This side event is convened by Plantlife on behalf of the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC). As a founding member of the GPPC, Plantlife has been engaging with and contributing to the CBD process for 25 years, with responsibility for Important Plant Areas as a key tool for implementing Target 5 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) to 2020. 

Event objectives:

1) Raise awareness of the value of the GSPC as an important tool to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

2) Demonstrate how the GSPC can support Parties in preparing and reporting on their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans as well as support the preparation of Non-State Actors Commitments

3) Provide Parties and Observers with an opportunity to voice views and share positions on plant conservation. 

Programme:

The event will start with high-level opening remarks followed by presentations demonstrating the vital role of the Actions within the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation in supporting governments to achieve the KMGBF targets.  

Speakers include:

• David Cooper, Acting Exec Sec of the CBD
• Andrew Gichira from the Kenyan Centre for Ecosystem Restoration
• China Williams from Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
• James Kalema from the University of Makerere 

The event will wrap up with a Q&A session and discussion, followed by concluding remarks from the Chair.  

Context:

The third version of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) is a set of voluntary complementary Global Plant Conservation Actions that guide the implementation of the 23 Targets and 3 Goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) agreed in 2022.  

Plants are critical to sustaining all life on Earth as they maintain environmental balance and ensure ecosystem stability. Securing a rich and healthy plant diversity in functioning ecosystems is fundamental to achieving a sustainable future for humankind.

In December 2022, in Decision 15/13 the Conference of the Parties invited the GPPC, with the support of the Secretariat, to prepare a set of complementary actions related to plant conservation to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). The new set of Plant Conservation Actions within the updated GSPC are clearly identifiable as a contribution towards the achievement of biodiversity targets. As such, they will support Parties and Non-State Actors as they develop and implement National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and commitments and report progress. Identifying specific and measurable conservation objectives for plant diversity will bring a wealth of expertise, data and resources into efforts to implement the biodiversity agenda.