News Published: 27 October 2024

Oh boy, do we have a good episode for you today! Episode 4 is now live, and we get to hear from 2 wonderful humans for 2 incredible organisations about how the GSPC influences and aids their work in conservation.  

Our first interview is with Domitalio Raimondo from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). SANBI “contributes to South Africa’s sustainable development by facilitating access to biodiversity data, generating information and knowledge, building capacity, providing policy advice, showcasing and conserving biodiversity in its national botanical and zoological gardens”.  

Our second interview is with Rachel Hoffman from Plantlife. Plantlife’s mission is to “secure a world rich in wild plants and fungi” with their work coming under 4 strategic areas – “protect and restore, connect with nature, work in partnerships, and collaborate and influence”. They undertake this work because protecting plants and fungi will “lead to a world full of colour, beauty, and life, while allowing the plants and the animals which depend on them to thrive”.  

In this episode we talk NBSAP’s – so what are they?  

According to the CBD website, the definition of National Biodiversity Strategies & Action Plans (NBSAPs) is; “the requirement to integrate consideration of the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources into national decision-making, and mainstream issues across all sectors of the national economy and policy-making framework, are the complex challenges at the heart of the Convention.”  

We also mention some GSPC targets that we haven’t visited before, but don’t worry – we’ve looked them up for you. 

Target 2 – An assessment of the conservation status of all known plant species, as far as possible, to guide conservation action.  

Target 4 – At least 15% of each ecological region or vegetation type secured through effective management and/or restoration.  

Partnerships are at the heart of what BGCI do and, at the scale at which we do it, it wouldn’t be possible achieve the global impact that we have seen from our numerous projects. We value our relationships with all our partners, including SANBI and Plantlife, who help us to facilitate plant conservation across the world. Whether it is through working together within the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC), sharing a booth at international conferences, supporting projects, offering funding opportunities, chairing international committees, providing data or research, or as part of our International Advisory Council, effective partnership is the key driver to make significant change.  

Thank you so much for supporting our brand-new podcast, we really hope you enjoyed it. Please remember to like, review, and subscribe, and maybe share it with your friends!  

Thanks, 

Rebecca & Megan 😊 

Other useful links: 

• Want to learn more about Plantlife’s work on the GSPC? Click here 

• Want to learn more about the IUCN Plant Conservation Committee? Click here 

• Want to learn more about National Biodiversity Action Plans (NBSAPs)? Click here 

• Want to learn more about World Flora Online? Click here 

• Want to learn more about the Plantlife Toolkit? Click here 

• Want to learn more about the IUCN? Click here 

• Want to learn more about the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC)? Click here 

• Want to learn more about The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)? Click here  

Credits & Special Thanks: 

A huge thank you to our guests for this episode; Rachel Hoffman (Plantlife) and Domitalio Raimondo (SANBI).  

Series 1 of BGCI: The Understory Podcast was written and researched by Rebecca Hansell and Megan Barstow, with assistance from Carly Cowell in the first stages of development. This episode was edited by Rebecca Hansell using Audacity, and originally recorded over Zoom. The music is by elemontary-music and the sound effects are by Trading Nation, both were sourced from Pixabay.