A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

TO RECOGNIZE THE ESSENTIAL VALUE AND IMPORTANCE OF SOUTH CAROLINA NATIVE PLANTS TO THE STATE'S ENVIRONMENT, LANDSCAPE, AGRICULTURE, HISTORY, AND ECONOMY, AND TO ENCOURAGE STATE AGENCIES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND PRIVATE LANDOWNERS TO USE NATIVE PLANTS FOR LANDSCAPING, EROSION CONTROL, AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT WHENEVER POSSIBLE TO PROMOTE THE VIABILITY OF MIGRATORY AND NONMIGRATORY POLLINATORS AND TO HELP to PRESERVE SOUTH CAROLINA'S UNIQUE FLORA AND FAUNA.

 

Whereas, South Carolina's native plants provide iconic, economic, artistic, historical, and environmental values, unparalleled for beauty and unique to the history of the State and its future; and

 

Whereas, native plants are those which occur naturally in the specific regions in which they evolved, including our estuarine and tidal freshwater, maritime strand, freshwater wetlands, river and palustrine forested wetlands, and associated coastal uplands; and

 

Whereas, South Carolina contains over four thousand native plant species, subspecies, and varieties, making South Carolina home to a tremendously rich and diverse plant life, and twenty-one of those species are considered to be threatened or endangered; and

 

Whereas, maintaining and restoring the native plant habitat in South Carolina is vital to preserving South Carolina's present and future biodiversity amid a changing environment; and

 

Whereas, native plants are more drought-tolerant, provide essential food sources for insects, birds, and wildlife, and require less water. They also act as natural pollinators and help filter out fertilizers and chemicals, promoting water conservation and improving the quality of stormwater runoff. Additionally, native plants enhance the resilience of ecosystems in South Carolina; and

 

Whereas, native plants provide high-quality food and shelter for more than three hundred resident and migratory bird species in South Carolina, one hundred sixty-one of which are species of greatest conservation need; and

 

Whereas, South Carolina currently contends with over ninety invasive and exotic plants, many of which compete with native plant species, degrade soil, facilitate erosion, require more fertilizers and chemicals, provide fewer food sources to native birds and other wildlife, and alter the state's natural landscapes; and

 

Whereas, the state's original Native American residents lived and thrived by knowledge of native plants which provided generations with food, clothing, shelter, dyes, tools, medicines, and fuel; and

 

Whereas, from the state's earliest time, native flora and fauna have provided a rich landscape, inspiring and influencing notable literary and artistic works by internationally recognized figures and thereby securing South Carolina's legacy in natural heritage; and

 

Whereas, South Carolina's native plants and their derivatives have provided essential foods, medicines, and other products of global import since the colonial period, while native plants, such as sweet grass and Carolina yellow jessamine, play an important role in the state's cultural heritage; and

 

Whereas, native plant horticulture contributes significantly to the state's economy and employs thousands of South Carolinians, providing a thriving, vital, and ever-expanding industry, who do their part to preserve, protect, and restore precious native habitats by using South Carolina native plants whenever possible for landscaping, erosion control, and vegetation management; and

 

Whereas, the state's native plants provide essential watershed protection, helping natural aquifers recharge, serving to filter water naturally flowing into rivers and estuaries, lessening erosion and flooding, and supporting rich biodiversity in birds and wildlife; and

 

Whereas, gardens and landscapes comprised of South Carolina's native plants require far fewer fertilizers, soil amendments, or pesticides, and use significantly less water compared to nonnative plants; and

 

Whereas, pollinators such as birds, bees, and insects, including migratory butterflies, hummingbirds, and other threatened species, depend on the biodiversity of native plants for their survival; and

 

Whereas, many native South Carolina plants have played a vital role in state and national history, compelling the United States Congress, the State of South Carolina, and many local communities throughout the State to protect the beauty, power, and grandeur of our wild spaces; and

 

Whereas, planting, restoration, preservation, and cultivation of the state's indigenous plants provides a natural link to wild land areas present and past, while presenting beauty and benefit and instilling a greater appreciation for South Carolina's natural heritage. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

 

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize the essential value and importance of South Carolina's native plants to the state's environment, landscape, agriculture, history, and economy and encourage all state agencies, local governments and private landowners to use native plants for landscaping, erosion, and vegetation management whenever possible to promote the viability of migratory and nonmigratory pollinators and to help to preserve South Carolina's unique flora and fauna.

 

Be it further resolved that the Department of Administration is urged to circulate this concurrent resolution to all state agencies and state governmental units engaged in or overseeing the landscaping or grounds maintenance of properties so that they are made aware of the General Assembly's interest in this matter.

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