Missouri Botanical Garden, New York Botanical Garden, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have announced their intention to join forces in order to add momentum to ongoing efforts to compile a working list of known plant species and to accelerate the rate at which herbarium collection information is made available for preliminary conservation assessment of plant species. An online directory, to be known as iPLANTS (Integrated Plant List with Accepted Names and Threat Status), will directly address Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation by facilitating production of a list of all known plant species and make a significant contribution to Target 2 by providing data on and preliminary conservation assessments of threatened plants.

Peter Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Garden, explained, ‘This new initiative is very much complementary to the work of organisations such as the International Organisation for Plant Information (IOPI), Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) who have done much to synthesise and disseminate knowledge about biological organisms’. Gregory Long, President, New York Botanical Garden said, ‘Our aim now is to add momentum to the effort by enabling botanical institutions and experts worldwide to contribute information to the global effort at a greater rate than ever before’. Peter Crane, Director Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew added, ‘in the initial development period it is important to strengthen our collaboration and networking with others. A broad and inclusive partnership will be vital if we are to succeed’.

The working list will be comprehensive, documenting all names ever published for plant species and linking accepted names and synonyms so as to facilitate access to information currently scattered in published literature and databases worldwide. It will also include previously unpublished information held in the museum collections of some of the major botanical institutions worldwide. Publication and interpretation of this information on the Internet will be of huge practical value to those working to ensure that the world’s plant resources are protected, conserved and used in sustainable ways, now and into the future.

iPLANTS is being funded for an initial 8 month period by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation based in San Francisco.

For information about iPlants please contact Alan Paton, A.Paton@rbgkew.org.uk

Dr Alan Paton Assistant Keeper Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond Surrey TW9 3AB UK Tel (0)20 8332 5295 Fax (0)20 8332 5278