Why and how are we saving seeds of Pacific island plants?

Plant diversity in the Pacific region provides ecosystem services that are valuable locally and globally

International agencies increasingly recognise the link between biodiversity and human health, food security, well-being, and cultural diversity. Local medicinal plants contribute to the primary health care of many communities around the world including in the Pacific region. Sometimes, new active compounds of biomedical interest can be isolated from native floras.

Research conducted on Samoan medicinal plants by ethnobotanist Paul Cox led to the discovery of the anti-viral properties of prostratin, a compound found in Homalanthus nutans that could lead to new antiviral therapies⁶. Preclinical-studies suggest that prostatin targets HIV viral reservoirs, i.e. viruses that have not been killed by current anti-HIV therapies. This means that prostratin could be used in combination with current existing treatments⁷.

The consumption of wild food plants is another contribution of local biodiversity to human health in the pacific region. Wild plants are an important source of nutrients in the traditional diets of the Pacific people. For example, a study⁸ of Fiji's food system lists 60 wild food plants used in Fiji. In Fiji, wild food plants also play an important role as emergency or famine food when extreme climatic events disrupt the production of cultivated food⁸.

The cultural identity of Pacific people is tied with their unique environment and biodiversity. The silver fern, Cyathea dealbata, is widely used as a symbol of New Zealand, Medinilla waterhousei  is the national  floral emblem of Fiji, and Garcinia sessilis is Tonga’s national flower, where it is also used as a medicinal plant. Furthermore, several plant species native to Pacific islands are valued for their use in ceremonies and for their spiritual importance⁹.  The Convention on Biological Diversity recognises the “cultural, recreational, and aesthetic values of biological diversity and its components”¹⁰ and a recent report commissioned by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ, German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation) discusses the linkages among quality of life, well-being and biodiversity¹¹.

As part of a recently-established partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), plant conservation activities are now starting in Fiji, where SPC works closely with the Forestry Department, the Department of Environment and the University of the South Pacific. Fiji is part of the Polynesia-Micronesia biodiversity hotspot and its flora includes 1,302 seed-bearing plant species.

Kew is also formally recognised as technical associate of a newly established network for plant conservation established in Hawaii and has partnerships with the Herbarium of the University of Hawai'i and the Center for Plant Conservation. The flora of Hawai'i includes 956 indigenous seed-bearing plants and 89% of these are endemic. Unfortunately, Hawai’i islands have been named “the extinction capital of the planet” as many native Hawaiian plant species are endangered and over 200 of the indigenous plants have 50 or fewer individuals left in the wild.

In conclusion, plant diversity is valuable for its intrinsic value and for the ecosystem services that support human health, food security, cultural identity, recreation, and new solutions to the many environmental challenges that humans are facing. As biodiversity, and threats to biodiversity, are unevenly distributed on the planet, it is essential to prioritise areas where conservation projects can have the maximum impact on biodiversity conservation. The Pacific region hosts floras where plant diversity is particularly concentrated and endangered and it is therefore a priority for conservation efforts.