“I was delighted to be appointed Chair of the Global Tree Specialist Group (GTSG) as I have been involved in IUCN/SSC activities since 1979 and remain committed to Red Listing as a basis for conservation action.” says Sara Oldfield.

Her day job since May 2006 is as Secretary General of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the Secretariat of the GTSG has moved with her to Kew Gardens where BGCI has its head office. Sara’s involvement in tree conservation grew out of work on the timber trade which developed after working on CITES issues at Kew in the early days of the Convention.

“I am not a very successful gardener but love visiting botanic gardens around the world as part of my job with BGCI and being with knowledgeable botanists in the field who can identify trees and other plants far more effectively than I can.”

The Global Tree Specialist Group was established in 2003 with two objectives:
1. to implement and promote global Red Listing for plants
2. to provide an advisory network for the Global Trees Campaign.

“It is a very exciting time for plant conservation with the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation accepted around the world and significant progress being made towards its 16 targets to be achieved by 2010,” says Sara.

Good information on the conservation status of plant species is essential for the success of the Strategy and the GTSG is continuing to work on conservation assessments for priority taxonomic groups of woody plants and also regional assessments for tree species. The group is publishing a series of preliminary assessments designed to stimulate the conservation of tree species and their habitats. BGCI has joined the Global Trees Campaign which was developed by Fauna & Flora International and UNEP-WCMC so that it can support tree conservation action around the world.