Rare Plant Program

Plant Status Review Process

Introduction 

Since its beginning, the CNPS Rare Plant Program (RPP) has always taken an iterative, book-driven approach to data development and dissemination for the Inventory. This has resulted in a 5-7 year span between editions of the hardcopy Inventory. Though a perfectly sound approach in the pre-internet days, this approach is no longer adequate. The need to provide current plant status information, combined with new ways to accumulate and distribute data, has led to the possibility and the need for a continuous Inventory review process.

The RPP has now shifted to such a continuous data analysis and dissemination approach. Major changes to the Inventory (i.e. additions, deletions, CNPS list changes, scientific name changes) will be continuously reviewed by CNPS, California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB), regional Plant Status Review groups, and other experts. Once consensus is reached about a change, it will be added to a group of pending changes, which will all be implemented and disseminated on a quarterly basis.

The Process

1. RPP and CNDDB ("we" hereafter) identify a possible change (i.e. addition, deletion, CNPS list change, scientific and/or common name change). 
2. We develop information from local and regional floras, scientific literature, herbaria, knowledgeable experts, and other resources. 
3. We finalize the data and a recommendation to the appropriate regional Plant Status Review group. 
4. We email the proposed change, supporting information, and recommendation to Plant Status Review group in the appropriate region(s), plus any other knowledgeable parties (e.g. taxonomic experts). 
5. We accumulate emailed responses back from regional experts who reviewed the proposed change, and process any data / information from responses to dataset. 
6. We determine if there is consensus on change from the returned email comments. 
   1. If there is, we finalize the change, and implement it at the beginning of the next quarter (see 7 below). 
   2. If there is not, we develop more information, review status decisions, and reconsult with regional Plant Status Review group as necessary (including in-person meetings if necessary). 
7. At the beginning of each quarter, RPP updates the Inventory database, the Updates page, and publishes a new official version of the inventory dataset, via the Online Inventory and other formats. CNDDB updates their dataset and publishes a new official version of the Special Plants, Bryophytes, and Lichens List