WEAKLEY, ALAN S.*, MELISSA M. KARANOSKY, AND LARRY E. MORSE. Association for Biodiversity Information and The Nature Conservancy, 4245 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203. - Conservation priorities for North American bryophytes and lichens: A progress report.
The need for conservation of bryophyte and lichen species and their
habitats is being increasingly recognized in the United States and
Canada. However, relatively few species in these groups have been
formally identified as conservation priorities. Scientific staff of
The Nature Conservancy (and now the Association for Biodiversity
Information), working in cooperation with various bryologists and
lichenologists and with state and provincial conservation botanists,
began documenting bryophyte and lichen species of conservation concern
in the mid-1980's. By early 2000, initial review had been completed
for all North American liverworts and hornworts and most mosses, but
only a few hundred lichen species. Data are being developed using the
Conservancy/Heritage system of global conservation priority ranks (G1
- G5, with G1 for rarest or most vulnerable, and G5 for widespread,
abundant, and secure). Our goal is to conduct initial screening of
all species accepted in the pertinent ABLS checklists, determining an
estimated rank for each. We can then give greater attention to those
initially considered globally rare (G3 or rarer). Data sources
include revisions and floras, articles in The Bryologist and
other journals, consultation with experts, and information from
interested conservation botanists, such as those at state Natural
Heritage Programs, provincial Conservation Data Centers, and federal
land-management agencies. Nominations of species that are rare,
threatened, declining, or vulnerable from a range-wide (global)
perspective, as well as confirmations that various other species (when
considered range-wide) are indeed widespread, abundant, and secure,
are both sought by the authors from interested specialists. Results
of this work are being provided to federal conservation agencies and
other partners, and will be distributed publicly through ABI's web
site NatureServe.
Key words: Bryophytes, Conservation, Lichens