Are you worried about the accelerating loss of biodiversity worldwide?

Are you concerned that the variety of plants available in NZ has declined?

Help me with a project designed to record what plants we've got and where they are.

Many people are writing about the devastating losses of plant biodiversity. That species are becoming threatened and extinct in their natural range. I myself have spent 4 days driving through British Columbia and seen 80% of the forest trees dead or dying over millions of hectares everywhere we drove. Additionally many New Zelanders are noticing that a wide variety of plants have disappeared from commercial availability and now it is very difficult to import replacements. " There isn't the range to choose from any more."

The NZ Plant Finder Biodiversity Project

Imagine: You can help conserve international biodiversity

In New Zealand we have something quite special.We have not only a native plant range that is unique but also through the enthusiasm of gardeners, over more than 200 years, an enormous collection of plants from overseas (we call these exotic plants) . While some have become weeds, the majority have not. Many plants here are actually on threatened plant lists overseas or are even extinct in their native habitat. Would it not be great to record these plants so we get an idea of how many of each is in New Zealand? Plants are already recorded in reserves and public botanical collections, but it's an unknown just what is growing in our gardens, lifestyle blocks, farms and other properties. We know there are at least 270 threatened or extinct exotic trees here. We also have many threatened native species but little records of them on private land.

You can help reconnect plants with nurseries, growers, crop developers, plant breeders and plant collectors. Imagine one of your plants could be really rare, could be the basis of a new commercial crop, who knows!

The project is based on opening up the plant finder master plant list of 49,000 entries to you so you can build your own plant list (Currently nurseries may do this).which be registered on the website and also you could download a list of plants growing on your property. Hey, that also means you have a list of your plants without typing a single name which you can update whenever you like and pass on to the next owner !

Your Privacy is important ! The existence of a particular plant on your property would only show up in the plant finder search results as existing in a private property in a certain location.Names & addresses would be protected for privacy purposes and access based on owner’s prior permission each time. Users wanting access are likely to be nurseries, plant breeders and collectors.If you are like most gardeners I know, you know exactly what plants you have that are special. You could even list one plant. Maybe you could be given some plants in return for cuttings!

By recording what we have and encouraging otheres to do so, we'll also get a measure of how rare a plant is before we remove it .

I'm looking for some funding for this nationwide project.

About New Zealand Plant Finder

A love of interesting plants and gardening, whilst farming in the idyllic Gisborne hill country, led Meg Gaddum to begin collecting nursery catalogues and, in 1995, she started databasing the sources of plants in New Zealand, producing 4 plant finder books. In 1998, the plant finder database became a plant specific website search engine, the first such website in the world. From 2004-2007 the website was offline during which Meg completed a Masters in Landscape Architecture. Now she continues her project.

Nurseries can join for free or sponsor the website for an enhanced listing.

Meg holds a degree in Agricultural Science and is also fully involved in the business of farming a typical New Zealand hill country farm. With 900 hectares the farm carries sheep, beef cattle, deer and significant farm forestry, planted for conservation purposes in small blocks integrated into the landscape. Areas of indigenous vegetation have been protected by fencing.

The farm/plant finder combination won her and husband Bob the inaugural Gisborne District Rural Environmental Awards in 2000, awarded for good environmental practices and a commitment to integrate conservation into core business opportunities. In 2009 they won the Neil Barr Foundation Award for silvicultural practices.

About New Zealand Design Finder

New on the scene...and inspired by the efforts designers must make to convey their ideas visually and Meg's recent experiences studying Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University. Meg says…“this redefines how a business directory can work. It means design-related businesses can be differentiated by their work, not just their name in a list.  People look and understand pictures first, not words!.”

The basic portfolio and 1 set of images are free.

The portfolios are set up so that designers can also acknowledge collaborating companies in their work shown in the photos and product-based companies can participate by acknowledging the designer providing the environment or setting in each photo

Some of Meg's past gardens

About the Books: