Plant Conservation: An Ecosystem Approach

In this, the latest in the People and Plants series, plant conservation is described in the context of livelihoods and development, and ways of balancing the conservation of plant diversity with the use of plants and the environment for human benefit are discussed. A central contention in this book is that local people must be involved if conservation is to be successful. Also examined are ways of prioritizing plants and places for conservation initiatives, approaches to in situ and ex situ conservation, and how to approach problems of unsustainable harvesting of wild plants. Roles for botanists, foresters, sociologists, development workers and others are discussed. This book acts as a unifying text for the series, integrating case studies and methodologies considered in previous volumes and pointing out in a comprehensive, accessible volume the valuable lessons to be learned.

Table of Contents:
Part I, Perspectives on Plant Conservation * Plants and conservation * Approaches to plant conservation * Part II, Threats to Plants * Threats posed by biological and ecological processes * The human factor: Root causes of plant loss * Invasive alien species and genes * Climatic change * Pollutants * Part III, Actors and Stages * Roles for plant conservationists * Roles for governments * Roles for botanical institutes, networks, societies and NGOs * Part IV, Information, Knowledge, Learning and Research * Information * Knowledge * Learning * Research * How can biodiversity research benefit conservation? * Part V, Plant Life * Types and names of plants * Human influences on plant types * The living plant * Vegetation dynamics * Part VI, The Management of Plants and Land * Resource acquisition and social modes * Management processes, tools and systems * Landscape management for conservation * Case study: Fodder systems at Ayubia, Pakistan * Part VII, Meanings, Values and Uses of Plants * Symbolism of plants and nature * Material uses of plants * Future uses of plants * Part VIII, The Patterns of Plants * Detecting patterns of plant species * Environmental and historical determinants of plant patterns * Ice Age influences * People and plant geography * Case study: Projek Etnobotani Kinabalu * Part IX, Plants and Places: Choices, Priorities and Standards * Perspectives * Plants, places or resources? * Case study: Prioritizing plant resource for community use at Bwindi, Uganda * Part X, Possession, Property and Protection Tenure and resource rights * Statutory law * Protected areas * Case study: Church forests in Ethiopia * Part XI, Approaches to In Situ Conservation * The local: The heart of plant conservation * Assessing the sustainability of resource supply * Collaborating in resource management * Finding alternatives to wild harvest * Linking livelihood support and plant conservation * Case study: Amchi medicine and conservation of medicinal plants in Nepal * Part XII, Projects with Communities * The usefulness of applied ethnobotany * Preparations for community-based projects * Field methods and tips * Part XIII, Ex Situ Conservation * Plant genetic resource systems * Reintroductions, restoration and revitalization * Part XIV, Plant Trade * Wild plants in trade * Actions in favour of conservation * Standards and certification *