Botanic Gardens Conservation International

Botanic Gardens Conservation International
source
Name	Botanic Gardens Conservation International
Formation	1987
Headquarters	Richmond, London
Region served	Global

Botanic Gardens Conservation International

Botanic Gardens Conservation International was established to coordinate plant conservation among botanical institutions worldwide, serving as a hub linking botanic gardens, herbaria, seed banks, universities, zoos, arboreta, museums, and conservation bodies. It works with partners across continents — including institutions in United Kingdom, United States, China, Brazil, and South Africa — to conserve plant diversity through collections, field programs, research, and policy engagement. The organization interfaces with networks such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Environment Facility, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and major botanical institutions like the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the New York Botanical Garden, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

History

Botanic Gardens Conservation International was founded in 1987 following dialogues among leaders from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the New York Botanical Garden, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and other prominent institutions including the Australian National Botanic Gardens, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Jardin des Plantes, the National Botanical Garden of Belgium and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Early engagement included collaborators from the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and drew on precedents set by the Botanical Society of America and the International Association for Plant Taxonomy. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s it expanded partnerships with regional networks such as the American Public Gardens Association, the European Botanic Gardens Consortium, the China Plant Specialist Group, the African Botanic Gardens Network, the Pacific Islands Botanic Network, and government ministries including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and agencies such as the Natural Environment Research Council. Milestones included contributions to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, collaborations with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and alignment with targets from the Convention on Biological Diversity meetings in Nagoya and Cancún.

Mission and Activities

The organization’s mission focuses on plant conservation, advocacy, policy input, and capacity building through partnerships with institutions including the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Smithsonian Institution, the International Institute for Species Exploration, the Royal Society, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, the World Agroforestry Centre, and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Activities span ex situ conservation with seed banks and living collections at institutions such as the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership and the Global Seed Vault, in situ projects with partners like the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the Society for Conservation Biology, and policy support at meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and regional bodies such as the European Commission and the African Union. It collaborates with botanical publishers and herbaria including the International Plant Names Index, Kew Herbarium, the Herbarium of the University of Oxford, and the National Herbarium of New South Wales.

Global Gardens Network and PlantSearch

A core role is maintaining a global network that links garden-based institutions such as the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the New York Botanical Garden, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and regional hubs like the Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden and the Jardín Botánico de Bogotá. The organization’s PlantSearch database aggregates accession and seed accession data from seed banks and living collections at institutions including the Millennium Seed Bank, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Herbarium, the United States National Arboretum, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, the National Botanic Garden of Wales, and the Huntington Botanical Gardens. PlantSearch supports conservation planning alongside datasets from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the IUCN Red List, the Center for Plant Conservation, the European Garden Flora, and the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland.

Conservation Programs and Projects

Programs include ex situ and in situ initiatives delivered with partners such as the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, the Center for Plant Conservation, the Global Trees Campaign, the Alliance for Zero Extinction, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, the Global Environment Facility, and regional programs with the African Union Development Agency, the Asian Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank. Field projects operate with botanical gardens and universities like the University of Cape Town, the University of São Paulo, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of Oxford, the University of Melbourne, and NGOs such as Fauna & Flora International, Conservation International, BirdLife International, The Nature Conservancy, and Wildlife Conservation Society. Conservation priorities address threatened taxa listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and align with recovery work at national institutions such as the National Botanic Garden of Belgium, the Israel Botanical Garden, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the National Herbarium of Victoria.

Research, Education, and Capacity Building

Research collaborations link with universities and research institutes including the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Smithsonian Institution, the Natural History Museum, London, the National University of Singapore, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of Tokyo, and the Australian National University. Programs provide training for garden staff, taxonomists, seed scientists, and conservation practitioners from bodies such as the International Plant Conservation Network, the European Network for Conservation of Plants, the Asian Regional Seed Bank Network, and the Botanical Survey of India. Educational outreach partners include the Royal Horticultural Society, the National Trust, the ZSL London Zoo, the Smithsonian Gardens, and regional museums such as the Natural History Museum, Vienna and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle.

Governance and Funding

Governance involves a board drawn from directors and representatives of major institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the New York Botanical Garden, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and representatives from regional networks like the African Botanic Gardens Network and the European Botanic Gardens Consortium. Funding sources include grants and partnerships with the Global Environment Facility, the Darwin Initiative, philanthropic foundations such as the Wellcome Trust, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Arcadia Fund, corporate partners, government agencies including the Department for International Development, multilateral donors like the World Bank, and project support from institutions such as the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Category:Plant conservation organizations