This book focuses on global efforts to protect plant diversity and the role that botanic gardens play in conserving plant species.

Only a green world, rich in plants, can sustain us and the millions of other species with which we share this planet. But, in an era of global change, nature is on the retreat. Like the communities they form, many plant species are becoming rarer, threatened even to the point of extinction. The worldwide community of almost three thousand botanic gardens are holders of the most diverse living collections of plants and have the unique potential to conserve plant diversity. Conservation biology is a fast moving and often controversial field, and, as the contributions within these pages from experts in the field demonstrate, plant conservation is multifaceted, mirroring the complexity of the biodiversity it aims to protect, and striving not just to protect threatened plants but to preserve ecosystem services and secure the integrity of the biosphere.

Faced with widespread and devastating loss of biodiversity in wild habitats, scientists have developed innovative strategies for studying and protecting targeted plant and animal species in "off-site" facilities such as botanic gardens and zoos. Such ex situ work is an increasingly important component of conservation and restoration efforts. Ex Situ Plant Conservation, edited by Edward O. Guerrant Jr., Kayri Havens, and Mike Maunder, is the first book to address integrated plant conservation strategies and to examine the scientific, technical, and strategic bases of the ex situ approach. The book examines where and how ex situ investment can best support in situ conservation. Ex Situ Plant Conservation outlines the role, value, and limits of ex situ conservation as well as updating best management practices for the field, and is an invaluable resource for plant conservation practitioners at botanic gardens, zoos, and other conservation organizations; students and faculty in conservation biology and related fields; managers of protected areas and other public and private lands; and policymakers and members of the international community concerned with species conservation.

It is paradoxical that, despite the key role of plants in the book's preparation by reviewing manuscripts or the environment and our dependence on plant life for providing literature and case studies for inclusion. our very existence, the conservation movement has The preparation of the text, which went through var not given plants attention that is commensurate with ious drafts, involved Dr. Given in a great deal of re their importance. In an attempt to redress the balance search and travel for fact finding and consultation. of effort between plant and animal conservation, The completed draft was edited by Martin Walters, IUCN and WWF established in 1984 a joint Plant who also prepared it for publication. Professor Ver Conservation Programme, the aim of which was to non Heywood (IUCN) undertook a scientific edit of "assert the fundamental importance of plants in all the final draft. conservation activities:' Both IUCN and WWF would like to express their gratitude to Dr. Given for the enormous effort and One of the main themes of the joint Plant Conser painstaking labor that he has invested in the prepara vation Programme was "building the capacity to con serve. " This included a project, "Plant Conservation: tion of this book over a period of six years. The result Principles and Practice," aimed at providing practic is the first detailed overview ever to be published of ing conservationists with a handbook that explained this vitally important subject.

"This book is a review of the current scientific knowledge that underpins seed banking, a technology which plays a key role in the conservation of both domesticated and non-domesticated plant speices..."--Publisher description.

Commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature and IUCN - The World Conservation Union as part of their joint endeavor of "building the capacity to conserve," this work by David R. Given elucidates the concepts that underlie successful conservation efforts. Drawing on his own work and involving international collaboration, the author also presents a large number of real-life case studies that illustrate the principles of conservation in action. Chapters are devoted to the natural - and unnatural - causes of plant rarity and endangerment, and the management of plant populations in natural habitats, in modified landscapes, and off-site to preserve germplasm. Going beyond the biology of conservation, other chapters are devoted to the ethical, educational, and economic aspects of plant conservation. Cyrille de Klemm, an expert on international law, has contributed a chapter on conservation legislation.

Plant diversity sustains all animal life, and the genetic diversity within plants underpins global food security. This text provides a practical and theoretical introduction to the strategies and actions to adopt for conserving plant genetic variation, as well as explaining how humans can exploit this diversity for sustainable development. Notably readable, it initially offers current knowledge on the characterization and evaluation of plant genetic resources. The authors then discuss strategies from in situ and ex situ conservation to crop breeding, exploring how these can be used to improve food security in the face of increasing agrobiodiversity loss, human population growth and climate change. Each chapter draws on examples from the literature or the authors' research and includes further reading references. Containing other useful features such as a glossary, it is invaluable for professionals and undergraduate and graduate students in plant sciences, ecology, conservation, genetics and natural resource management.