On February 26, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), State Forestry Administration (SFA), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) jointly held the press conference of China’s Strategy for Plant Conservation (CSPC) in South China Botanical Garden (SCBG). Ms. Sara Oldfield, secretary general of BGCI, Mrs. WEN Xiangying, officer of BGCI China Program Office, Mr. JIA Jiansheng, deputy director of Department of Wildlife Conservation of SFA, Mr. HE Qiang, engineer of SEPA, Dr. SU Ronghui, deputy director of Life Science and Biological Technology Bureau of CAS, Dr. CHEN Yong, director of Guangzhou Branch of CAS, all the members of SCBG Leadership, and parts of scientists from SCBG were present at the press conference. Prof. MA Keping, director of Institute of Botany of CAS, Prof. LI Dezhu, director of Kunming Institute of Botany of CAS, Prof. CHEN Jin, director of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of CAS, Prof. LI Shaohua, deputy director of Wuhan Botanical Garden of CAS, and some other delegates from Lushan Botanical Garden, Shenzhen Fairylake Botanical Garden, South China Agricultural University, Hongkong Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, and some agencies and institutitions of Guangzhou, respectively, were also invited to attend the press conference. Journalists from BGCI, Sciencetimes, Nanfang Daily, Guangdong TV and so on came to report this festival.

The press conference was chaired by Prof. ZHOU Guoyi, deputy director of SCBG. On behalf of all the staff members of SCBG, Prof. HUANG Hongwen, director of SCBG, firstly made a speech to welcome all the guests to attend the press conference, and congratulated that CSPC was finished and published successfully. Subsequently, on behalf of SFA, Mr. Jia gave a speech to introduce the background and process of CSPC formulation, and the content of CSPC. At the press conference, Ms. Sara said that BGCI was proud to be associated with the development of the strategy. Later, Mrs. Wen, Dr. Su and Mr. He gave speeches, respectively, to congratulate the publication of CSPC and gave full affirmation that the strategy would play an important role in China’s wild plant conservation in the future.

Under the organization of SFA, CAS and SEPA and promotion of BGCI, a wide range of experts and officials were involved to carry out CSPC. It took over one year to accomplish CSPC, including Chinese and English versions. Modeling the 16 targets of Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), CSPC analyzes the current status, and existing problems of the China’s wild plant conservation and management. The action plans are put forward to accomplish each target in the future. The CSPC constitutes an important part of GSPC, and will serve as an action outline and play an important role in China’s wild plant conservation and management. Undoubtedly, the implementation of CSPC will effectively halt the loss of Chinese plant diversity, and help realize of all targets of the GSPC.

Many organizations and government agencies at home and abroad paid great attentions to the formulation and issue of CSPC. Mr. JIA Zhibang, director of SFA, wrote the foreword for it; Ms. Sara Oldfield, and Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of Conservation on Biological Diversity, wrote the messages of support.