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“The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1992) provides a legal framework for accessing, conserving and using MLN8237 cell line biodiversity

in a fair and equitable manner. Within its instructions there are clear obligations on each contracting party to identify components of biological diversity important for its conservation and sustainable use having regard to: (i) ecosystems and habitats; (ii) species and communities; and (iii) described genomes and genes of social, scientific or economic importance. Responding to these ambitions,

the botanic gardens’ community launched a Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC, 2002) with 16 targets for concerted action. This strategy was revised in 2010 and broadly fits under the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2010–2020), which articulate five strategic goals of which strategic Goal C seeks to “…improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, buy MK-2206 species and genetic diversity.” (ABT, 2014). Three associated targets address the need to preserve tree germplasm and the role that botanic gardens can play in this through: conserving areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services (Target Phosphoglycerate kinase 11); preventing the extinction of known threatened species and improving their conservation status (Target 12); and safeguarding the genetic diversity of cultivated plants, wild relatives and other socio-economically as well as culturally valuable species (Target 13). Of all life forms, trees in particular require

special attention for conservation; for their myriad of ecosystem services, their high level of extinction threat and their socio-economic and cultural value (Oldfield et al., 1998 and Dawson et al., 2014). However, for the conservation of trees to be successful there are a considerable number of challenges to overcome. Many of these are being addressed by the activities of the botanic gardens community (Oldfield, 2009). The purpose of this article is to present recent in situ and ex situ innovative approaches to conserving species in their natural habitat, living collections, or germplasm banks.