The proposed project, led by santa barbara botanic garden (sbbg), will advance conservation and recovery of six federally and state listed rare plants: island barberry (berberis pinnata SSP

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $442,094 Project Grant through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.615) to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to advance the conservation and recovery of six rare plant species found on the northern Channel Islands off the coast of California.

The project, led by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (SBBG) and its collaborators, will implement critical surveys, seed collections, seed increase, and outplantings to bring two plant taxa closer to delisting (Hoffmann's rockcress and Santa Cruz Island bush mallow) and rescue four taxa from the brink of extinction (island barberry, Santa Cruz Island malacothrix, island malacothrix, and island phacelia). This three-year effort will bolster in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts, increasing the number of wild individuals and populations across the islands while enhancing conservation seed banks and living collections. SBBG will serve as the primary sub-grantee responsible for executing the on-the-ground conservation activities.

Insularis bepiin), hoffmann s rockcress (boechera hoffmannii boho), santa cruz island bush mallow (malacothamnus fasciculatus VAR. Nesioticus mafane), santa cruz island malacothrix (malacothrix indecora main), island malacothrix (malacothrix squalida masq) and island phacelia (phacelia insularis VAR. Insularis phinin across three of california s northern channel islands: santa cruz (SCI), santa rosa (SRI) and SAN miguel (SMI). Here, sbbg and our collaborators focus our efforts on a subset of island plants that are either on the brink of recovery or the brink of extinction. Our objectives are informed by state and federal recovery priorities and will bring two taxa closer to delisting (hoffmann s rockcress and santa cruz island bush mallow) and rescue four taxa from the brink of extinction (island barberry, both malacothrix species, and island phacelia) by implementing surveys, seed collections, seed increase and seed outplantings. With the support of the island owner managers, sbbg is reconvening existing partners (the nature conservancy, U.S. Geological survey, california institute of environmental studies, channel islands national park) and bringing in a new one (the huntington botanic garden). This project will make major strides in both the in-situ and EX-situ conservation and recovery of the focal taxa - increasing the number of wild individuals and populations across the islands, while also bolstering conservation seed banks and living collections.