A request for members to take part in an anonymous survey.

[Maggi Young]

From Robbie  Blackhall-Miles  FLS:

Earlier in the year I gave up full time work in order to study a Masters by research entitled ‘Plant hunting for commercial horticulture and access and benefit sharing: are they compatible?’. The research aims to discover
1.       Why people grow plant material with known wild provenance (KWP)? What is their motivation?
2.       Is there a price premium for plants of KWP compared to plants from horticultural origin and could this premium be translated into benefits for the countries providing access to plant material (provider countries)?
3.       To what extent UK plant nurseries are directly reliant on KWP plant material?
4.       What non-financial benefits could, or does, commercial horticulture provide to provider countries and to what extent?
My research comes in the wake of much discussion regarding the potential impacts of the Nagoya Protocol on commercial horticulture and the translation of national laws on access to genetic resources into international law through the Convention on Biodiversity.
As part of my research I intend on utilising anonymous surveys to help to understand some of the research questions, particularly question 1 - Why do people grow plant material with known wild provenance (KWP)? What is their motivation?
I am writing this email to ask if the Scottish Rock Garden Club members will assist my research by promoting my surveys and taking  part?
 As I am sure you are aware, this is quite an important, and emotive, issue regarding the future access of plant material from the wild and as such it's important that I get as wide a cross section of enthusiastic, dedicated horticulturists/collectors/gardeners as possible to respond to the survey.

I have the survey sorted and my ethics committee approval so here goes...
The type of consumer I am looking at is the type that would visit specialist nurseries so I think that the membership of the SRGC are exactly the right audience.

The survey will be going out to members of multiple societies as well as in 'The Plantsman'.

Here is the link to the survey http://www.blackhalls.co.uk/choice-experiments/

As you will see from the survey it is anonymous, randomised and there is a click through from my website so that will not be able to even tell the ip address of each respondent.
I would like for as many people as possible to have access to the survey; the larger the sample, the better the data.

Thanks once again for your assistance and please drop me a line should you have any questions or difficulties.

Robbie
Robert Blackhall-Miles FLS

fossilplants@gmail.com
www.fossilplants.co.uk
www.blackhalls.co.uk
www.anzplantsoc.org.uk

[Alan_b]

Can you explain what you mean by Known Wild Provenance?  I can take a guess but if I guess incorrectly then perhaps I would give the wrong answers t the survey?   

[Diane Whitehead]

Are you interested just in gardeners from the UK?

[FossilPlants]

Can you explain what you mean by Known Wild Provenance?  I can take a guess but if I guess incorrectly then perhaps I would give the wrong answers t the survey?   

KWP may come in the form of a collection locality, collectors code and accession number or other documented evidence that it had been, or is a 1st generation direct descendant of, a plant collected in the wild.

The label may say something like
‘RBM1901'
‘Tibetan form’
‘Originally found on a small hillside in Yunnan’
‘Collected just south of Antofagasta, Chile.’

[FossilPlants]

Are you interested just in gardeners from the UK?

Hi Diane,
I am really. However I would still be interested to see your responses and am able to filter out non-UK data at the point of analysis. dont forget to answer Other to the question about where you live.

Thanks

Robbie