Without plants, there is no life. The functioning of the planet, and our survival, depends upon plants. The Strategy seeks to halt the continuing loss of plant diversity.

1.Our vision is of a positive, sustainable future where human activities support the diversity of plant life (including the endurance of plant genetic diversity, survival of plant species and communities and their associated habitats and ecological associations), and where in turn the diversity of plants support and improve our livelihoods and well-being.

2.The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation is a catalyst for working together at all levels - local, national, regional and global - to understand, conserve and use sustainably the world's immense wealth of plant diversity whilst promoting awareness and building the necessary capacities for its implementation.

3.The goal of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation is to address the challenges posed by threats to plant diversity. While the overall purpose of the Strategy is conservation, sustainable use of plant diversity, access and benefit-sharing are equally important to its purpose, taking into consideration Article 8(j) of the Convention.

4.The implementation of the Strategy should be considered within the broader framework of the Strategic Plan 2011-2020 of the Convention considering that the pressures on biodiversity and the underlying causes of biodiversity loss affect plants as much as other components of biodiversity. Similarly, the mechanisms required to enable Parties, partners and other stakeholders to effectively implement the Convention and to monitor progress in implementation under the New Strategic Plan for the Convention beyond 2010 will be also relevant for this Strategy.

5.The Strategy consists of the following five objectives:

6.Plants are universally recognized as a vital component of the world's biological diversity and an essential resource for the planet. In addition to the cultivated plant species used for food, timber and fibres, many wild plants have great economic and cultural importance and potential, as future crops and commodities more so as humanity grapples with the emerging challenges of environmental and climate change. Plants play a key role in maintaining the planet's basic environmental balance and ecosystem stability and provide an irreplaceable component of the habitats for the world's animal life. At present, a complete inventory of the plants of the world has not been assembled, but it is estimated that the total number of vascular plant species may be of the order of 400,000. 6

7.Of urgent concern is the fact that many plant species, communities, and their ecological interactions, including the many relationships between plant species and human communities and cultures, are in danger of extinction, threatened by such human-induced factors as climate change, habitat loss and transformation, over-exploitation, alien invasive species, pollution, clearing for agriculture and other development, inter alia. If this loss is not stemmed, countless opportunities to develop new solutions to pressing economic, social, health and industrial problems will also be lost. Furthermore, plant diversity is of special concern to indigenous and local communities, and these communities have a vital role to play in addressing the loss of plant diversity.

8.If efforts are made at all levels to fully implement this updated Strategy: (i) Societies around the world will be able to continue to rely upon plants for ecosystem goods and services, including food, medicines, clean water, climate amelioration, rich, productive landscapes, energy sources, and a healthy atmosphere; (ii) humanity will secure the ability to fully utilize the potential of plants to mitigate and adapt to climate change recognizing the role of plant diversity in maintaining the resilience of ecosystems; (iii) the risk of plant extinctions because of human activities will be greatly diminished, and the genetic diversity of plants safeguarded; (iv) the rich evolutionary legacy of plant diversity will be used sustainably and benefits arising are shared equitably to solve pressing problems, support livelihoods and improve human well-being; (v) the knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local human communities that depend on plant diversity will be secure and recognized; and (vi) people everywhere will be aware of the urgency of plant conservation and will understand that plants support their lives and that everyone has a role to play in plant conservation.

9.The Strategy applies to the three primary levels of biological diversity as recognized by the Convention, hence plant genetic diversity, plant species and communities and their associated habitats and ecosystems.

10.Accordingly, the Strategy addresses the Plant Kingdom with main focus on higher plants, and other well-described groups such as Bryophytes and Pteridophytes. This does not imply that these lower groups do not have important ecological functions, nor that they are not threatened. Parties may choose on a national basis to include other taxa, including algae, lichens and fungi. The strategy considers plants in the terrestrial, inland water and marine environments.

11.The sixteen outcome clear, stable, long-term targets adopted at global level provide guidance for setting national plant targets. These targets are to be understood in a pragmatic rather than a literal way. They aim to be strategic, rather than comprehensive. Regional components of the Strategy might be developed, perhaps using a biogeographical approach.

12.The implementation of the Strategy should be considered within the broader framework of the Strategic Plan of the Convention for the period 2011-2020. The pressures on biodiversity and the underlying causes of biodiversity loss affect plants as much as other components of biodiversity. Also the mechanisms required to enable Parties and other stakeholders to effectively implement the Convention and to monitor progress in implementation are needed for the conservation and sustainable use of plants. These elements covered in the Strategic Plan for the period 2011-2020 are therefore not detailed for the updated Global Strategy for Plant Conservation but should be seen as complementary components that are essential for the effective implementation of the Strategy.

13.Measures to implement the Strategy will need to be put in place at international, regional, national, and subnational levels. This includes the development of national targets and their incorporation into relevant plans, programmes and initiatives, including national biodiversity strategies and action plans. National targets will vary from country to country according to differences in levels of plant diversity and national priorities. Multilateral and bilateral funding agencies should consider putting in place policies and procedures to ensure that their funding activities are supportive of and do not run counter to the strategy and its targets.

14.The Strategy should be implemented in harmony with the updated Strategic Plan of the Convention beyond 2010 and with other programmes of work and initiatives of the Convention. In addition, it will be necessary to develop a monitoring framework for the Strategy beyond 2010 including a review and harmonization of the indicators and milestones consistent with the processes under the 2010 biodiversity indicators framework of the Convention.

15.In order to ensure that progress in implementation is not constrained by limited funding and lack of training workshops there will be a need to backstop the updated strategy with sufficient human, technical and financial resources in order to achieve the targets by 2020. Therefore, in addition to the Parties to the Convention, further development and implementation of the strategy should involve a range of actors, including: (i) International initiatives (e.g., international conventions, intergovernmental organizations, United Nations agencies, multilateral aid agencies); (ii) members of the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation, (iii) conservation and research organizations (including protected-area management boards, botanic gardens, gene banks, universities, research institutes, non-governmental organizations and networks of non-governmental organizations); (iv) communities and major groups (including indigenous and local communities, farmers, women, youth); (v) Governments (central, regional, local authorities); and (vi) the private sector.