. There preferably in the country of origin. Our are 0.85 probability of coming cross collections are duplicated. 10 % are in desiccation sensitive seeds. So recovery and restoration programmes. we started to develop a predict of But in a sub-text to that target, they face desiccation sensitivity in species we current threatened species collections haven’t screened. This supports the could be increased with additional GSPC target 3 which is on models of resources with technology development protocols for plant conservation. We and with transferred especially for take the recalcitrant seeds further species with recalcitrant seeds and using the datasets of a hundred majority of the seed biologists have not palm trees from Panama. What we see this statement. looked at is seed mass, because our hypothesis is the larger the What we’ve been trying to do is dealing seeds, the further they dispersed with both orthodox and recalcitrant because they dry more slowly. On species. What we need to do is to dry the other hand, rapid germination the material to a moist content which are facilitated by thin seed coat. So enables us to transfer the seeds without

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ice formation that means drying to encapsulated that meristem in alginate around 20%. We have to do that with beads. That bead will be loaded in thin seed coat. If you dry slowly they PVS2. It is high concentration therefore will lose vitality so we have to dry the solution is toxic. So we have to it rapidly. We can do that in a flow expose the sample to this chemical there or we can do that chemically. I desiccant for a limited period of time. will show you the limitation of the two For a targeted speciosa meristem

January 2, 2009 approaches. When we get to 10% beads, 60 minutes is enough to reduce moist content, there is only partial ice the moist content of the sample to 17% formation and when it is still cold, we moist content and then we can transfer can not store at -20 because in to liquid nitrogen with 60% survival. time there will be ice formation. We So this enables us to start to address have to transfer to liquid nitrogen. So the target 8 of GSPC in terms of the the basic means is to transfer samples recalcitrant seed conservation but we to use a kind of freezer, place the don’t yet have generic cryo-conservation sample directly in liquid nitrogen, and method for tropical recalcitrant seeds. then leave the samples to -196 . I think it would help greatly when the This kind of the approach we worked GSPC reckoned the recalcitrant seeds for zygotic and somatic embryos, which is listed from the subtext to one embryonic axes, meristems and shoot of the main targets. tips as well. The example here is the embryo of the palm where rapidly Briefly in the end, system’s failure. air-dried in a flow cytometry and we Here is the eco-regions of the world cut the embryo with liquid nitrogen in terms of plant species. There are in vitro on the tissue culture region 10,000 species or more in the orange that worked for a number of species. and red areas and not so much green Another target we found to this type of of plant diversity now across the approach particularly in south China tropics. This is the distribution of seed would be Fagaceae when looking at bilogists and we got this disconnection that now with Kunming Institutes of between the people who’re doing seeds Botany. science globally and where the seeds science problems are. We’d look at the This second method is to chemically ingredient detail and think about the dehydrate and so we germinated a opportunity of getting new species for tropical recalcitrant species, a legume, sustainable development into the seed Parkia speciosa and we pre-treated trade and the main body to do that in the meristem. Without the meristem terms of establishing quality control we pre-treated the trehalose and is International Seeds Association

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founded in 1924 and it published Four take home messages from the standard seed testing procedures last 40minutes: seeds enable plants to from vegetables to trees. There are continue to provide ecosystem services; more than 170 countries so it is seed bank is very cost effective the truly global network. Within that insurance policy for the preservation network, there are 17 committees of many species; seed conservation and these committees are carrying research should focus on tropical

