Plants are essential to life on Earth, yet plant diversity is declining around the world. The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) brings countries, organisations and communities together to help safeguard the world’s plants and their habitats.
Discover how this global strategy is guiding conservation efforts, what it means for Australia, and how we are working together to protect our unique plant diversity.
Why conserve plants?
Plants are the foundation of healthy ecosystems and essential to our everyday lives. They provide food, medicine and materials, support wildlife, regulate our climate, and help maintain healthy soils and waterways. They also hold deep cultural and spiritual significance for communities around the world. But plant diversity is increasingly threatened by habitat loss, invasive species, disease and climate change.
There are around 400,000 plant species globally, and at least 25% are now threatened with extinction largely due to habitat loss and degradation. This is the primary threat for 83% of endangered plant species.
Around 88% of Australia’s native plant species occur nowhere else on Earth.
Protecting this extraordinary plant diversity is both a national responsibility and an important contribution to global biodiversity conservation.
Safeguarding plants requires coordinated action, from protecting and restoring habitats to seed banking, scientific research, and supporting the knowledge and practices of First Nations Peoples. The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation provides a shared framework to help guide these efforts.
What is the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation?
The GSPC is an international framework developed under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). First adopted in 2002, the Strategy recognises that plants and their habitats require dedicated conservation action to prevent the ongoing loss of plant diversity. The convention provides a common direction for governments, botanic gardens, research institutions, conservation organisations and communities to work towards shared plant conservation goals.
How has the GSPC evolved?
The Global Partnership for Plant Conservation
The Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC) connects international, regional and national organisations supporting implementation of the GSPC. The Partnership helps coordinate conservation, share knowledge, identify gaps and strengthen capability to protect plant diversity.
Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) hosts the GPPC Secretariat and develops guidance and tools for implementing the Strategy. CHABG, the Australian Seed Bank Partnership and the Botanic Gardens of Sydney are GPPC members, connecting Australian conservation efforts with the international plant conservation community.
Turning global goals into action
The current GSPC includes 41 voluntary complementary actions aligned with 21 of the 23 targets of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. These actions identify practical ways to strengthen plant conservation, including:
- Protecting threatened plants and genetic diversity
- Restoring degraded ecosystems and habitats
- Conserving areas important for plant diversity
- Strengthening scientific knowledge and conservation capacity
- Supporting sustainable plant use, education and public awareness
The actions are flexible, allowing countries and organisations to identify priorities relevant to their circumstances and conservation needs.
Australia's contribution
Australia’s Strategy for Nature 2024–2030
Australia’s Strategy for Nature 2024–2030 is Australia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Adopted in 2024, it establishes six priority national biodiversity targets and three enablers of change.
The Implementation Plan, endorsed in March 2026, guides joint action across governments and other sectors, highlights opportunities for further work, and sets out approaches to monitoring and reporting.
Australia contributes to the GSPC through this national strategy, including work of commonwealth/state/local governments, First Nations Peoples, conservation organisations, researchers and communities.
How do the global and Australian frameworks fit together?
CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD)
KUNMING–MONTREAL GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK
GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR PLANT CONSERVATION
41 voluntary actions
Plant-specific conservation priorities
AUSTRALIA’S STRATEGY FOR NATURE
6 targets + 3 enablers
Australia’s national biodiversity priorities
The role of Botanic Gardens
Australia’s botanic gardens, seed banks and conservation partners turn biodiversity commitments into practical outcomes through science, conservation collections and collaboration. CHABG supports national collaboration between botanic gardens and conservation partners, including through its principal conservation program, the Australian Seed Bank Partnership. Together, these efforts help Australia contribute to the GSPC and the broader goals of global biodiversity conservation.
How is Australia tracking?
Tracking progress helps recognise conservation achievements, identify gaps and direct future efforts. Australia’s official biodiversity reporting is complemented by information about the work of conservation organisations and their partners.
OFFICIAL NATIONAL REPORT
Australia’s Seventh National Report (2026) tracks progress against national biodiversity targets and all 23 global targets using the agreed monitoring framework.
CONSERVATION SNAPSHOT
The Australian Seed Bank Partnerships 2026 snapshot used publicly available case studies to show activities aligned with GSPC actions.
PROPOSED REPORTING PORTAL
A reporting framework and portal is being developed for the GSPC through GPPC. This will allow Parties and conservation Partners to report on progress on GSPC actions in 2029, to feed into a Global Plant Conservation Report 2030 and the GBF Global Review.