Wild plant species with extremely small populations require conservation and reintroduction in China.

China is exceptionally rich in biodiversity, with more than 30000 vascular plant species that include many endemic genera, species of ancient origin, and cultivated plants (Yang et al. 2005). Because of rapid economic development, population growth, pollution, and continuing resource exploitation, China’s plant diversity faces severe threats. According to the Chinese National Report on Biodiversity, 15–20% of the animal and plant species in China are now threatened. In the past 50years in China, about 200 species have become extinct, and about 4000–5000 vascular plants are currently endangered. China has 156 of the 640 species on the list of the ‘‘Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).’’ The first volume of the ‘‘China Plant Red Book’’ identified 388 rare and endangered species, including 121 endangered species, 110 rare species, and 157 vulnerable species. In 1999, the ‘‘National Key Protected Wild Plants’’ identified about 1700 rare and endangered plant species (Chinese State Report on Biodiversity Editorial Committee 1998). In 2008, the Chinese government launched ‘‘China’s Strategy for Plant Conservation,’’ which proposed 16 goals or targets and implemented in situ conservation (e.g., nature reserves) and ex situ conservation (e.g., botanical gardens) of wild plants in China. Target 6 aimed to provide in situ protection for about 60% of the threatened species. Target 8 aimed to provide ex situ protection for about 60% of the threatened plant species, of which 10% would be included in reintroduction programs (China’s Strategy for Plant Conservation Editorial Committee 2008). In 2012, the State Forestry Administration of China formulated the ‘‘Conservation Program for Wild Plants with Extremely Small Population in China’’ as their 2012–2015 operational plan. Conservation and reintroduction of rare and endangered plants with extremely small populations has been very difficult, especially because there are few successful examples to follow (Godefroid et al. 2011; Polak and Saltz 2011). Conservation and reintroduction of plants with extremely small population requires a systematic approach. Because conservation and reintroduction of plants with extremely small population is considered essential for ecological, economic, and human health, research on this topic has been a major focus in the fields of international conservation biology and restoration ecology (Albrecht et al. 2011). In this paper, we review the research concerning the conservation and reintroduction of rare and endangered plants in China and elsewhere, and we propose a direction for future development of this field.