Abstract
At the 10th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), which was held in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010, an updated Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) was adopted as part of the plan of work of the CBD. Target 1 of the GSPC aims to produce an online Flora for all the plants of the world by 2020. Governments that have ratified the CBD will have to report over the next several years on progress towards achieving this challenging target. Floras are still widely regarded as a means of providing descriptive information and identification tools for the plants that occur in a specified region. Historically, Floras have included identification keys; scientific names with authorship for all taxa known to occur in the area; synonymy; descriptions; distributions within the region in question; specimen citations; habitat; literature references; and illustrations. Of these, nomenclature, descriptions, identification tools, illustrations and distributions are critical components. The approach being taken by South Africa, a biodiversity-rich country, in working towards achieving Target 1 of the GSPC by 2020 is presented and discussed, outlining a methodology that may be of practical use to other countries. We hope this will urge other countries to consider how they might meet this challenging conservation target.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) (2009). http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/index.htm
Brach AR, Boufford DE (2011) Why are we still producing paper Floras? Ann Missouri Bot Gard 98(3):297–300
Brach AR, Song H (2006) eFloras: New Directions for Online Floras Exemplified by the Flora of China Project. Taxon 55(1):188–192
CBD (2012) Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) Global strategy for plant conservation: World flora online by 2020, 16th Meeting, Montreal, Canada. In: Convention on Biological Diversity, UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/INF/38. http://www.cbd.int/doc/meetings/sbstta/sbstta-16/information/sbstta-16-inf-38-en.doc
CBD (2013) Aichi Biodiversity Targets. http://www.cbd.int/sp/targets
Constance L (1964) Systematic botany—an unending synthesis. Taxon 13:257–273
COP (2002) Conference of the Parties (COP) Decision VI/9, Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, 2002–2010. In: Sixth ordinary meeting of the conference of the parties to the convention on biological diversity (COP 6), The Hague, Netherlands. http://www.cbd.int/decision/cop/?id=7183
COP (2010) Conference of the Parties (COP) 10 Decision X/17 (2011–2020). http://www.cbd.int/decision/cop/default.shtml?id=12283
Diggs GM, Lipscomb BL (2002) What is the writer of a flora to do? Evolutionary taxonomy or phylogenetic systematics? Sida 20:647–674
eFloras (2008) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, United Kingdom. http://www.efloras.org. Accessed 16 Oct 2013
Filer DL (2012) Botanical research and herbarium management system training guide. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Germishuizen G, Meyer NL, Steenkamp Y, Keith M (eds) (2006) A checklist of South African plants. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 41. SABONET, Pretoria
Gómez-Pompa A, Nevling, LI (1988) Some reflections on floristic databases. Symposium tropical botany: principles and practice. Taxon 37(3):764–775
Hamer M, Victor J, Smith GF (2012) Best practice guide for compiling, maintaining and disseminating national species checklists, version 1.0. Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Copenhagen. Accessed Oct 2012. http://www.gbif.org/orc/?doc_id=4752
IBC (2011) XVIII International Botanical Congress, July 2011 resolutions. http://www.ibc2011.com/downloads/resolutions%20final%2030%20jul.pdf
Kirkup D, Malcolm P, Christian G, Paton A (2005) Towards a digital African Flora. Taxon 54:457–466
Klopper RR, Smith GF, Chikuni AC (2002) The global taxonomy initiative in Africa. Taxon 51:159–165
Koekemoer M, Steyn HM (2009) Helichrysums of southern Africa. An interactive key to identification of the species. http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/helichrysum/
Leistner OA (ed) (2000) Seed plants of southern Africa: families and genera. Strelitzia 10. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria
Manning J, Goldblatt P (2013) Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region: The Core Cape Flora. Strelitzia 29. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria
Meyer NL, Mössmer M, Smith GF (eds) (1997) Taxonomic literature of southern African plants. Strelitzia 5. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria
Morin NR, Whetstone RD, Wilken D, Tomlinson KL (1988) Floristics for the 21st century. In: Proceedings of the workshop sponsored by the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and the Flora of North America Project. Alexandria, Virginia
Paton A (2009) Biodiversity informatics and the plant conservation baseline. Trends Plant Sci 14:629–637
Paton AJ, Nic Lughadha E (2011) The irresistible target meets the unachievable objective: what have 8 years of GSPC implementation taught us about target setting and achievable objectives? Bot J Linn Soc 166:250–260
Retief E, Herman PPJ (1997) Plants of the northern provinces of South Africa: keys and diagnostic characters. Strelitzia 6. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria
Rilke S, Najmi U, Schnittler M (2012) Contributions to “E-Taxonomy”—a virtual approach to the Flora of Mongolia (FloraGREIF). Feddes Repert 123(3):219–232
Sierra S, Agosti D, Groom O, Güntsch A, Hagedorn G, Hoverkamp P, Bénichou L, Morris R, Mota de Oliveria S, Penev L (2013) D.3.1—towards a set of best practices on editorial policies for the curation and publication of fundamental biodiversity data and information in an e-environment. Ppro-iBiosphere_WP3_Naturalis_D3.1_VFF_31052013.pdf. http://www.pro-ibiosphere.eu/documents/
Smith AR (2005) Floristics in the 21st century: balancing user-needs and phylogenetic information. Fern Gaz 17(3):105–137
Smith GF, Buys M, Walters M, Herbert D, Hamer M (2008) Taxonomic research in South Africa: the state of the discipline. S Afr J Sci 104:254–256
Snijman DA (ed) (2013) Plants of the greater cape floristic region 2: the extra cape flora. Strelitzia 30. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria
Steenkamp Y, Smith GF (2006) Introduction to a checklist of South African plants. In: Germishuizen G, Meyer NL, Steenkamp Y, Keith M (eds) A checklist of South African plants. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 41, SABONET, Pretoria pp iv–ix
The plant list (2010) version 1. http://www.theplantlist.org/. Accessed 2 May 2013
Victor JE, Hamer M, Smith GF (2013) A Biosystematics Research Strategy for the Algae, Animals, Bacteria and Archaea, Fungi and Plants of South Africa 2013-2018. SANBI Biodiversity Series 23. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria
Victor JE, Smith GF (2011) The conservation imperative and setting plant taxonomic research priorities in South Africa. Biodivers Conserv 20:1501–1505
Wearn JA, Chase MW, Mabberley DJ, Couch C (2013) Utilizing a phylogenetic plant classification for systematic arrangements in botanic gardens and herbaria. Bot J Linn Soc 172:127–141
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Victor, J.E., Smith, G.F., Turland, N.J. et al. Creating an Online World Flora by 2020: a perspective from South Africa. Biodivers Conserv 23, 251–263 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0595-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0595-0