Developing a World Flora Online - a 2020 challenge to the world's botanists from the international community

Abstract

The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation of the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted as its first target in 2010 the preparation of "An online flora of all known plants" by 2020. This target was subsequently adopted by a broadly-based international consortium of botanical institutions that have committed themselves to undertaking this ambitious project. The preparation of a world flora will be the first modern and large-scale and comprehensive attempt to produce a comprehensive overview and baseline of knowledge on the world's plant diversity. This article outlines previous historic efforts to document the world's known flora. It also describes the ways in which the World Flora Online Consortium was created, how it is organized and its plans to compile diverse datasets available in digital formats into a single online portal available and open to all. Such data are being combined from geographical floristic accounts, such as the Flora of China, the Flora of North America and many other regional and national projects, together with relevant monographic treatments.

Flora of Bolivia - where do we stand?

“…We do hope that the international scientific community and the national authorities are able to support the preparation of our Flora alongside the World Flora Project (Jackson & Miller 2015). Bolivian taxonomists could also contribute directly towards the World Flora, especially in particular groups such as the high-andean plants from the humid slopes of the Andes, highland wetlands and of the mostly endemic groups with a centre of diversity in the region, such as the Chloranthaceae, Cunoniaceae and Hypseocharitaceae.…”

Pollen characters and DNA sequence data converge on a monophyletic genus Iresine (Amaranthaceae, Caryophyllales) and help to elucidate its species diversity

“…This is essential for biodiversity assessment and conservation planning and provides a first step towards a comprehensive monograph of the genus. The taxonomic backbone will be managed within the database and portal of the Caryophyllales initiative (http://caryophyllales.org), through which it will directly be available for the global treatment of the World Flora Online (e.g., Wyse Jackson & Miller, 2015). The taxonomic backbone is further commented to reflect the current state of research on species delimitation and the corresponding taxon concept at species level.…”

Producing the Flore D'Afrique Centrale, Past, Present and Future

“…This initiative, which the Botanic Garden Meise joined in 2015, aims at nothing less than realizing Target 1 of the GSPC 2011-2020. It is supported by a growing consortium of now well over 30 institutes and organizations across the globe, though it still suffers from finding appropriate funding (Wyse Jackson & Miller, 2015).…”