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.