Pacific Islands Botanic Network

Pacific Islands Botanic Network
Name	Pacific Islands Botanic Network
Formation	20th century
Type	Consortium
Headquarters	Honolulu, Hawaii
Region served	Pacific Islands
Membership	Botanical gardens, herbaria, universities

Pacific Islands Botanic Network

Introduction

The Pacific Islands Botanic Network is a collaborative consortium connecting botanical gardens, herbaria, and university collections across the Hawaiian Islands, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Founded to coordinate ex situ and in situ efforts among institutions such as the Bishop Museum, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Kew Gardens collaborators, and the National Tropical Botanical Garden, the Network links curators, taxonomists, and conservationists from organizations including the Smithsonian Institution, Australian National University, Auckland War Memorial Museum, and regional ministries like the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Fiji). Its scope intersects with floristic projects like the Flora of the Pacific Islands and partnerships with international bodies such as the IUCN and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

History and founding

The Network emerged from meetings held after conferences hosted by the Bishop Museum and symposia at the Pacific Science Association and the International Botanical Congress. Early discussions involved representatives from the University of the South Pacific, the National Tropical Botanical Garden, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew seeking coordination following conservation crises highlighted by work from the IUCN Red List and campaigns by the World Wildlife Fund. Founders included curators and botanists affiliated with institutions such as the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park research program, the Australian Museum, and the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, building on legacy projects like the Hawaiian Plant Conservation Network and regional floras such as Flora Vitiensis Nova.

Mission and objectives

The Network’s mission aligns with objectives set by international treaties and organizations including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and advice from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Objectives emphasize coordination among partners such as the National Parks of American Samoa, the Fiji Herbarium, the Papua New Guinea National Herbarium, and university collections at University of Guam and University of the South Pacific to support ex situ safeguarding, taxonomic harmonization, and capacity-building initiatives inspired by models from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the New York Botanical Garden.

Programs and activities

Programs mirror activities run by institutions like the National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Bishop Museum and include seed banking initiatives modeled on the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, collaborative floristic surveys with the Australian National Herbarium, and training workshops patterned after programs at the Arnold Arboretum. Activities consist of specimen digitization projects in collaboration with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, joint field expeditions with teams from the Smithsonian Institution and the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, and policy dialogues with ministries modeled on efforts by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

Collections and participating institutions

Participating institutions span the region and include the Bishop Museum, National Tropical Botanical Garden, Hawaii State Arboretum, Fiji Museum Herbarium, Papua New Guinea National Herbarium (LAE), Auckland War Memorial Museum herbarium, University of the South Pacific herbarium, University of Guam Herbarium, and collections linked to the Australian National Herbarium, Kew Gardens, and the New York Botanical Garden. These collections preserve voucher specimens related to works such as Flora Vitiensis Nova and regional checklists produced in cooperation with the Pacific Islands Forum and academic partners at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and University of Auckland.

Research and conservation initiatives

Research programs address threatened taxa listed on the IUCN Red List and collaborate with recovery plans from agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and regionally with the Fiji Department of Forestry and the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment. Initiatives include propagation trials with the National Tropical Botanical Garden and genetic studies in partnership with laboratories at the University of Hawaiʻi, the Australian National University, and the Smithsonian Institution’s laboratories. Conservation actions are informed by case studies from Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and community-based projects similar to those run by the Mātauranga Māori initiatives and indigenous partner programs such as those involving Native Hawaiian and Samoan cultural practitioners.

Education and outreach

Education and outreach mirror public engagement models from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the New York Botanical Garden and include school curricula developed with the University of the South Pacific, community workshops in coordination with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and exhibitions co-curated with the Bishop Museum and regional museums like the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Outreach campaigns have partnered with broadcasters such as Radio New Zealand and public media initiatives linked to universities like University of Hawaiʻi to promote native plant restoration projects comparable to efforts promoted by the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative.

Category:Botanical organizations