January 2, 2009 out management on seeds storage. oilseeds and recalcitrant seeds in the There are 228 places, 228 seeds very near future; and seed science and 73% of those seeds are taken needs to attracts more students from up by European or North American tropics so that they can influence future scientists and quite often agricultural policies as I mentioned this morning based. So if we dare to look at what and we need to influence future policies we are doing in terms of generating so that we can have greater levels of rules, this is a collection stated conservation and sustainable use of in 2007, which goes over all the plants from this region. established rule development. Then for germination testing, there are 837 Thank you. species only in the recommendations for germination. That 311 species for radical species storage; maybe Q & A 50 of plant species are dominant of northern latitudes forests. So less Person 1 than a thousand of species with trade Q: I’m thinking about the healthy species regulation for seed quality testing out and the endangered species. For of 30,000 species that are available healthy species, they produce large normally and more than 3000 amount of seed especially invasive species of higher plants in the world. species. But for endangered species, So we are not reaching out to find some of them even have difficulties to diversity so we have a system failure produce seeds. Their seeds are not and for some reason I think we are sustainable to the environment. Do going to bring more utilized species you have some explanations for why to the market in a sustainable way. endangered species have few seeds We have to generate a tropical seed and very difficult to germinate? biology with tropical youngsters. We A: I would suggest that there’s an need to involve a lot of researches association between the endangerment to find the way to get involved in and survival of seeds. I don’t think so international policy committees. in terms of seed banking. I agree with

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you in terms of seed collections. As Some of the methods I mentioned such I mentioned we are trying to gather as cryo-preservation are translatable 30,000 seeds, we have 97% of the UK into conservation for lower plants, and bank of flora while there are 3% we also for preserving animal as well. don’t have. Species endangered are irregularly flowering and generate or yield very few seeds. So we continue

January 2, 2009 to try collecting those endangered species. But there is no reason why these endangered species cannot be long-term conserved in seed banks as long as endangered species are not recalcitrant seeds in which case we have to think about for a while.

Person 2 Q: I agree with you about the recalcitrant seeds in the tropics and how important it is. I’m just thinking about my own experience in the day coming about how long seedlings can persist in the natural environment and they are heavily suppress and can proceed for a decade and you’re talking about building facilities in the country of origin where the seeds are coming from. I’m thinking about exploring the possibility of using the seedlings as the stage of some kind of insurance policy perhaps.

A: There are various approaches that you can take and certainly to maintain the seedlings should be one. I think for this problem, you should be thinking about building the most appropriate methods possible in order to in store and preserve that species.

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Closing Remarks January 2, 2009

Hosted by Dr. CHEN Jin

Prof. Peter. W. Jackson Prof. Sir Peter Crane

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CHEN Jin: So again, Good afternoon, held by XTBG. That was really by the everyone. Most people enjoyed the initiative of the establishment of the nice presentations this afternoon, global strategy for plant conservation. meanwhile we get a little tired. So That is really worth looking at again let’s quickly move to the closing for many people because we talked session. First, I would like to invite about the need to link science with Professor Peter. W. Jackson to give biodiversity policy development. That is

January 2, 2009 us some conclusive message. one very tangible example of where the botanical community wrote its concerns Peter W. Jackson: to the international table and thought Thank you very much. It’s a great real change and real development honor for me to have been asked by engaging with the policy makers to make some closing remarks in at the highest possible levels. The what has been a fascinating, very conventional biological diversity had stimulating, and useful conference for never before had an initiative comment all of the attendants. I would begin from sectors other than the government by saying how much we appreciate sectors. It shows the engagement by not only this great hospitality here, scientists can have a real impact and but also how much we’ve learnt from can really change the global policy watching the welcome going on in theme. I think that is something which this garden in such an important we, which is often overlooked by and remarkable way, building on the scientists working in our institutions. achievements of the last 50 years We can engage and make a real onto a very bright future for what difference and sent our own agenda is fairly one of the world’s leading for what needs to happen globally. botanic gardens with remarkable I think most of you know, and have leadership. Certainly, the garden can been mentioned the global strategy for be very pride for what have been plant conservation has 16 targets to be achieved and in something which all achieved by 2010. In 2008, which is last of those who are collaborating with year, the assessment ran forward to see the garden will be looking forward what progresses have been made in to working very closely. I had the the achievement of those targets. And opportunity to visit the garden in all these 16 targets, I’ve been making 2004 when I worked with a number some assessments also, it’s clear that of colleagues in China to help of the 16 good progresses in achieving and develop a national program the targets have been made in 5 of agenda for botanic garden and the targets. There has been moderate conservation here in this garden, progress in five more, and only limited

