ADVANCING BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD: PLANT-CENTERED STRATEGIES FOR ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE, RESTORATION AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Biodiversity conservation is shifting from the paradigm of species protection to the maintenance of ecological, genetic, and functional integrity. Earlier biodiversity research and conservation practice focused on understanding and responding to the drivers of biodiversity loss, e.g., habitat loss, climate change, environmental degradation, invasive species, and overexploitation. This review synthesizes the role of plants in sustaining ecosystems, with an emphasis on genetic conservation, ecological restoration, connectivity, conservation biotechnology, monitoring, and adaptive governance. The current crisis of biodiversity loss affects a million species, threatening their extinction, while plant genetic diversity is also disappearing at an alarming rate. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Third Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, 42% of the plant genetic resources evaluated for taxonomic diversity were no longer present in at least one country. By the end of 2024, 6 million plant accessions were stored in medium- and long-term gene bank facilities. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework promotes the restoration of at least 30% of ecosystems and the conservation of 30% of land, inland waters, coasts, and oceans by 2030. These goals will require more than expanding the number of protected areas. To increase resilience to climate change, conserve genetic resources, and restore degraded ecosystems, it will be critical to ensure genetic and functional diversity while promoting native plant species and improving connectivity at multiple scales through restoration and adaptive management. Moreover, achieving the targets set for 2030 will contribute to food security, sustainable livelihoods, and ecosystem service provision.