The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Kiaroa

This is not my opinion/view or comment - I am merely passing on verbal comments I have received from people who are NZPCN members, or are not but still use this website. Such people don't understand why the NZPCN seemingly invests so much time in a "gimmicky" exercise as voting for your favorite plant. They especially don't see how this relates to the stated objectives of the Global Plant Strategy. They want to know if anyone even analyses the results? To help resolve this could the NZPCN executive provide an explanation of the reasoning behind this on the website?

Ka Kite

Peter de Lange

Hi Peter - Information about the vote is on the website (see NZPCN > Favourite Plant). The vote is fun and free. Analysis of results has helped our website development. A detailed analysis is planned for 2012. The Network has achieved much publicity about plants through the vote including newspaper, radio and TV. This all fits with the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Objective 4, Target 14. It also promotes the Network (using media releases, Twitter and Facebook and the newsletter). New members join and become interested in plant conservation which leads to more money coming to the organisation that can then be used for other projects. We welcome help with our other Network programmes and other Global Strategy objectives e.g.fund raising for the David Given Research scholarship and seed collection for the national seed bank. Any suggestions of other plant conservation programme ideas may be sent to the Network ([email protected]). Network Council

Good question, Peter. As a member i have never voted and have no intention of ever doing so.

It's a "flavour of the month" exercise and I have always seen it as being a bit tacky. If anything, it diminishes rather than enhances the standing of NZPCN as a significant player in the NZ conservation field.

It may be a fun thing to do, but conservation is a serious business and maybe the "fun" should be reserved for our field activities. There must be more innovative ways to achieve conservation goals via the Network's membership.

Regards

Bill Campbell