Plant Extinction Prevention Program
NTBG partners with the Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP) to help conserve the rarest plants, those with fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild. Nearly 240 Hawaiian plant species have fewer than 50 wild individuals remaining.
Collecting propagules for long term storage, research, propagation and outplanting, protecting wild plants, surveying for new plants, and monitoring populations are the primary activities mandated by PEPP. NTBG biologists assist PEPP in these activities.
Many of the collections made by PEPP on Kauaʻi are propagated at NTBG’s Conservation and Horticulture Center and established ex situ in NTBG gardens. Many seeds of these rare species are stored in our Seed Bank and Laboratory.
Visit the PEPP website to learn more about how the statewide program is “preserving Hawaiʻi’s rarest plants through teamwork”.
