Plantlife
Encyclopedia
Plantlife is a wild plant conservation charity. As of 2007, its membership was 10,500 and it owned 23 nature reserves around the UK.
. By 1999 it had 22 nature reserves.
, its president is Adrian Darby
OBE and its chairman is Peter Ainsworth
. The chief executive is Victoria Chester, who took over from Jane Smart
OBE in 2006.
It also has an international programme which includes projects on medicinal plant conservation and sustainable use in the Himalayas and East Africa.
Plantlife own the following nature reserves:
Although sometimes contested, all have, to date, stuck. The one exception was the county flower of Norfolk
: originally Alexanders
won the vote. However, a campaign led by the Eastern Daily Press
was successful in requesting a change to the poppy
, which was felt to be more representative.
A list of the flowers chosen can be found at List of county flowers of the United Kingdom.
s but was extended to cover lower plants and fungi. As of 2006, 101 species are covered by the programme. The programme included survey work to establish information about populations of these species, monitoring of populations to identify change over time and the factors relating to this, research into ecological requirements of the species, and site management work aimed at maintaining or restoring habitat conditions suitable for these species. Since 2008 the programme has gradually expanded to include a much larger list of species, this is in response to the publication of both the UK Red List and UK Biodiversity Action Plan. In order to effectively deliver conservation of an ever expanding list of rare species the work will be directed at habitats, where it is hoped that suites of species will respond.
(IPA)
In 2007, Plantlife announced the establishment of 150 'Important Plant Areas' (or IPAs) across the UK. These areas were nominated for their internationally important wild plant populations. Since then they have been actively raising awareness of these ecologically important habitats and encouraging their long-term protection and improvement through the adoption of an ‘ecosystem-based’ conservation approach.
The IPA programme is endorsed by national conservation organisations including the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts, and also by UK government bodies including Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales.
Plantlife's international team has had some success in spreading the concept abroad.
and publishing a strategy for conserving fungi in the UK.
History
It was founded in 1989 with its first President being Professor David BellamyDavid Bellamy
David James Bellamy OBE is a British author, broadcaster, environmental campaigner and botanist. He has lived in County Durham since 1960.-Career:...
. By 1999 it had 22 nature reserves.
Structure
Its patron is HRH the Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, its president is Adrian Darby
Adrian Darby
Adrian Marten George Darby, OBE is a British conservationist and academic. He is the son of Col. Cyril Darby MC, of Kemerton Court, Gloucestershire and Monica Dunne, daughter of Marten Dunne, MP of Gatley Park, Herefordshire...
OBE and its chairman is Peter Ainsworth
Peter Ainsworth
Peter Michael Ainsworth is a former Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament for East Surrey from 1992 to 2010....
. The chief executive is Victoria Chester, who took over from Jane Smart
Jane Smart
Jane Smart is a British ecologist and charity chief executive. She is the Global Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources 's Biodiversity Conservation Group and Head of its Species Program...
OBE in 2006.
Function
Plantlife's principal activities in Britain include the following:- Management of 4500 acres (18.2 km²) of rare and important plant habitats as nature reserveNature reserveA nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s - Running a rare species conservation programme, "Back from the Brink"
- Lobbying and campaigning in support of wild plant conservation
- Organising surveys aimed at generating interest in wild plants by members of the public, including the annual Common Plants Survey
It also has an international programme which includes projects on medicinal plant conservation and sustainable use in the Himalayas and East Africa.
Plantlife Nature Reserves
- Long Herdon and Grange Meadows, BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
- Munsary Peatlands, CaithnessCaithnessCaithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
- Cae Blaen-dyffrynCae Blaen-dyffrynCae Blaen-dyffryn is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Carmarthen & Dinefwr, Wales....
, CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford... - Greena Moor, CornwallCornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
- Augill Pasture, CumbriaCumbriaCumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
- Deep Dale, DerbyshireDerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
- Ryewater Farm, DorsetDorsetDorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
- Caeau Tan y Bwlch, GwyneddGwyneddGwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
- Davies Meadows, HerefordshireHerefordshireHerefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
- Joan's Hill Farm, Herefordshire
- The Lugg Meadows, Herefordshire
- Moaney and Crawyn's Meadows, Isle of ManIsle of ManThe Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
- Queendown WarrenQueendown WarrenQueendown Warren is a Local Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest between the Medway towns and Sittingbourne in southeast England. Part of it is designated as a Special Area of Conservation for its chalk grassland with important populations of orchids.Different sections of the...
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... - Ranscombe Farm, Kent
- Thompson Meadow, North YorkshireNorth YorkshireNorth Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
- Winskill Stones, North Yorkshire
- Seaton Meadows, RutlandRutlandRutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
- Skylark Meadows, SomersetSomersetThe ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
- Side Farm Meadows, StaffordshireStaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
- Winks Meadow, SuffolkSuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
- Furnace Meadow and Brick Kiln Rough, West SussexWest SussexWest Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
- Stockwood Meadows, WorcestershireWorcestershireWorcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
- Upton Ham, Worcestershire
The Plantlife County Flowers competition
In 2002 Plantlife ran a competition to select county flowers for all counties of the UK. The general public was invited to vote for the bloom they felt most represented their county. The list was declared in 2004.Although sometimes contested, all have, to date, stuck. The one exception was the county flower of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
: originally Alexanders
Alexanders
Alexanders is a cultivated flowering plant, Smyrnium olusatrum, belonging to the family Umbelliferae. It is also known as alisanders, horse parsley and smyrnium. It was known to Theophrastus and Pliny the Elder ....
won the vote. However, a campaign led by the Eastern Daily Press
Eastern Daily Press
The Eastern Daily Press, commonly referred to as the EDP, is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, and northern parts of Suffolk and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is published daily in Norwich, UK....
was successful in requesting a change to the poppy
Poppy
A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
, which was felt to be more representative.
A list of the flowers chosen can be found at List of county flowers of the United Kingdom.
The Back from the Brink programme
Plantlife's "Back from the Brink" programme was initiated in 1991. Its intention was to focus conservation efforts on some of the rarest plant species in Britain. It initially concentrated on vascular plantVascular plant
Vascular plants are those plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms...
s but was extended to cover lower plants and fungi. As of 2006, 101 species are covered by the programme. The programme included survey work to establish information about populations of these species, monitoring of populations to identify change over time and the factors relating to this, research into ecological requirements of the species, and site management work aimed at maintaining or restoring habitat conditions suitable for these species. Since 2008 the programme has gradually expanded to include a much larger list of species, this is in response to the publication of both the UK Red List and UK Biodiversity Action Plan. In order to effectively deliver conservation of an ever expanding list of rare species the work will be directed at habitats, where it is hoped that suites of species will respond.
Important Plant Areas
See also: Important Plant AreasImportant Plant Areas
Important Plant Areas provide a framework for identifying and maintaining the richest sites for plantlife, possibly within an existing protected area, though the protection of the IPA itself is not legally enforced. The term plantlife in this case refers to any number of species, encompassing...
(IPA)
In 2007, Plantlife announced the establishment of 150 'Important Plant Areas' (or IPAs) across the UK. These areas were nominated for their internationally important wild plant populations. Since then they have been actively raising awareness of these ecologically important habitats and encouraging their long-term protection and improvement through the adoption of an ‘ecosystem-based’ conservation approach.
The IPA programme is endorsed by national conservation organisations including the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts, and also by UK government bodies including Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales.
Plantlife's international team has had some success in spreading the concept abroad.
Plantlife and Fungi
Although much of Plantlife's work is centred on plants, it is also involved in the conservation of fungi. Its work in this area includes surveying waxcap grasslandsWaxcap grassland
Waxcap grassland is a term used to describe short-sward, nutrient-poor grasslands supporting rich assemblages of larger fungi, particularly waxcaps , characteristic of such habitats. Waxcap grasslands occur principally in Europe, where they are declining as a result of agricultural practices...
and publishing a strategy for conserving fungi in the UK.