Hi Tom: You make some valid points and I appreciate you sharing your perspective with me. At botanical and horticultural society meetings I have made and responded to many of the concerns you have expressed. With respect to *Index semina*, in CBG's case, we are pursuing a conservative approach recommended by our scientific staff with expertise in these areas (seed biology and invasive species). The challenge that we (and others) have not overcome yet is identifying the complex characteristics that lead to invasions - before they happen (we are pretty good - after the fact). The predictive models are simply not that accurate (and we have only focused on our regional climatic conditions). I shudder to think of trying to develop a model that could evaluate invasiveness with a high degree of accuracy for all climatic conditions. At the same time, staff with responsibility for building and maintaining genetic diversity within our collections continue to collect plants. The plants we bring back are evaluated for a number of years before they make it into the general collections in an effort to avoid bringing invasive plants into the USA. The role of botanic gardens and arboreta as biological arks can not be overstated. *Ex situ* collections are the 'last best hope' when all else fails. CBG's approach to the CBD has been developed over many years based upon experiences overseas and is a reflection of the current state of affairs - if we want to collect in these countries we have to obey their laws. Their laws, in most cases, are based on one or more interpretations of the CBD. So the voluntary aspect (USA hasn't signed) is not really voluntary once we start to work beyond the USA. I believe there are meetings where scientists and governments discuss changes/improvements to the CBD so there is hope that some of the less effective aspects will be modified. Each botanic garden or arboretum, within the confines of national and international law, is free to adopt the approach(s) that best fits what they think is important. Perspectives within the botanic garden community differ widely as you can imagine with 450 institutions in the USA and 2,300 Worldwide. It has been heartening to read the comments related to the importance so many on the Pacific Bulb Society listserve place on conservation of rare and endangered bulbs and the efforts taken at your own expense to do whatever you can. After reading through the posts, I think we all realize none of us really have all of the answers yet, but with so many enthusiastic, dedicated and intelligent people working towards the same goal there is hope. Many thanks, Boyce Tankersley Director of Living Plant Documentation Chicago Botanic Garden 1000 Lake Cook Road Glencoe, IL 60022 > >