NPCC News: NPCC Welcomes New Affiliates - The Atlanta Botanical Garden, The Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance

The Native Plant Conservation Campaign welcomes new Affiliates the Atlanta Botanical Garden and the Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance!

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is the NPCC’s 59th Affiliate. The Garden started as a small plot of display gardens in 1973. Today it is more than 30 acres of urban oasis featuring flora and art. The Garden includes outdoor gardens, an award-winning Children’s Garden, the serene Storza Woods highlighted by a unique Canopy Walk, and the picturesque Skyline Garden.

The Garden has more than 30 years of experience in the conservation and recovery of rare and threatened plant species through research, propagation, collaborative restoration and habitat management. Through conservation of imperiled species and natural communities across the southeastern United States, Caribbean, and Ecuador, the center protects the natural heritage of one of North America’s most biodiverse regions.

The Garden opened a Gainesville location in 2015 in one of North Georgia’s most beautiful landscapes. The facility is aimed at connecting visitors with both the natural world and cultural amenities. It is home to the largest conservation nursery in the Southeast.

Through its Southeastern Center for Conservation & Research, the Atlanta Botanical Garden advances the science of conservation through research, collaborations, and native species recovery programs that include conservation collections at the garden and applied conservation activities that support preservation of species in their native habitats. Conservation programs, training, and capacity building derived from the activities of the Southeastern Center for Conservation support the Garden’s commitment to serving the needs of the community and making the connection between people and plants.

The Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance (SE PCA), housed primarily at the Garden, is our 60th Affiliate. It is a cross-cutting partnership of

public and private conservation professionals working in the Southeastern United States. The SE PCA is revolutionary because it brings together regional plant experts from different states, agencies and institutions. It provides a forum where they share information on the conservation status and needs of imperiled plants throughout the region, without being limited by state or agency boundaries.

The SE PCA seeks to bridge gaps between local and national efforts by fostering regional cooperation and promoting a diversity of partners. The Alliance is tailored to multiple interests to provide training opportunities, fill information gaps, identify conservation needs, prioritize efforts, and work collaboratively to conserve imperiled plants.

SE PCA Coordinated Conservation Activities include:

Develop a List of Species of Greatest Conservation Need for Southeastern plants.
Use the List to identify and conduct conservation status assessments for priority species.
Secure 60–75% of Southeastern rare plants in seed banks and cultivated (ex situ) living collections.1
Implement recovery and restoration projects that return 10–15% of ex situ collections into the wild (in situ) within 4 – 6 years.
Promote the utilization of the Center for Plant Conservation’s Best Practices.
Support the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration.
Increase public awareness of the critical and essential roles of plants in recovering biodiversity.
Focus conservation funding on efficient and cost-effective recovery efforts.

Welcome to the Campaign ABG and SE PCA!