Societal Impact Statement American ginseng is a shade‐obligate, North American medicinal plant that is widely traded and used internationally. To meet global demand, ginseng is cultivated in forest farms in the Appalachian region of the USA and field‐based artificial shade farms in two regions: Ontario, Canada, and Wisconsin, USA. We conducted social research leveraging in‐depth interviews with growers to inform wild population genetics and future crop development efforts by examining how ginseng genetic materials are sourced, selected, and distributed in forest‐based and artificial shade farming systems. We identified patterns in grower practice that inform global conservation efforts in ginseng and other medicinal plants. Summary Understanding the population genetics of threatened medicinal plant species is essential to building effective conservation management strategies that promote sustainable plant use for human health and wellbeing. Yet molecular approaches on their own do not incorporate human perspectives and behaviors, including trading planting stock and intensive cultivation, that may influence genetic population structure. Research continues to assess genetic and phenotypic variation in cultivated and wild ginseng plants; however, the practices associated with ginseng planting have mostly been overlooked. In this study, we incorporated the knowledge of ginseng growers by conducting key informant interviews with artificial shade and forest growers in the U.S.A. and Canada (N = 34) and analyzed these data using Grounded Theory methods. Results from these interviews highlight the importance of artificial shade farms in Wisconsin and Ontario as likely sources of genetic and phenotypic variation in forest‐cultivated and wild‐occurring ginseng populations. Plant selection and seed saving practices were mostly unconscious decisions, and evidence of deliberate selection of genetic materials for specific traits was largely absent. Growers reported that lack of access to local seed sources is an important driver of planting stock movement from artificial shade farms to forest farms that can be used to establish “wild” forest populations. Artificial shade farms were found to produce large seed surpluses, while forest farms reported difficulties obtaining planting stock, leading to heavy reliance on importing non‐local cultivated planting materials. These results highlight the importance of involving growers in future efforts involving planting stock conservation and seed banking for sustainable medicinal plant use.

Societal Impact Statement Understanding how cooperative interactions remain stable matters for biodiversity because many plants rely on specialist insects that can also impose reproductive costs. We studied the interaction between Sambucus sieboldiana and seed‐consuming Heterhelus beetles through detailed field observations and pollination experiments. We found that the plant depends largely on Heterhelus for pollination and aborts most infested fruits before they ripen, which likely redirects plant resources to healthier fruits, while the fallen fruits still shelter larvae until they complete development. This finely balanced compromise helps explain how nursery pollination mutualisms persist and can inform practice, including guidance on the timing of fruit and litter removal in gardens, parks, and restoration sites to avoid disrupting the interaction. Summary Pollinating seed‐consuming mutualisms (nursery pollination mutualisms) can shift toward antagonism because seed consumption by pollinators reduces plant fitness. Accordingly, mutualisms that persist under such conditions provide insight into the mechanisms that promote and maintain cooperation. We examined the interaction between Sambucus sieboldiana and its seed‐consuming Heterhelus beetles through field observations, exclusion experiments, and controlled pollination. We also compared larval entry into ovaries containing unfertilized vs. fertilized ovules, reared larvae from developing fruits, and tested whether infestation increased fruit abortion and affected larval development and seed germinability. Sambucus sieboldiana is self‐incompatible, and seed production relies largely on Heterhelus beetles for pollination. Larvae preferentially enter ovaries containing fertilized ovules and consume developing seeds. Nearly all infested fruits abort, yet larvae complete development in the aborted fruits. Seed weight was already lower in infested than in uninfested fruits at the time of abortion, even when larvae did not consume the seeds. Despite the substantially reduced germinability of seeds in infested fruits, fruit abortion likely functions as a cost‐mitigation strategy that limits maternal investment, because S. sieboldiana experiences both pollinator limitation and resource limitation. These findings suggest that reciprocal benefits are maintained through multiple mechanisms, including larval avoidance of ovaries with unfertilized ovules, fruit abortion that reduces maternal resource investment, and larval development within aborted fruits. Fruit abortion in this system differs from that in other pollinating seed‐consuming mutualisms, where abortion causes larval mortality. Nonetheless, the shared benefits of fruit abortion likely contribute to stabilizing the mutualism.

