Biological databases are needed for the development of ecologically sensitive land management strategies. Quantitative information that would serve this purpose is typically unavailable or limited to a few species. An alternative is qualitative herbarium data. While often collected unsystematically, herbarium records are usually available for many taxa. We explored the use of herbarium records for defining conservation priorities for plant taxa found in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. Our objectives were: (1) to identify rare plant taxa collected in the study area; and (2) to group these taxa by habitat affinity, and refine their conservation status based on the vulnerability of the habitats to current and anticipated land use. The temporal and geographical variations in the collection of the herbarium records are described. A total of 351 herbarium records were found, representing 161 different taxa from 46 families. Nine habitat types were identified. Two of these habitats, rich tolerant hardwood forest and wet Thuja occidentalis forest, were classified as endangered. Collections were concentrated near settlements, in areas with road access, or in known species-rich hotspots that were repeatedly revisited. The number of collections varied through time, depending on the presence of botanists working within the study area. Despite limitations, herbarium data served as a valuable first step in identifying species of conservation concern and highlighting information gaps requiring further investigation.

Herbarium; Conservation; New Brunswick; Rare plant taxa; Ecosystem management