Rare plant species are increasingly vulnerable to multiple global and local stressors especially wildfire

This Cooperative Agreement award from the National Park Service's Conservation, Protection, Outreach, and Education program (CFDA 15.954) provides $626,384 to the Center for Plant Conservation, Inc. to support rare plant species conservation efforts in the Intermountain West region. The project aims to assemble ex situ plant collections from wild populations, creating seed and gene banks as well as botanical garden living collections. These off-site conservation efforts are intended to support the persistence and recovery of vulnerable rare plant populations facing threats like wildfire. The project will involve collecting plant materials like seeds and cuttings, maintaining cryogenic storage facilities, cultivating endangered plants, and developing guidelines for seed curation. The award term runs from June 1, 2024 to April 30, 2028, with the goal of contributing to the viability and evolutionary potential of in situ plant populations through restoration and assisted migration efforts.

Across the intermountain west many rare plant species only exist in one or two populations worldwide and many of those populations are at risk of extirpation by wildfire. Assembling EX situ collections from wild populations in botanical gardens zoos or cryogenic storage facilities seed and gene banks is an important component of full spectrum conservation activities. Offsite storage and cultivation of genetically appropriate plant material is a critical step in supporting restoration in the wild. Seed collections stored in offsite seed banks are a critical and costeffective management strategy intended to support the persistence of wild in situ plant populations. Seeds provide the living material for population enhancement restoration and recovery opportunities for research and serve as an insurance policy against extinction. Some species however may not be best conserved longterm using conventional seed banking methods. In these cases cuttings or live plant collections are necessary for establishing EX situ collections of field genebanks living collections. These methods provide the necessary plant material to maintain the genetic integrity of ecotype floristics and provide for the conservation of rare species and vital habitats. Conservation collections are ultimately intended for reintroduction to the landscape to contribute to the viability and evolutionary potential of in situ populations and to contribute to assisted migration or other climateadaptive restoration actions as deemed necessary for conservation of the species as a whole in accordance with DOI policies.