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Botanical gardens as valuable resources in plant sciences

• Review Paper
• Published: 02 January 2020
• Volume 31 , pages 2905–2926, ( 2022 )

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• Leila Faraji 1 &
• Mojtaba Karimi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4598-0172 2  

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Botanical gardens are collections of plants cultivated in a closed space to be utilized for scientific inquiry, recreation, conservation, botanical and horticultural education and also for public landscape aesthetics. Due to their richness in plant diversity and also their facilities, botanical gardens can have remarkable roles in agricultural studies and plant sciences. In addition, botanical gardens are very important regarding to their roles in creating green space in urban spaces, tourist attractions, economical objects and well-being aspects of peoples. Accordingly, in this study, the roles of botanical gardens were reviewed regarding to biodiversity and genetic studies, seed science, plant protection, soil and water researches, ecological evaluation, climate change, research and educations. These topics were also discussed regarding to their usage in agriculture and plant science studies. Furthermore, some scientific potentials of botanical gardens for future studies have been also taken into account.

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Department of Architecture, Shahrekord branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Chaharmahal Bakhtiari Province, Iran

Leila Faraji

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Mojtaba Karimi

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Faraji, L., Karimi, M. Botanical gardens as valuable resources in plant sciences. Biodivers Conserv 31 , 2905–2926 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01926-1

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Received : 03 September 2019

Revised : 09 December 2019

Accepted : 24 December 2019

Published : 02 January 2020

Issue Date : October 2022

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01926-1

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National botanical gardens at the forefront of global plant conservation

1 South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China

2 South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China

Alexandre Antonelli

3 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, London, TW9 3AE Surrey, UK

4 Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Center, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, 40530 Göteborg, Sweden

Global changes in land use driven by demands on food, energy, and other resources in response to a rapidly increasing human population have collectively led to escalating environmental challenges, including biodiversity loss, global warming, environmental pollution, and ecosystem degradation. At present, biodiversity is seriously threatened at global, regional, and local scales, which, in turn, threatens our own survival. Biodiversity is a global asset of immense material and non-material value, providing us with food, medicine, building materials, fiber, and the ecological environment required for our well-being and health. 1

The United Nations (UN) and some countries around the world have taken a number of measures to protect this biological heritage. The UN have developed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. 2 They are all aimed at achieving sustainable development through international action to tackle global environmental challenges in a coordinated manner. However, problems can arise at a national level in countries where different conventions may be the responsibility of different ministries or officials. For example, even among the countries that have implemented these international conventions or initiatives, not all have done so fully, and, as a consequence, most of the Aichi goals proposed by the CBD in 2010 have not been achieved at the international scale. 3 The barriers to implementation are political and economic issues and, to some extent, the lack of support and coordination from science and technology institutions.

Plants form the foundations of ecosystems worldwide, and it has been noted that “to save plants is to save humanity itself.” 3 Botanical gardens are therefore on the front lines of biodiversity conservation, and when properly coordinated within and across countries, they become key institutions that can help shape policy frameworks to meet those targets.

National botanical gardens can play an important role in implementation of the CBD

Botanical gardens are mainly engaged in plant conservation, scientific research, horticulture, public education, training, and sustainable utilization of natural resources. They can provide important scientific, technical, and material support to deal with the loss of plant diversity through restoration programs. Over the past few decades, botanical gardens have been the main institutions carrying out ex situ conservation of plant diversity and playing an important role in coordinating in situ conservation. At present, there are about 4,500 botanical gardens in the world, of which more than 80 are national botanical gardens across 43 countries. 4 As an example, China set up the National Botanical Garden in Beijing and South China National Botanical Garden in Guangzhou in 2022, and the next step will be to connect with international standards and promote construction of a national botanical garden system with Chinese characteristics, world-class research, and conservation, including 10–12 national botanical gardens. The interest in national botanical gardens appears to be mounting, with countries such as Peru now aiming to establish a similar network.

In the process of strengthening research, national botanical gardens in high-income countries tend to focus on comprehensive biodiversity conservation and environmental education. In contrast, the research capabilities of national botanical gardens in low-income countries are often not yet as strong. With the right investments, financial support, and collaborations, such countries have therefore an opportunity to protect rare and threatened plants while strengthening their country’s utilization of economic plants and disseminating scientific findings to the public.

