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Brazil houses nearly 36,400 native terrestrial plant species. The country is a signatory of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) and has to develop tools to achieve GSPC targets. Target 2 states that countries must undertake risk assessments of its entire known plant species by 2020. Here, we offer a panorama on how far has Brazil gone towards achieving this target. We compiled data on all risk assessments for plant species ever made in the country and produced the first synthesis of results with respect to these assessments. We found that the Brazilian Red List Authority for plants has assessed the extinction risk of 5,646 species so far, which corresponds to 15.5% of all known flora in Brazil. Among these species, 2,738 (48%) are currently threatened. Those species are distributed across all Brazilian Biomes and states. Families with the highest number of threatened species are Asteraceae and Bromeliaceae. We conclude that Brazil is far from achieving GSPC target 2 by 2020. However, given the enormous flora of the country and the huge amount of effort and resources put into this particular task, Brazil is following a good path towards a reliable assessment of it entire flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant Mollinedia stenophylla Perkins (Monimiaceae) is endemic to southern Brazil and, until 2015, had not been seen for 122 years. We located a single population of the species on the margin of a watercourse in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state. We describe the location of the species, comment on its morphology, ecology and conservation, assess its conservation status, propose conservation measures, and discuss the potential value of local action plans for this and other narrow endemic plant species. Mollinedia stenophylla has whorled leaves, clonal reproduction and a low height, unusual traits in the genus Mollinedia. Using the IUCN Red List criteria we assess the species as Critically Endangered. This example highlights the importance of investing time in plant surveys and taxonomy, especially in megadiverse countries such as Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil holds the largest flora in the world, with more than 35,000 described native species. However, a large portion of its flora is poorly known, and more than 2000 species are threatened with extinction. Because similar situations exist in virtually all other countries, the United Nations' Convention on Biological Diversity launched a program called the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC). The vision of GSPC is to halt the continuing loss of plant diversity through the achievement of 16 outcome-oriented global targets set for 2020. Here we discuss the challenges ahead for countries committed to achieving GSPC targets and use the experience of the National Centre for Flora Conservation (CNCFlora), in Brazil, as a case study of successes in pursuing some targets, and some perceived failures. We offer information that might help other countries, decision makers, and policymakers to address difficulties and move themselves toward achieving GSPC targets. We also synthesize the main targets upon which CNCFlora acts, their current situation, and the desired improvements necessary to achieve targets by 2020. Finally, we provide recommendations to actors, stakeholders, decision makers, and policymakers in Brazil that could foster conservation actions and strategies in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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