Beyond forests: Harnessing conservation gardening for open biomes in Brazil
Flávia Santos Faria, Luciane Vilela Resende, Fernando A. O. SilveiraSocietal Impact Statement
Urban gardening offers an innovative conservation strategy by integrating native ornamental species into urban landscapes. We evaluated the ornamental potential of the Brazilian flora by comparing the representation of species from forests versus open biomes (focusing on campo rupestre grasslands) and introduced and validated the Index of Ornamental Potential (IOP). Despite high IOP values, species from open biomes were underrepresented in the ornamental market, indicating an untapped resource of novelty to fuel growing market demands. Open biomes harbor unique, unexplored phenotypes with high ornamental and conservation value, presenting opportunities for local communities to support sustainable livelihoods and reduce environmentally degrading activities.
Summary
In situ conservation is vital but insufficient to address the ongoing climate and biodiversity crises. Urban conservation gardening integrating native and endangered plants into public and private landscapes offers an innovative pathway to expand ex situ collections, enhance public engagement, and create sustainable incomes for local communities.
To alleviate barriers of implementing urban conservation gardening, we first compiled a comprehensive list of ornamental plants in Brazil, identifying 3925 species, of which only 1091 (27.8%) are native. Second, we compared forest and open biome species and found a striking underrepresentation of endemic plants from open biomes (Pampa, Pantanal, and Cerrado), despite their high conservation value and unique phenotypes. Third, we developed and applied the Index of Ornamental Potential (IOP) to the flora of
campo rupestre
, a megadiverse montane grassy‐shrubland harboring 15% of the national flora in an area smaller than 0.8% of national territory.
Based on a systematic review of 61 studies and 2 years of intensive fieldwork, we identified 375
campo rupestre
species with high ornamental potential, 50 of which were evaluated by professional plant hunters. IOP assessments revealed that most
campo rupestre
species, particularly endemics, scored high IOP, indicating elevated ornamental attributes, yet remain absent from commercial production.
We demonstrate that open biome floras represent an untapped reservoir of ornamental novelty. If well regulated, incorporating these species into cultivation potentially diversifies the market, strengthens urban sustainability, and provides incomes for local communities, ultimately reducing dependence on environmentally degrading activities.