A national botanical garden is a botanical garden representing the national level, ensuring its distinctiveness as well as complementarity in relation to other gardens in the country. Its main function is to protection, research, sustainable use, and dissemination of information on plant diversity. 4 A core task of national botanical gardens is to tackle the challenges faced by threatened plants. This is achieved by studying and finding mitigation strategies to reduce the pressure on species; informing the public about plant science and conservation; developing and utilizing new plant varieties, fruits, and vegetables; supporting activities in medicine and health care; conducting research on crop varieties and their wild relatives; designing measures for environmental improvements; and identifying compounds and raw materials of potential use in industry. Given the wealth of expertise among members of staff and the information held in their living and preserved collections, national botanical gardens can play a distinctive and impactful role in helping to solve the environmental and resource challenges facing the world.

The global responsibility of national botanical gardens includes preventing loss of plant species and genetic diversity, preventing further degradation of natural ecosystems, making the public aware of the value of plant diversity and the threats it faces, and taking concrete actions to improve sustainable use of natural resources. National botanical gardens can play a synergistic role with international conventions and national commitments.

In conservation, restoration, and utilization of global plant diversity, partnerships at the international, regional, and national levels can be established to formulate and support international conservation policies and strengthen global plant conservation capacity, such as the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (2022–2030) being developed by Botanic Garden Conservation International (BGCI). Coordinated activities include cataloging, evaluating, and sharing information on global plant diversity to protect rare and threatened plant species; developing unified standards and frameworks for plant collections, names, and conservation; collecting and protecting the genetic diversity of as many species as possible; and formulating and implementing plans for reintroduction of rare species and ecosystem restoration. 5

In response to climate change, botanical garden networks can contribute to conserving species sensitive to climate change; assessing and promoting the benefits of biodiversity for sustainable development of food systems; identifying suitable plant material for natural disaster prevention and adaptation to a warmer and more unreliable climate; sharing information on the impact of climate change on urban and natural ecosystems; and designing evidence-based guidelines for ecosystem restoration, including reforestation, to optimize carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery, and livelihood benefits.

In supporting sustainable development, botanical gardens provide the space and expertise for valuable plants to be studied and utilized in equitable and more sustainable ways to carry out educational and scientific knowledge dissemination to physical and online visitors and other societal stakeholders, such as industry and governments, and promote public awareness of the value of plant diversity and the importance of individual and collective action.

National botanical gardens must have an international perspective with a focus on developing partnerships and coordinating national and international interests within the framework of the CBD. National botanical gardens also need a global framework for plant protection policies, programs, and priority areas. In addition, national botanical gardens can support global partnerships and alliances in plant diversity protection, providing advice to governments on national biodiversity action plans and specific laws. The ex situ conservation system led by national botanical garden systems around the world has a distinct “niche” in the global biodiversity conservation arena, and this niche can play a role that is larger than the sum of its parts. Global conservation consortia may be a successful model for creating coordinated ex situ collections (meta-collections) of high conservation value.

Botanical gardens need change

In its International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation, BGCI has put forward plans it hopes botanical gardens will take into consideration regarding collective work for saving plants, sharing knowledge and resources, inspiring people, and addressing global challenges through public engagement and education.

The organizations we represent align with that ethos. In “Our Manifesto for Change 2021–2030,” the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has proposed to deliver science-based knowledge and solutions to protect plants and fungi and use natural resources sustainably, inspire people to protect the natural world, train the next generation of experts, extend the garden’s public reach, and influence national and international opinion and policy. Similarly, the South China National Botanical Garden has proposed to discover knowledge about plants and their environment to support green development in the next 10 years ( Figure 1 ). In the face of demand for biodiversity conservation, national botanical gardens in the world are now starting to use technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data analyses, conservation genetics tools, gene editing, and ecological restoration technologies for plant protection, utilization, and science communication.

The conservatories at the South China National Botanical Garden and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Top: The conservatory at the South China National Botanical Garden (photographer: Minhua Ning). Bottom: The conservatory at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (photographer: RBG Kew).

The mission and capacity of each botanical garden is different, but in the face of global plant diversity loss and climate change, it is crucial that botanical gardens consider opportunities for innovation that help societies respond to those challenges. In line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed under the CBD COP15 conference hosted by China and held in Canada in December of 2022, we argue that the collective work of botanical gardens will be critical for achieving the UN’s goal by 2050 to live in harmony with nature—a world where biodiversity values are recognized, protected, restored, and sustainably used, supporting ecological security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development.

Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the CBD COP15 program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. A.A. acknowledges financial support from the Swedish Research Council (2019-05191) and the Kew Foundation. We also thank Dr. Rhian Smith for English editing and the anonymous reviewers for constructive comments.

Declaration of interests

Hai Ren is Director of the South China Botanical Garden and Alexandre Antonelli is the Director of Science of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The opinions expressed here are not official positions of the authors’ institutions.

Published Online: July 7, 2023