Thinking about the ex situ conservation of plants in China

Abstract: With the intensification of human activities and global climate change, biological species loss has being rapidly accelerated. Ex situ conservation of plants is a crucial approach for preserving plant diversity and will play a central role in the establishment of the National Botanical Garden System of China. However, issues regarding the concept and range of the ex situ conservation of plants, and China’s rare and endangered plants, as well as the goals for ex situ conservation of plants in China, are still under discussions. Thus, the concept of the ex situ conservation of plants, the scope of the China’s rare and endangered plants, the differences between the threatened plants in China Red List of Biodiversity, the National Key Protected Wild Plants of China and the Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations (PSESP), as well as the specific targets for China’s ex situ conservation of plants have been thoroughly discussed and clarified in this paper. In addition, three issues related to China’s ex situ conservation of plants are examined and also the specific suggestions are proposed, including the effectiveness of ex situ conservation of plants, the documentation of plant collection, introduction and conservation information, as well as the development and management of National Botanical Gardens of China. This review provides a theoretical basis for the ex situ conservation of plants in China.