(a) The Department may issue permits to remove, collect or transplant wild plants classified as Pennsylvania Endangered or Pennsylvania Threatened, for the following activities:

1. (1) To conduct botanical and taxonomic studies.
2. (2) To transplant Pennsylvania Endangered or Pennsylvania Threatened wild plants from land areas threatened by future land development, surface mining, agricultural encroachment or other activities into public or private wild plant sanctuaries, to help assure their perpetuation as members of ecosystems.
3. (3) To transplant Pennsylvania Endangered or Pennsylvania Threatened wild plants into designated public and private wild plant sanctuaries to enhance their numbers or to restore their natural range.