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progress in six targets. So it shows known governmental sector has been that over the last year of the GSPC, recognized and given such a role. That there is a huge amount of work is something we have to recognize to continue on and set the theme and something, which I believe. The for building on the success of the power we have has been recognized global strategy for plant conservation through a conference such as this. I beyond the year 2010. think you all know that we are coming

January 2, 2009 to the end of global strategy of plant Secondly, great progress has been conservation in 2010. But there is now made in the targets that have been a new face proposed which is in the failed into by botanic gardens. For planning stages. However, despite the example, target 1, on developing a successes of the strategy, one of the preliminary checklist to the world’s failures is the fact there is very limited flower. It is predicted that as much mainstreaming of plant conservation as 90 percent of that checklist may concern and action into national be available by 2010. Good progress economic and national development has also been made, for example, on policies. Too often plant conservation target 8 ---on ex situ conservation, and biodiversity conservation in general certainly an extend to which present has been seen, has been paid a much species are maintained by the botanic more secondary concern considered gardens has probably doubled in the against the economic development. period between 2002 and the current Despite the fact that we recognize now, time. Target 3---on developing of that the sustainable development is models with protocols for plant and will be possible if we have good conservation as sustainable use, I biodiversity conservation. This is the believe very good progress has been message that has been stated again made in that part too. When you look and again throughout the conferences. at conferences like this, which clearly We also discussed the fact that climate are contributing to the achievement change is an issue which will impact of this particular target, it is also greatly on biodiversity conservation. But a major step forward has been that is still only recognized by the global affected the botanical community. It’s community as a minor component now recognized through the global of most national climate change partnership for plant conservation strategies. When you look at individual as being part of the biodiversity strategies to achieve climate change conventions coordination mechanism adaptation and mitigation, most of them for the global strategy for plant fairly mention biodiversity conservation. conservation. It is the first time that This is something that has to change.

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This is clear in the discussion last students in institutions such as this. two days. The botanic gardens and Because students will be those who other scientific institutions have to will take forwards so much of the work be in the forefront of insuring that in biodiversity conservation through biodiversity conservation is brought institution like this in years forward. into the discussions on climate Some of the key research priorities that change increasingly. Because unless seems to me to be suggested during

January 2, 2009 we have biodiversity conservation the meeting were put into categories. considered, then we will not be able to It’s clear that we need to continue our adapt successfully to the elaborated work in taxonomy and in particular also consequences of final change. The to get better understanding on the start paper that was presented during of sub-species in the wild. For some the conference have been really groups, for animal groups, we have very stimulating. They described the good knowledge; for invertebrates, we whole theories of new technological have really poor knowledge; for plants, advances in researching recent years. we have very limited knowledge as For example, the growth and use of well. Clearly, the need for research in molecular data to inform and guide ecological management and restoration conservation practices, they provided ecology and species re-category, this examples of new technologies break is needed. Because we have such as barcoding, remote sensing, to move on from the position where sequencing technologies, new biodiversity conservation in the wild advances in informatics. They was largely function of protected areas also pointed out the growths of when we recognized that protected conservation biology as a major areas come on to extreme, external discipline supporting the conservation pressures. Indeed, as a result of climate biodiversity worldwide. That really is change, we also have been in great so important because in the past so pressures. So that much more direct much biodiversity conservation we management of species and ecosystem played will not necessarily remove would likely be necessary in the future. the cause, or understand the cause of That management has to be based on decline of species of ecosystems. It is the best scientific research, results and clear from many of the presentations data. that we have inadequate capacity for science in so many institutions. That’s We need to undertake new research on why it’s particularly encouraging to climate change. We need to understand see such a wonderful and growing better the tolerances and resilient of community of students, postgraduate the ecosystems and plants to climate