Social Impact Statement Plant biostimulants are substances that are obtained from a variety of sources and are applied in minute quantities to enhance plant growth and vigor. In this review, we detail how the use of plant biostimulants may contribute to efforts to achieving a number of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We describe how the incorporation of plant biostimulants could have both environmental and societal benefits, from increasing food security, potentially improving soil health, and enhancing economic cooperation. However, to fully exploit the potential of plant biostimulants, consistency in performance as well as a broader awareness is essential to their adoption and integration into common agricultural practices. Summary Plant biostimulants (PBs) have been shown to increase crop yield, quality, improve nutrient uptake and tolerance to abiotic stress. They have previously been proposed as innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture, with the global market currently exceeding $3 billion and projected to triple within the next decade due to climate change challenges and growing awareness of their potential. The Sustainable Development Agenda, adopted by world leaders in 2015, set out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 targets and 330 indicators to be achieved by 2030, providing a blueprint for a fairer and more sustainable society. Interest in PBs has expanded significantly in recent years, and they are increasingly described as environmentally friendly tools that can be integrated into conventional agricultural practices to improve crop performance. Their use can directly support societal‐based SDGs: Zero Hunger (SDG 2) and Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), and environmental SDGs: Climate Action (SDG 13), Life Below Water (SDG 14), and Life on Land (SDG 15). They may also indirectly contribute to Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17). PBs promote a more sustainable approach to agriculture by mitigating abiotic stress, increasing nutrient use efficiency, and enhancing soil health. This article highlights how PBs can contribute to achieving some of the SDGs and international climate targets such as the Paris Climate Agreement while also underscoring the need for more systematic and coordinated research to strengthen the evidence base, optimize their effectiveness, and support wider adoption.

Societal Impact Statement Banana and plantain are vital for food security and income in West Africa, yet banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) threatens production. This study combined remote sensing, field surveys, modelling and socio‐economic analysis to assess BBTV spread and control strategies in Benin. We found that risk is highest in southern regions with low disease awareness, limited adoption of control measures and widespread informal planting material exchange. By identifying priority areas and context‐specific interventions, our findings provide actionable guidance for targeted BBTV management, supporting smallholder resilience, reducing disease impact and safeguarding livelihoods across sub‐Saharan Africa. Summary This study investigates banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), a major threat to banana and plantain production in Benin, which are critical for food security and income for smallholder farmers. We combined remote sensing, field surveillance, household surveys and mathematical modelling to map banana cultivation; detect BBTV prevalence; and evaluate control strategies. BBTV was detected in 140 of 747 fields, with the highest prevalence in southern humid regions; modelling showed that injection was the most effective nationally, while uprooting was the most effective in high‐risk, socio‐economically vulnerable areas. Our findings highlight the need for context‐specific, spatially targeted interventions integrating clean planting materials, farmer education and epidemiologically informed management to enhance smallholder resilience and safeguard livelihoods.

