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For endangered species, a major goal of population viability analysis is the prediction of the probability of extinction for a population over a designated time period. From this, one can derive an estimate of the minimum population size necessary to have an acceptably low probability of extinction. This minimum viable population (MVP) is related to extinction probability as smaller populations are more likely to become extinct than larger ones for a variety of reasons. MVP analyses for plants differ from those used for animals and this paper explores the application of such analyses to plants taking into account breeding systems, ecology and habitat effects. Some of the implications for conservation and genetic resources are considered.