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 136 FINAL SESSION

change. Indeed we really still do not I think we also have to take a flexible know what are the drivers of lost approach to our research programs species or ecosystems as a result and be responsive to develop such of climate change. It is generally programs in relation to emerging issues. a very complex factors, mixtures, The emerging issues are of course competition, changes in temperature climate change, which has emerged and moisture, nurture staffers, lost in recent years, and biofuels, another

January 2, 2009 pollinators, the impact of ingredient emerging area, and the impact of biofuel in population variability. So we need on biodiversity. Another emerging issue much greater research to explore we heard too is threat to food security. those sorts of factors. We just All of these areas need research. We heard we need greater research on also need to promote the sustainable ex situ conservation, developing use of resources for human needs. technologies, up scaling the work Innovations can support sustainable and also insuring that we are more development and direct some of our effective in broadening the space for research. ex situ conservation. I was also impressed in the discussion Very little has been mentioned in by recognition of the needs for us to be the conference also on the need for effective in communicating in science research on invasive alien species. in languages that is appropriate to But I think this is an area that would the receiving audiences. The way we also need to be top priority for our communicate to policy makers will be scientific institutions, help not only different to the way we communicate to predict a monitor the spread of with children. It is clear that if we invasive aliens which threaten so engage with the policy makers, we much on biodiversity conservation, can change those policies and we but also to research and develop can have a very significant impact as practical methods to control and it happened with global strategy for insure that we can actually remove plant conservation. Equally, I believe those species worldwide. It’s clear we have to move increasingly in terms also that there are excellent research of communicating with public from programs going on in botanical education about the environment institutions and scientific institutions to education for the environment to around the world. But sometime I insure that our education efforts and am concerned that the cross party communication efforts are moving in multidisciplinary research has not forward with particular messages that yet been pushing in face. we believe, with the necessary for

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 137 FINAL SESSION

biodiversity conservation based on the these as means to measure the success best available scientific information. in achieving our ambitions. I believe for all of our scientific institutions, Communicating and bringing children we should try to set ourselves these closer to nature is a particular measurable targets not only to guide challenge. I recently with my young ourselves, but also to provide a way son and some of his friends setting of explaining to policymakers to the January 2, 2009 down and did some basic research. general public what we are trying to

I asked him and his friends to tell do, what we are trying to achieve. In me the names of as many Pokemon my institution, one of our measurable characters as they could. This targets that we have adopted for the Pokemon for those of you who National Botanic Garden of Ireland don’t know are Japanese cartoon is that between now and 2050, there characters that are very popular will be zero distinction of plants in the among the youngsters in Europe. I country as a result of our efforts. was amazed to find they were able to list almost 200 of this Pokemon Finally, I think one of the great characters. Then I asked them to list messages from this meeting for me has as many native plant species as they been the value of partnerships and the could, and after 12 they stopped. need for developing partnerships at all They could name 12 different native level, both dimensionally, crosscutting, trees and other plant species. This to multidisciplinary partnerships that have me illustrated the disconnect between been demonstrated through many of young people and the environment, the presentations, but also partnerships and the fact the environment is which operate at local and regional not something they engage with level too, because through these in the way that is promoting a lot partnerships, we will be able to set real and learning knowledge of nature. goals and work together to achieve This is the challenge we will face them. in communicating what is a basic scientific message in the way that is It’s been a fascinating conference for appropriate for young people. me and I hope that some of my takeoff messages that I have just shared with One of the things I want to just say to you will resonate with some of the key finish with is that the global strategy issues that have emerged from the for plant conservation has been very conference. But for each one of us, I’m effective in promoting the idea of sure we have a whole series of different measurable targets, and then using ideas with the stimulators and our

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 138 FINAL SESSION

works to take forwards in our work in on the one hand, as John Kress pointed biodiversity conservation when we out, we may avoid scientific terms of return home. Thank you very much. getting a crossed message that we are not just a part, we are engaged in the science behind the seeds. But CHEN Jin: Now let’s invite Professor compared with the museums, our Peter Crane to give the summary approach to public education is still