Societal Impact Statement Plant viruses spread by insects decimate crop yields globally, causing food security challenges in vulnerable areas including regions of Africa. Interdisciplinary research is needed to protect future crop supplies. CONNECTED, the Community Network for African Vector‐Borne Plant Viruses, increased research capacity in Central, East, West and Southern Africa through networking, funding research and training. Here, we describe how CONNECTED developed a community of 1675 members across 97 countries, delivered new research and trained early career researchers in interdisciplinary techniques. The approach used by CONNECTED can be replicated by other initiatives to increase international plant research capacity and collaboration, particularly between the Global South and North. Summary Plant viruses, often spread by insects, decimate staple and nutritious crop yields globally. This contributes to economic and food security challenges in vulnerable areas, including regions of Africa. Interdisciplinary research is required to better understand plant virus epidemiology to protect future crop supplies, but this is often hindered by limited collaboration and knowledge exchange between plant pathology and entomology research communities. Collaborative networks are a useful model for promoting collaborative and interdisciplinary research. CONNECTED, the Community Network for African Vector‐Borne Plant Viruses, was a collaborative research network supported by the UK Global Challenges Research Fund. CONNECTED sought to convene international plant pathology and entomology communities through networking, pump‐priming new collaborative research, and training, to increase vector‐borne plant virus (VBPV) research capacity in Africa. Combining analysis of CONNECTED's activities programme with qualitative methods, we identify the outcomes achieved by CONNECTED for the global VBPV community, and the value it provided to its members. CONNECTED developed a multidisciplinary community of 1675 members across 97 countries. CONNECTED delivered 20 new strategically‐relevant research projects involving 55 researchers from 33 institutions across 14 countries working on 11 different crops. CONNECTED trained over 140 early career researchers from 23 countries in interdisciplinary VBPV techniques, providing new training materials co‐created in partnership with Africa‐based research organisations. These outcomes demonstrate the impact of CONNECTED's phased programme of activities in building the capacity of international VBPV research communities, towards plant science and food security outcomes, which can be expanded and replicated in different contexts.

Societal Impact Statement Reusing organic waste materials, such as animal manure, as soil amendments reduces water and fertiliser demand, contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, organic wastes may contain contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), posing potential ecosystem and human health risks. Despite the importance of this issue, there is a lack of open dialogue between researchers studying CECs and the farming community, limiting farmers' awareness of potential risks and researchers' understanding of realistic agricultural scenarios and constraints. Furthermore, farmers face financial, practical and policy challenges when deciding whether to use organic amendments; decisions are often made without a shared understanding of broader environmental concerns. Summary The aim was to address the lack of communication between farmers and researchers from various disciplines by integrating research on contaminant of emerging concern (CEC) presence and their effects on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonisation, with insights from social anthropology. A UK farm using a combination of wastewater biosolids, farmyard manure and synthetic fertiliser as soil amendments on three fields served as a case study. CEC presence and impact on AM colonisation was evaluated for soil from each field. The farmer and farm manager were interviewed to understand financial, practical and policy challenges around organic amendment use. Finally, a UK‐wide stakeholder workshop presenting the case study results to farmers, and other stakeholders was undertaken. The presence of 16 chemicals, including human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, pesticides and industrial chemicals across the three fields was confirmed. There was no significant effect on AM colonisation depending on which field the soil was from. A recorded interview of the farmer and farm manager demonstrated that their agricultural practices are motivated by both environmental consciousness and economic pragmatism. During the workshop, seven research questions were identified. Topics included what information is or should be available for farmers to make decisions on waste reuse in agriculture, for example, CEC presence. In addition, concerns were raised on how specific farming practices affect CEC fate and effects and how adequate policy on waste reuse is. This work integrates chemical, biological and social considerations surrounding soil amendment choices, emphasising the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and informed decision‐making in sustainable agriculture.

Societal Impact Statement The Mediterranean is one of five climatic regions on the planet characterised by a prolonged summer drought, exceptional plant diversity and high rates of endemism. We provide a framework to link the ecology of plant species conservation in the context of rapid and extreme climate deregulation to a philosophical typology of temporal attitudes (i.e., past, present and future). We argue that we must go beyond the historical heritage approach to embrace conservation action in a changing world. We review pragmatic and original ways to deepen social awareness for plant conservation, aligned with the three temporal themes. It is time to bring plants to the forefront of conservation action. Summary In this Thomas Review, we provide a structure that links ecological science of plant species conservation to a philosophical typology of temporal attitudes of scientists, i.e. ways of considering the inscription of one's action in time, with a preference for a temporal dimension in the past, the present or the future. We developed this framework to illustrate original ways of deepening social awareness for plant conservation. In section 1, we widen ecological and evolutionary foundations for plant conservation based on the historical floristic heritage to embrace the need to protect species at their range limits and the need to monitor the effects of extreme climate events. The processes that shape diversity and adaptation are central to this approach. Section 2 describes three temporal attitudes associated with the above three conservation themes. The remembrance attitude is characterised by its interest in the long‐term history of plant diversity. The anticipation attitude relies on climate scenarios and expected species distribution changes. Finally, a prudent attitude consists of making regular observations of ongoing change that relies on an iterative temporality of a continually renewed present. In section 3, we illustrate pragmatic and original ways to deepen social awareness for plant conservation in line with the three temporal themes. We conclude with a comment on the uncertainties surrounding conservation science and the need for confidence to act locally.

