[EMAIL PROTECTED] ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- INTRODUCING THE CANADIAN BOTANICAL CONSERVATION NETWORK (CBCN) The Canadian Botanical Conservation Network is a new initiative to develop participation in biodiversity conservation programs among ex-situ botanical institutions and organizations in Canada. CBCN is presently a project of Royal Botanical Gardens with partners Environment Canada, McMaster University, and corporate partners Merck Frosst Canada Inc., and Glaxo Canada Inc. The CBCN Project was officially opened on June 27, 1995, by Ms Paddy Torsney, Member of Parliament for Burlington South, in a brief ceremony at Royal Botanical Gardens. The objective of CBCN is to develop a national network among Canadian botanical organizations for their participation in the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy. The project is at the early development stage and is based at Royal Botanical Gardens. Fifteen organizations have expressed an interest in participating in the network. At this time the network secretariat consists of one full time staff member carrying out background research, making contacts with interested organizations, and other development tasks. Funding support has been secured for the first two years of the project. At both the national and international levels there are calls for the organized participation of botanical gardens and arboreta in cooperative conservation efforts. These voices range from the Convention on Biological Diversity (the 1992 "Rio Convention") to the 1995 Canadian Biodiversity Strategy and reports from a Canadian group examining off site (ex situ) propagation of plants. During the past decade there has been an effort to develop a professional network to coordinate ex-situ conservation of native and non-native species among botanical organizations. In 1984 the Canadian Plant Conservation Programme was established, but this lasted only a few years. More recently a Plant Collections Newsletter has been produced at Devonian Botanic Gardens, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. It is planned that the Canadian Botanical Conservation Network will be a group of organizations and individuals cooperating to promote the conservation of botanical genetic resources and biological diversity across Canada. The objective of the network will be to develop active participation in coordinated in-situ/ex-situ conservation efforts for native and rare exotic plants in Canada. A great deal of information on botanical diversity already exists in botanical gardens, universities and other research centres. A majority role for CBCN will be to seek new ways to provide wide access to existing data. CBCN will look for new areas for research and development in biodiversity conservation programs and promote new projects. There are also many important opportunities for public education, commercial participation and cultural enhancement inherent within CBCN. Funding to secure the development of the CBCN Project has been obtained from five sources to date. Royal Botanical Gardens has contributed $25,000, $100,000 has been commitment from Environment Canada and $5,000 from McMaster University. In 1995, funding of $2,000 was received from Glaxo Canada Inc. and a commitment of $5,000 for each three years was received from Merck Frosst Canada Inc. In the future, a wide variety of information will be accessible through CBCN, using the Internet in addition to more conventional routes. The Canadian Botanical Conservation Network has already established an Internet World Wide Web home page that provides information on the CBCN project, and numerous links to other sources of information. Visitors to the Web page can find details on Canadian and international programs on biodiversity, genetic resources, botany, biology and ecological gardening. Environment Canada and McMaster University can also be reached through the Web. A directory of Canadian botanical gardens and arboreta is also available through the CBCN home page. The prototype CBCN home page can be reached through the Internet's World Wide Web protocol. The URL address (case sensitive) for the CBCN home page is: http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/Biology/CBCN/homepage.html I would be grateful to receive your comments and suggestions on this project. Please drop me a line for more information or with your ideas. Thanks for your attention, Dr. David A. Galbraith - Coordinator CANADIAN BOTANICAL CONSERVATION NETWORK at Royal Botanical Gardens P.O. Box 399 Hamilton, Ontario Canada L8N 3H8 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: (905) 527-1158, Ext. 295 Fax: (905) 577-0375