Developing Horticultural Protocols for Threatened Plants from the UK Overseas Territories

Abstract

The UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) Programme based at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew (RBG, Kew) has an active training and seed collection programme with local partners in most of the UK’s 16 Overseas Territories. Seeds are banked at the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) for long-term storage, with a particular focus on endemic and threatened species, contributing to Target 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC). Many of these threatened species have never been in cultivation so horticulture protocols are being developed for each species. Drawing on examples of threatened species from parts of the Caribbean and the Falkland Islands, this paper describes the components of horticulture protocols, from collection through to germination and growth in the first year. It outlines their role and value in the conservation of threatened species. These written protocols together with a short nursery guide are shared with local partners, thereby contributing to Target 3 of the GSPC.