Societal Impact Statement This study underscores the vital role of Alpine botanical gardens (ABGs) in safeguarding Europe's alpine biodiversity amid climate change and habitat loss. By acting as living laboratories and reservoirs of plant genetic resources, ABGs bridge ex situ and in situ conservation, supporting ecosystem resilience and informing restoration strategies. Our findings reveal significant opportunities for ABGs to collaborate with germplasm banks, enhance genetic diversity in collections, and refine propagation protocols. Strengthening these integrative networks not only preserves unique alpine flora but also provides adaptive tools for conservation policies and sustainable land management in mountain regions facing rapid environmental change. Summary The Alps are one of Europe's most diverse ecosystems, but their biodiversity is threatened by climate change, habitat loss, and land‐use changes. Alpine botanical gardens (ABGs) play a crucial role in preserving plant diversity in this region. This study evaluates 14 ABGs across the Alps to assess their effectiveness in preserving the region's flora, with a particular aim to investigate how ABGs can integrate with and strengthen the conservation mission of germplasm banks. We assess representation of alpine flora in the living collections of these 14 ABGs relative to the 5797 taxa of the flora of the Alps, noting cases cultivated at the infraspecific level and examining the overlap of these collections with global germplasm banks. Our findings show that 32% of the 5797 taxa of the flora of the Alps are represented in ABGs, with some species cultivated at the infraspecific level, reflecting both ecological specializations and the expertise of ABG curators. Notably, ABGs contribute significantly to ex situ conservation, although gaps exist in certain taxonomic families and species, especially endemic and policy taxa. Many species in the living collections of ABGs are still missing from global germplasm banks. These findings highlight an opportunity for these gardens to strengthen conservation by contributing seeds and helping to grow species that are difficult to propagate, including narrow endemics. Collaboration with germplasm banks could address existing gaps in genetic diversity, with ABGs acting as field‐based experimental stations to refine propagation techniques. Overall, the importance of ABGs in both ex situ and in situ conservation strategies is underscored, urging stronger collaborations with research facilities and improved propagation protocols to optimize the conservation of alpine plants.

Societal Impact Statement Globally, countries are becoming increasingly committed to conserving biodiversity. Traditional methods of measuring biodiversity are simple and might miss out on capturing some of the more important functional features that comprise ecosystems. We compare a real‐world conservation program with background vegetation data to explore whether these traditional methods sufficiently capture the diversity of the forms and functions of plants. Our results suggest that there is a great opportunity to broaden our definition of biodiversity to include these functional metrics in our conservation planning, which would improve the representativeness of protected areas. Summary Functional diversity (FD) is a widely used metric in ecology that captures aspects of biodiversity complementary to species richness, although it is not commonly used in conservation. Conservation programs with broad aims to protect biodiversity could use FD to better monitor their progress alongside conventional species richness‐based metrics. This study investigates how FD is captured in a large‐scale private conservation network, relative to commonly used taxonomic metrics. We combined floristic data from 36,711 vegetation plots composed of two plot networks (private and background) in southeastern Australia, with species‐level trait information on leaves, height, stems, and seeds. We compared species richness and an existing diversity metric used in management with functional richness, evenness, and dispersion across plot networks. Further, we compared individual trait values between plot networks and use hypervolumes to compare functional overlap of trait space. Despite higher species richness in private conservation plots, functional richness, evenness, and dispersion were all lower than in background plots. Functional hypervolume analysis showed that private conservation plots captured only 43.7% of the functional space represented in background plots. Differences in plant height, leaf mass per area, and leaf nitrogen content suggest that the private network is characterized by slow economic strategies. We show that important dimensions of biodiversity can be overlooked in conservation programs that do not account for other facets of biological diversity. Integrating FD into conservation monitoring and planning will provide another useful tool for capturing the diversity and function of life, ultimately leading to more effective and representative conservation programs.

