WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BOTANICAL RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION?
In all regions, including North America, knowledge of what species exist and where they occur enables rational and effective decisions regarding what places need to be conserved and what level of protection they require. Discovery of new species and refinements in species definitions often point to habitats and ecosystems that need to be conserved. Floristic surveys provide information useful in determining trends of rarity and abundance of species. Study of invasive species provides information useful in preventing their further spread and in restoration ecology. BRIT activities in Peru and New Guinea provide local people with information and perspectives that encourage them to use resources in sustainable ways. These areas have large tracts of undisturbed natural habitat, which potentially might be stripped of natural flora and fauna by forestry or agriculture. Land that can be sustainably managed for valuable medicinal, food, or horticultural products is more like to be conserved, a
