What started as a project by a University of Georgia graduate student in the 1990s, the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance (GPCA) has flourished into a network of over 100 partner organizations working on the conservation of 111 imperiled plant species, as well as plant community projects.
Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River and is one of the most diverse states in terms of plant species, with nearly 4,000 found in the mountains, Piedmont and coastal plain, according to the director of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Jenny Cruse-Sanders.
However, nearly 20% of Georgia’s botanical diversity is of conservation concern. With more than 800 rare plant taxa (species or subspecies) tracked by state conservation agencies, a recent assessment led by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for the updated 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan identified 482 plant Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
“As Georgians, we should care about these assessments because intact natural habitats provide for food security, emergency preparedness and resilience to natural disasters, such as storms, hurricanes and wildfires,” said Cruse-Sanders. “Beyond the ecosystem value of plant species diversity, we know that thriving natural habitats provide daily benefits to us as humans. Documented health benefits for people who spend time in nature include decreases in blood pressure, heart rate, stress hormones, anxiety, depression, fatigue and inflammation.”
Recognizing the many reasons to preserve Georgia’s botanical heritage, GPCA has worked since 1995 to identify, prioritize and partner to achieve significant conservation successes for Georgia and beyond. GPCA has mentored and trained new conservationists who represent the next generation of experts, who are leading with innovative ideas to address future challenges.
GPCA, headquartered at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, a unit of Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia, has also played a key role in launching state-based plant conservation networks in 15 other states.
Beginnings of GPCA
While Jennifer Ceska, conservation coordinator at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and the coordinator of the GPCA, was working on her master’s thesis at UGA, she had an idea to investigate how botanical gardens can support and promote conservation.
She consulted with colleagues in conservation programs across the U.S. to explore how this approach could be implemented and drew on that knowledge to develop guiding principles for the network, which was officially established in July 1995.
Founding partners for the alliance included representatives from the State Botanical Garden, Callaway Gardens, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy.
The founding group decided that the state botanist would propose projects that they needed help with, and the alliance would share knowledge and resources to support these critical projects.
“It’s about showing up to make a recovery plan, growing plants and building trust. We call it growing organically,” said Ceska. “There are no dues, it’s project-driven, and it’s meant to be simple so time and resources can go directly to the projects.”
It takes a village
The GPCA is an example of how partnerships are integral to achieving long-term goals. Since the network began over 30 years ago, no imperiled species have gone extinct on their watch. However, that does not mean it has been easy.
“We’re passionate about it, but it’s hard because you see the struggle of species in the wild. Every year, there are setbacks,” Ceska said.
One example of a GPCA success story is the recovery work on the Smooth Coneflower, Echinacea laevigata. When the GPCA began work with the Smooth Coneflower, there were only six significant populations left in Georgia, and all were in decline, according to Ceska.
The plants were struggling to exist on roadsides, and one of the largest populations was at risk of being poached. The State Botanical Garden’s Conservation Horticulturist Heather Alley has grown more than 2,500 plants, and GPCA has planted over 2,000 plants and sown 3,700 seeds directly into the wild. The six natural populations are now stabilized through better management, and all have flowering plants and are producing seed.
In August 2022, the Smooth Coneflower was downlisted under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from endangered to threatened, with the GPCA credited for its recovery work on this species in Georgia.
Another notable accomplishment of the alliance is its ability to prepare the next generation to tackle these issues. According to Ceska, there are well over 20 students and young professionals who have been mentored by the GPCA and are now successful plant conservation professionals.
Since the State Botanical Garden is located at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, university students can connect with the garden and GPCA to gain hands-on experience and training, which translates to careers in plant conservation.
One of the network’s first interns was Cruse-Sanders, who previously served as the vice president for science and conservation at the Atlanta Botanical Garden before becoming the director of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Lisa Kruse, senior botanist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, was also an intern at the State Botanical Garden and GPCA.
Carrie Radcliffe worked with GPCA as a graduate student and is now the co-director of the Southeastern Plant Conservation Alliance.
“Engaging with the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance during my time at the University of Georgia allowed me to connect with professional botanists and land managers, as well as other researchers and students,” said Radcliffe. “Doing so enabled my participation in meaningful work that has had tangible outcomes for some of Georgia’s rarest plant species.
“Jennifer Ceska became my first female mentor when I was an undergraduate student. Since that time, I have watched GPCA grow into a strong community that has served as a model for other states. This success has inspired the work I currently do at the regional and national levels.”
Another success of the GPCA is the network’s ability to share its knowledge with other states that are looking to implement a similar plant conservation group. Ceska said GPCA has consulted with up to 15 states, including Alabama, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
The consultation GPCA provides is pretty simple, Ceska says, and much of the work involves encouraging other states that they can implement a similar program.
“The secret ingredient is asking how you can help,” Ceska said. “A group that is mission-driven is very successful, and the recovery of a rare species is a great mission to rally around.”
GPCA has been recognized with four national conservation and environmental excellence awards, including the 2013 Program Excellence Award from the American Public Gardens Association, the 2016 Special Recognition Award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the 2019 Honorable Mention Project Excellence Award from the National Association of Environmental Professionals and the 2019 Environmental Excellence Award from the Federal Highway Administration.
“In the over 30 years that I have been involved in the plant conservation world, whether as a student, a researcher, an advocate or a practitioner, I have never experienced a phenomenon quite like the GPCA,” said Mincy Moffett, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “It is synonymous with plant conservation in Georgia. It is the umbrella organization for anyone interested in, or responsible for, plant conservation.
“GPCA leads and inspires and is the model that others seek to emulate both regionally and nationally. It has been the honor of my professional life to have linked arms with so many brilliant and dedicated plant conservationists, horticulturalists and land managers as we worked shoulder to shoulder to build this incredible organization.”
What you can do to help
The best way to support the work of the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance is by planting native plants in your landscape, Ceska said.
“Native plants on the land are essential,” said Ceska. “The wildlife that we love, including bees, butterflies, birds and box turtles, must have native plants to complete their lifecycle.”
GPCA also wants Georgians to value open space—landscapes with few trees or widely spaced trees where sunlight can reach the forest floor. More than 90% of imperiled native plant species in Georgia are sun-loving, clinging to rights-of-way, roadsides and park edges.
“There is a lot of pushback about letting open spaces go unmowed,” said Ceska. “People think that makes an area look unkempt or uncared for, but birds, bees and butterflies need the plant communities that survive in open spaces.
“This is something we want to teach Georgians, where it becomes regular in their lives.”
For more information about the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, please visit https://botgarden.uga.edu/georgia-plant-conservation-alliance/.