By 2050, nearly 70% of the global population will live in cities (UN, 2018), increasing the demand for urban green spaces. Urban areas are facing increasing risks from climate change, including heatwaves, flooding, wildfires, and growing social inequality, which challenges urban planning and design. Urban forests form the backbone of green infrastructure supporting resilient, equitable, and sustainable cities. Importantly, their cost-effective benefits advance sustainable development, climate action, and biodiversity conservation. Urban forests include all woody and understorey vegetation within and around dense settlements, from cultivated trees in streets, parks, and gardens to self-sustaining stands in remnant and peri-urban woodlands (FAO, 2016). As essential nature-based solutions (Cohen-Shacham et al., 2016), urban forests provide multiple ecosystem services. They help cool urban temperatures, reduce air pollution, enhance soil infiltration, slow stormwater runoff, buffer extreme weather, and support human health (Livesley et al., 2016). They contribute significantly to climate adaptation and moderately to mitigation by reducing the energy demand for cooling (McPhearson et al., 2023). Urban forests also enhance biodiversity by providing habitats and climate refugia at multiple scales (Alvey, 2006). Trade-offs in urban forest benefits, costs, and the impacts of policy interventions, such as those related to measurement, outcomes, or implementation, remain complex (Vogt et al., 2015), but the loss of canopy reduces air quality, biodiversity, and resilience to floods, droughts, pests, and extreme heat (Nowak, 2018). Canopy loss impairs recreation and impacts physical and mental health (Carrus et al., 2015). Because urban forests are inherently dynamic systems, the death or removal of large and mature trees should be anticipated through proactive planning for their replacement, including careful consideration of which species are selected and why. Unequal access drives social-environmental injustice and health inequities, which can be addressed through greenspace expansion, equitable distribution, and better management (Esperon-Rodriguez et al., 2025). Urban forests are increasingly at risk due to significant stewardship gaps. Despite the existence of international management standards, ongoing tree losses result from pests introduced through trade, climate and pollution stress, inadequate legal protections, rapid urban densification, and insufficient maintenance (Esperon-Rodriguez et al., 2022; Paap et al., 2017; Vogt et al., 2015). Planting alone cannot offset accelerated mature tree losses or replace the vital functions these trees provide over their shortened lifespans in urban environments. Closing the stewardship gap demands urgent investment, robust funding, and stronger policy to sustain diverse and resilient urban forests. Urban forests are among the most effective, equitable nature-based solutions available. When protected and resourced, they cool neighborhoods, manage stormwater, store carbon, support biodiversity, and improve health, especially in underserved communities. Yet mature tree loss outpaces replacement amid increasing climate and biological stresses. We urge COP30 policymakers to treat urban forests as essential and critical city infrastructure: safeguard mature trees, set and finance SMART canopy, diversity and access targets, mainstream urban forests in climate and biodiversity plans, and fund long-term operations, monitoring, nursery capacity, and biosecurity. Implementing this visionary action delivers cooler, healthier, more biodiverse, and more equitable cities now and for future generations. MER and MGT led the initiative and drafted the letter. All authors provided feedback, edited, and agreed with the content of the letter. All authors, except MER and MGT, are listed alphabetically. MER received funding from Western Sydney University's Research Theme Program. KDP was supported by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, grant 12A0L25N). RMM was supported by a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (project DE200100649), funded by the Australian Research Council of the Australian Government. JCS received funding from the Danish National Research Foundation (grant DNRF173) and EARTHKEEPER (Global South Biodiversity Leadership Initiative). CS's contribution was funded by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (grant no 84379). We declare no conflict of interest. There are no data associated with the article.