> > While we still receive *Index Seminum* from other botanic gardens their > numbers have been drastically reduced over the last ten years. In some > cases because of budget cuts and staffing shortages but in many cases due to > concerns related to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) and > invasive plants. > Folly of course...the treaty has never (20 years or so) been ratified in the US and the legal enforcement mechanisms are ...what...nonexistant. Mark Mazer Hertford, North Carolina US