Book Review: Plant Conservation: Why it Matters and How it Works by Timothy Walker

If you're interested in plants, indeed, if you are interested in life, then you need to read this book. Using the framework for the 2020 Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, the author weaves his way through many examples of plant conservation, such as in situ and ex situ and explains the history of this global strategy.

Stats are backed up with the historical and scientific data, such as why it's predicated the by 2050, 28% of all plant species may be extinct. To correctly complete a global plant list would, the author posits, would "require 1,200,000 botanists working for the whole of eternity" - if the catalogue was to be kept up to date. Clearly just knowing what's out there is a massive task - and yet, we cannot afford to wait until we know what's still alive. We need to act now.

In this regard the author is strongly in favour of gardeners planting and looking after species. Every garden is a great, yet often under utilised, resource. Perhaps you grow snowdrops, which the author enlightens me creates galantamine that can be used to effectively delay the development of the terrible disease Alzheimer's. Or maybe you're growing plants that haven't even been properly studied yet and may provide a way to rid us of such diseases.

The book is full of excellent information, all interwoven by his sense of humour - which is used to great effect to lighten the mood of such a serious dilemma as conserving plant life.

There are five objectives and sixteen targets. We are reminded of them throughout the chapters. However, it isn't until the last chapter that we look at each in detail act by act, with the players and ways in which we can get on top of this problem.

I can't stress how important books like these are. While the book isn't filled with colour photos of photogenic plants (it does have some lovely line drawings), the content should fill you with enough get up and go to think about how your life can improve the lot of plant life. Whether it's learning more about them, educating the ones around you, writing blog posts, or looking which little grown and appreciated plants would do well in your garden and growing them. Every step like this, is a step in the right direction.

We cannot wait. This steps, no matter how small, need to happen now. Perhaps you can start by reading this book?