Plenary - Center for Plant Conservation Resources for Improving Success and Advancing Conservation Translocation Science - Dr Joyce Maschinski
| Monday, November 13, 2023 |
| 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM |
| Sirius / Pleiades Room, Esplanade Hotel Fremantle |
Speaker
Dr Joyce Maschinski
Retired
Center for Plant Conservation and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Center for Plant Conservation Resources for Improving Success and Advancing Conservation Translocation Science
Abstract
Conservation translocation has become a widely accepted component of full spectrum conservation for recovering rare and threatened plant species. Past perceptions that translocating plants would be easy have been dispelled by reviews showing that translocation is complex, expensive, and requires careful planning and long-term commitment. Since 1984, the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC), a network of world-class botanical institutions and individuals, has conducted rare plant conservation activities. As we have gathered more information from our experiences, we have had an opportunity to modify our practice, incorporating the best of what experience has taught us. Believing that the plant conservation community can benefit from sharing expertise and data, CPC has created several resources and provided opportunities to collaborate on research at www.saveplants.org. The Rare Plant Academy includes guidance for preparing, implementing, and monitoring translocation projects. Network members contribute updated research findings and experiences in videos. We offer an online Applied Plant Conservation Course, which includes a section on translocation. To prepare for new translocations, evaluate practices, and provide opportunities for collaborations that address new research questions, the online Reintroduction Database lists information about 423 translocations. Interested parties may contribute translocation data and collaborate on research. An example of a collaborative meta-analysis is our recent review of 275 translocations, which revealed how management techniques, site attributes, and species traits influence population persistence and intergenerational performance. Collectively we can support plant conservation efforts to create self-sustaining plant populations with the evolutionary resilience to persist in the long-term.
Biography
Dr. Joyce Maschinski is a devoted plant conservationist. She recently retired from a joint appointment as the President and CEO of the Center for Plant Conservation and Director of Plant Conservation for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in Escondido, California. Prior to those positions, she worked for two Center for Plant Conservation participating institutions: The Arboretum at Flagstaff in Flagstaff, Arizona and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, Florida. In all these capacities, she led efforts to conserve endangered plants locally, regionally, and nationally.
Her research interests have centered on understanding factors that limit reproduction, growth, and expansion of rare plant populations. She has examined demography, biotic interactions, genetics, ecological factors, climate change, and the impact of human activities on rare plants and has provided management solutions for the conservation of rare plant species. As an essential strategy to prevent rare plant species extinction, with colleagues at The Arboretum at Flagstaff, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Dr. Maschinski has conducted over 89 reintroductions of 28 endangered plant species in desert, tropical, and Mediterranean ecosystems. Most of these have been published in her 79 peer-reviewed papers or book chapters.
Based on these experiences and working with collaborators at the Center for Plant Conservation, she spearheaded the CPC Best Plant Conservation Practices to Support Species Survival in the Wild, which is now available as an online resource on the Rare Plant Academy (https://saveplants.org/cpc-rare-plant-academy/). Believing that practitioners should share their experiences, she has contributed modules to the CPC Applied Plant Conservation Course. The Center for Plant Conservation has an online Reintroduction Registry (https://saveplants.org/reintroduction-registry/), where users may learn about many reintroductions. Interested parties may contribute reintroduction data as part of CPC’s ongoing efforts to refine best practices for reintroduction.
Joyce received her B.S. and M.Ed. degrees at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, and her doctorate in plant ecology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. She remains active in plant conservation efforts.
Session Chair
Leonie Monks
Research Scientist
DBCA
