Latin American Botanical Gardens Network

Latin American Botanical Gardens Network
Name	Latin American Botanical Gardens Network
Formation	1969
Type	Non-profit network
Location	Latin America and the Caribbean
Region served	Latin America
Membership	Botanical gardens, arboreta, herbaria, research institutes
Language	Spanish, Portuguese, English

Latin American Botanical Gardens Network is a regional consortium connecting botanical gardens, arboreta, herbaria, and plant conservation institutions across Latin America and the Caribbean. It emerged from mid-20th century collaborations among botanical institutions seeking coordinated responses to habitat loss and biodiversity threats, and today links scientific collections, cultivation programs, taxonomic libraries, and public gardens across nations. The network fosters exchange among actors such as the Missouri Botanical Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Smithsonian Institution, Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, and regional universities and conservation organizations.

History and formation

The network traces origins to meetings that involved entities like the Pan American Union, Organization of American States, IUCN, CONABIO, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature in the 1960s and 1970s, followed by formalization influenced by projects linked to UNESCO, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Wide Fund for Nature. Founding collaborators included the Jardín Botánico de Medellín Joaquín Antonio Uribe, Jardín Botánico de Bogotá José Celestino Mutis, Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba Rubén Martínez Villena, and the Jardín Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. Early secretariats worked with the Caribbean Community and the Andean Community to coordinate transnational seed exchange and ex situ collections following frameworks developed by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. Major milestones intersected with conferences at institutions such as the University of Costa Rica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, National Autonomous University of Mexico, and initiatives supported by the Inter-American Development Bank.

Membership and participating institutions

Membership ranges from metropolitan gardens to university herbaria and research centers, including the Instituto de Botánica Darwinion, Jardín Botánico Lankester, Jardín Botánico de São Paulo, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Chile, Herbario Nacional de Bolivia "Adolfo Fernández", Instituto de Biología, UNAM, Fundación Amigos del Jardín Botánico de Caracas, Jardín Botánico de Quito', Jardín Botánico de Córdoba (Argentina), and the Centro de Conservación, Investigación y Manejo de Ecosistemas, Cuba. Other participants include the Field Museum of Natural History, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, National Botanic Garden of Belgium, and regional NGOs such as Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, BirdLife International, World Resources Institute, and Rainforest Alliance. The network also engages botanical programs at universities including the University of São Paulo, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and technical institutes like the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza.

Objectives and activities

Core objectives mirror priorities articulated by the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol, and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: plant conservation, sustainable use, knowledge exchange, and capacity building. Activities include coordinated seed banking aligned with the Global Seed Vault concept, ex situ collections synchronized with the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, taxonomic revisions referenced to collections at the Natural History Museum, London, floristic inventories linked to the Catalogue of Life, and restoration projects supported by the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network. The network runs workshops drawing experts from institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Missouri Botanical Garden, New York Botanical Garden, and agencies including the United Nations Environment Programme.

Conservation and research programs

Programs emphasize threatened endemic flora from ecoregions like the Amazon rainforest, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Chaco, Páramo, and Mata Atlântica. Conservation partners include the IUCN Red List, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, the Global Trees Campaign, and research collaborations with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Amazon Conservation Association. Projects encompass population genetics using protocols developed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the James Cook University, propagation protocols shared with the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, and mycorrhizal studies conducted with researchers at the University of Oxford and the University of California, Berkeley. Field surveys collaborate with national parks such as Manu National Park, Tayrona National Natural Park, and Iguaçu National Park.

Education and public outreach

The network implements education curricula crafted with partners like the Museum of Natural History, New York, California Academy of Sciences, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, and university outreach programs at the University of Costa Rica. Public exhibits, citizen science initiatives, and school programs involve collaborators such as the European Union LIFE Programme and the Inter-American Development Bank. Interpretive gardens, ethnobotanical displays, and pollinator gardens reference collections from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the Arnold Arboretum, while multilingual materials draw on expertise from institutions including the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.

Governance and funding

Governance structures echo models used by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, with advisory committees comprising representatives from entities like the Missouri Botanical Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, National Autonomous University of Mexico, and regional ministries such as Ministry of Environment, Brazil and Ministerio del Ambiente, Perú. Funding streams derive from grants and donors including the Global Environment Facility, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, philanthropic foundations such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Oak Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, corporate partners like Iberdrola, and membership fees from participating institutions.

Regional collaborations and international partnerships

The network partners with regional blocs and programs such as the Andean Community, Mercosur, Caribbean Community, Central American Integration System, and international partners including the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Missouri Botanical Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, UNESCO, CBD Secretariat, and research consortia like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network. Collaborative projects have linked with the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization to address transboundary conservation, and with universities including the University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Cornell University, and the University of Tokyo for advanced research and training.

Category:Botanical gardens Category:Conservation organizations of Latin America Category:Environmental organizations established in 1969