January 2, 2009 restatement. extreme primitive. Museums spend the more amounts of time and care Peter Crane: thinking about how they interact with Well I think you are happy not for the public and we don’t yet. That is some profound restatement but short probably constrained to the organisms one. So I will endeavor to do that. I and habitats we deal with. You can’t think we had a fantastic conference. just raise the garden and start planting Peter. W. Jackson was just giving a things again, in a particular way to get very eloquent summary and I want to across particular message. When you try to repeat all of that with very brief do a museum exhibit, you put up your comments. I think as Professor CHEN performance. So that’s the constraint. Jin said, we still have a long way to But in general, we are not doing a good go in the botanical garden community job on public education and I thank you to realize for potential in terms of for bringing up that because I thought contributing to the conservation of long about this and when I was the plant diversity. As one of my former director of the Kew and I looked around mentors used to say that there is the world to see whose wonderful ideas much more we can do to be more I could copy. I couldn’t find any from the vivid. I think it’s also true to say, educational side. I think between us, we on the whole, botanic gardens and have to be better. organizations like us are losing the war. But on the other hand, I think I think it is also true to say that one of we are waiting for some significant the most important things to recognize battles. Those successes what we about botanical garden community need to build on toward the future is that they are populated by many have even greater defense. I think different kinds of institutions. Those that as we heard this afternoon from institutions have the interest in plant Professor CHEN Jin, public education diversity. But they’re different because is an area where botanic gardens they have very different governmental really still need to do a huge amount arrangements. They have very different of work. Compared to the museums financial arrangements. They have

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 139 FINAL SESSION

very different kinds of leadership and the local community is as valuable in very different kinds of history and its way as that paper published in the tradition. Those things combined NATURE or in SCIENCE. I think that is adults to organizations with very the real challenge. But the institutional different perspectives of views on the rewards system will determine what the world. So I think the all the one can individuals in the institution produce, really ask for is in the context of all therefore as a whole what the institution

January 2, 2009 those conditions in which individual is known for. That’s the implement botanical gardens operate that they not only to moving an institution in strive to be, as effective as they can new directions and making a larger be, to have the impacts they can impact, it is also an implement to have within the constraints of their collaboration on publishing. Because system on conservation of plant very often, publishing collaboration is diversity. I think we see here, XTBG, not valued and the question is how we a garden that’s made extraordinary establish through the governments and progress as a result of great vision, leadership in organization. great leadership and great work by all the people engaged in this I think we can say that the world is enterprise. Professor CHEN Jin very complicated, and the botanic raised some very important questions institutions are also complicated. They about how botanic gardens should do what they can within the constraints judge their success. I think this is a as they can. But it is important that we key area. When I ever go to the US do what we can quickly, because as institutions, I try to ask what do you we have seen in many examples in regard success. The success is very this conference. The world is changing different again depending on what before our eyes. We don’t have luxury are the government, the finance, the lots of time. In that regard, we may just leadership and the history fields. But want general point. That’s something one general point is very clear and that I often say to people around me, that is what you define a success the perfect is always the enemy of will determine what the institution good. In many cases, we can move produces. If you are emphasize high ahead and produce good outcome or impact papers, then you are going good products, but we instead step to get high impact papers. So the back and say that we want a perfect question I think is how to develop product. Peter. W. Jackson spoke about a balance for success within these global strategy for plant conservation. different kinds of organizations. The We will run into the discussion that time spent on policy development, took place around the target number and the time spent engaging with 1--- which is to build a global working

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 140 FINAL SESSION

list of all the world’s plant species. with great humility, with great admiration I can remember in that discussion, for what is able to achieve and we people said: no, no, no, we got have thank you most sincerely for wonderful complete work of flora. Well of course, and remarkable conference and your we wish we could have a complete wonderful and generous hospitality. I list of flora, but we would never make think we should always express our progress with the complete work of thanks to the professor CHEN Jin

