Plants are essential resources for the earth, and human survival. Many plant species are threatened due to human disturbance and global change. There are more than 380,000 vascular plant species in the world and approximately 31,150 in China. Many plant species are threatened with extinction because of the environmental consequences of a growing human population, urbanization and climate change. Some plants are also threatened by reproductive obstacles of their own. Currently, about 20-30% plant species in the world and 15-20% plants in China are threatened with extinction. One of the greatest challenges for the world community is to conserve, restore and sustainably use plant diversity. The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) seeks to halt the continuing loss of plant species globe. China endorsed the GSPC in 2002, and subsequently prepared a national plant conservation strategy related to the GSPC in 2008.
Ren et al. (2019) assessed the progress of GSPC implementation in China. The results show that Targets 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7 of GSPC have been achieved in China before 2018, and substantial progress has been made. China is now also on track to meet Targets 3, 8, 9, 14, and 16 by 2020. Limited progress has been made so far in reaching Targets 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 15. The targets related to plant cataloguing and conservation are better achieved, while those related to plant resource utilization and management are not good enough. Although GSPC implementation has promoted the conservation and restoration of plant diversity in China, China needs to scale up and accelerate its actions related to conserving and/or restoring on both ecological region and vegetation type dimensions in the long run, including integrated in and ex situ native species recovery programs and research supporting sound decision making.

This report has been published on Biological Conservation online   (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320718314769).