The Natural Heritage Gene Bank Proposal:
A National Collection Of Rare Plants of Canada
A joint project of Royal Botanical Gardens and the Canadian
Botanical Conservation Network
SYNOPSIS
The Natural Heritage Gene Bank is a proposed network of
cooperating botanical gardens, arboreta and related institutions across Canada
that will work with endangered species recovery planners on the conservation of
rare and endangered species and habitats.
The goals of the Natural Heritage Gene Bank are:
to aid in the identification and conservation of native
plants of Canada at risk because of human activities, through the provision
of living gene bank space, seed gene bank space, and horticultural expertise
at botanical gardens,
to develop information resources to support the operation
of the national program, primarily through an on-line data base for gene
bank accessions of native plants at risk,
to enhance public education and appreciation of our
native plants at risk by placing the living collections and other visible
elements of the program within the context of botanical gardens and arboreta
that are accessible by the public and have a strong commitment to education
and research, and
to establish a national plant conservation genetics
program through cooperation with university researchers, making use of
existing laboratory facilities and collaborations to carry out key studies
on the genetic variation and specificity of local populations of endangered
or rare plants, or plants of significance for habitat rehabilitation.
At present, Canada does not have a national program for the
documentation and preservation of native plants which integrates the capacities
of botanical gardens and other ex situ facilities with the needs of
rehabilitation and conservation programs in situ.
There is a great deal of interest in recovery planning for
native plants at risk. Unfortunately, the formal process of launching recovery
teams takes time. RENEW, the Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife, is the
federal government program for coordinating recovery efforts. Only four recovery
teams are currently working on endangered plants (wood poppy, red mulberry,
Long's braya and Fernald's braya). The Canadian Wildlife Service recently put
out a call for new recover plans and teams.
The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy (1995) identified the need
to strengthen the role of living plant collections in the recovery of
species-at-risk and rehabilitation of critical habitats, stating that the role
of non-governmental ex situ institutions (such as botanical gardens)
should be enhanced. Attaining the goal of conserving plant biodiversity in
Canada as outlined in the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy requires a coordinated
network of botanical gardens, as these institutions are very well-placed to
engage their institutional capacities for plant science and for public education
and contact.
We believe that the botanical gardens and arboreta of Canada
have a great deal to offer as partners in the development of recovery plans, and
also in the broader context of providing public contact and educational
experiences regarding our native plants at risk.
In response to these challenges, the Canadian Botanical
Conservation Network and Royal Botanical Gardens began in 1996 to develop a
national approach to conservation of the genetic diversity of native plant
species. Further development of this proposal has been funded by the W. Garfield
Weston Foundation, through a two-year grant with which to develop information
management systems to allow the programs of existing botanical institutions to
exchange data on rare and endangered native plants.
The presentation of living plants within the collections of
botanical gardens and arboreta increases public awareness of native plants, and
further protects our native genetic stocks against extinction. The participating
institutions within the program will develop a distributed national collection
system consisting of collections of national significance and species of
national significance. The program will be coordinated through a national
resource centre that will aid through the development of educational and
interpretive signage and other materials.
Integrating the living and seed genebanks will be regional
centres within existing major institutions such as University of British
Columbia Botanical Gardens, Royal Botanical Gardens (Ontario) and Memorial
University of Newfoundland Botanical Gardens. An important criterion for
inclusion in this program is that each institution must be a botanical garden
with a commitment to access by the general public. More than four million people
visit just the seven largest botanical gardens and related institutions in
Canada each year. In addition, exisitng seed bank facilities across the country
are natural partners in such a program.
The Natural Heritage Gene Bank makes the conservation of our
unique and threatened native flora relevant and accessible to all Canadians
through interpreted activities and the conservation gardens constituting the
national collection of rare and threatened flora. Furthermore, through out-reach
materials integrated with the national network of projects and partners, the
Natural Heritage Gene Bank will bring heightened appreciation of the beauty and
importance of our native flora to people across Canada.
We envision the development of several elements to the
national collection program, including Collections of National Significance, in
which institutions with significant collections of native plants will be
recognized for the importance of the whole collection, and a focus on Species Of
National Significance through the network.
We hope that the participating institutions will cooperate to
develop resources and educational facilities for teaching and demonstrations.
The national core facility will be based at Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario,
and will function as a regional Centre with enhanced teaching, demonstration,
scientific, seed bank and plant propagation capacities. The core facility will
be responsible for the development and distribution of seed collection and
management protocols and will coordinate the regional centres through Internet
connections and the Canadian Botanical Conservation Network.
For More Information, Please Contact:
Dr. David A. Galbraith
Coordinator - Canadian Botanical Conservation Network
Royal Botanical Gardens
P.O. Box 399, Hamilton, ON L8N 3H8
Tel: (905) 527-1158, ext. 309
Fax: (905) 57709375