January 2, 2009 flora in that time. So setting sensible and the staff. Thanks to the excellent targets, good targets, not necessarily arrangement. We’ve been extraordinary perfect targets is very important. well looked after. It’s been memorable I think it is worthy to mention the conference. I think there’s no doubt, IUCN red list in this context to the what’s so ever, we will all remembering perfect of being the enemy to good. where we were on the January 1st, The IUCN itself operated within 2009. Thank you again for hosting this many difficult constraints. It has to marvelous meeting. have an defensive system to the constraints. That’s why only 12, 000 CHEN Jin: Thanks to Peter for your IUCN plant species assessments excellent summary and nice words. were got through. We can and we So, finally, as the organizer of this could do a very much better job in symposium, I’d like to say thanks to getting a good series of preliminary all of you for your contribution, and all red list assessments very quickly, not the presentations in this meeting, so for 12,000 species, but for 120,000 are the hosts of presentation on raising species in the very short time indeed questions, joining the discussion. Thank if the community decided that it you. Also I want to take this opportunity wanted to do it and did under its to say thanks to my colleagues: HU own way without having to deal with Huabin, FANG Chunyan and couple of the complexity as the IUCN system. others for your excellent job. So now I They very often have large backup of announce that the 2nd Xishuanbanna this red list assessments that they’re symposium is closed! trying to get through their own system. So I think in some areas where we still have to seize the initiative to get the focus and get the job done.

On behalf of all of us, as I said in the beginning, I think those of us come form the outside come to this garden

Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 141 LIST OF POSTERS

# Title Presenter

1 Carbon sequestration potential of the stands under Chen Xiangang, Zhang the grain for green project in Yunnan Province, X i a o q u a n , Z h a n g China Yiping, Wan Chengbin 2 Biodiversity backup systems and invasive D a v i d W . R o u b i k , pollinators: do honeybees count? Enrique Moreno, Liu Fanglin 3 Phylogenetics and diversity of seed dormancy Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin 4 Climatic control of plant species richness along Liu Yang, Zhang Yiping, elevation gradients in Longitudinal Range-Gorge He Daming, Cao Min, Region Zhu Hua 5 How does the fragmented forest influence the M e n g L i n g z e n g , abundance dynamics of beetles group (Coleoptera) Konrad Martin, Gerhard in a changing land-use system Langenberger, Chen Jin 6 Soil seed bank research in China: present status, Shen Youxin, Zhao progresses and challenges Chunyan 7 Environmental controls over ecosystem Song Qinghai, Zhang photosynthesis of tropical rain forest in Southwest Yiping, Yu Guirui, Zhao China Shuangju, Yang Zhen, Tan Zhenghong 8 Seed size, more than nutrient or tannin content, Wang Bo, Chen Jin affects seed caching behavior of a common genus of old world rodents 9 Comparison of spatial-temporal distribution Z h a n g Yi p i n g , G a o characteristics of water temperatures between F u , H e D a m i n g , L i Lancang River and Mekong River Shaojuan 10 Annual variation in carbon flux and relationships Z h a n g Yi p i n g , S h a between carbon flux and impact factors in a Liqing, Yu Guirui, Song tropical seasonal rain forest of Xishuangbanna, Qinghai, Tang Jianwei SW China 11 Characteristics of carbon source/sink effect and Z h a n g Yi p i n g , Ta n its causes of a tropical seasonal rain forest in Zhenghong, Sha Liqing Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, SW China 12 The influence of soil temperatures and soil Zhou Wenjun moisture to soil respiration in different tropical forests of Xishuangbanna Southwest China 13 Functional analysis of an Arabidopsis transcription Li Shujia, Fu Qiantang, factor WRKY25 in heat stress Huang Weidong, Yu Diqiu

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Proceedings of the 2nd Xishuangbanna International Symposium 1-2 January 2009 143