The Missouri Botanical Garden is collaborating with the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) on a research study to identify the correlates of success and failures in rare plant reintroductions across the USA. We are asking conservation practitioners to take a short survey (approximately three minutes to complete) on the extent to which you would be willing to participate, collaborate, and contribute to the project. Your feedback is very important for the success of the project and we thank you in advance for participating in our short survey.
Brief description of research study:
Reintroduction of imperiled plants is increasingly becoming an important conservation and management tool. For example, reintroduction is a recovery objective in nearly 80% of recovery plans for federally listed plant species. However, the efficacy of rare plant reintroductions has been questioned due to perceived low success rates, and uncertainty in long-term outcomes of reintroduction projects. Previous studies on rare plant reintroductions have focused on short-term metrics of success, particularly survival within the first few years after out-planting. Although informative, short-term success metrics can be misleading and are not necessarily linked to long-term persistence. Furthermore, the relative influence of species traits, planting techniques, threats, and other contingencies (e.g., variation among reintroduction sites) on reintroduction success and failure remains unclear. Building on previous analyses in the book Reintroduction in a Changing Climate, the overarching goal of this project is to identify the correlates (e.g., techniques, species, traits, and other ecological factors) of reintroduction success and failures across a broad range of species, sites, and habitats. A comprehensive analysis could provide insights into the contexts in which reintroduction is likely to be successful or fail, and how reintroduction is contributing to the recovery of federally listed species.
In the CPC network, conservation scientists along with their collaborating partners have been involved in the reintroduction of hundreds of rare plant species in natural areas and protected sites throughout the USA. With your help, we aim to build a comprehensive data set of as many species and sites as possible. Our end goal is to publish a collaborative review paper on the relative importance of correlates of reintroduction success. Participants in this research study will have the opportunity to be co-authors on this collaborative paper. Your participation in our short survey (approximately three minutes to complete) provides important information on the extent to which you might want to participate, collaborate, and/or contribute to the project.
