Botanic garden solutions to the plant extinction crisis

Abstract

Social Impact StatementBotanic gardens and arboreta have evolved significantly from their origins as oases reserved for the elite, to the conservation powerhouses they are today, visited by over half a billion people annually. Now, with their sophisticated facilities and botanical expertise, gardens are uniquely positioned to address many of the challenges associated with preserving plant diversity for the benefit of people and the planet. Globally, however, resources for and awareness of these efforts are limited. Funders, governments, corporations, and global citizens need to greatly increase their support of gardens, recognizing the critical role they play in a scientifically informed, coordinated, global effort to save plants from extinction – because all life depends on plants.SummaryOver centuries, botanic gardens and arboreta have evolved considerably in purpose and audience, from a historic focus on teaching and reference collections to championing plant conservation today; gardens fill a major global conservation need at the intersection of horticulture, living collections, plant science, and public education. With a sixth global mass extinction event underway, we are losing plant species before they can even be described, and over 20% of plant species are threatened with extinction. In response to this crisis, gardens are increasingly placing the conservation of plant diversity at the center of their missions, programming, and collections. However, there are significant challenges to preserving the world's vast plant diversity, and plant conservation efforts remain chronically underfunded. We envision a future where gardens have the resources, coordination, and capacity needed to reverse the plant extinction crisis. With sufficient resources, the garden community could: (a) operate an active network of globally coordinated gardens with capacity to carry out integrated plant conservation focused in biodiverse regions; (b) complete threat assessments for all plant species, to inform and prioritize conservation efforts; (c) conserve all “exceptional species” in genetically diverse living collections; and (d) ensure more informed, resilient, and productive landscape restoration efforts are successfully sequestering carbon and supporting biodiversity globally. The garden community is poised to lead these global efforts to preserve and protect plant diversity. Gardens have the expertise, tools, facilities, and networks in place to be the strongest force for plant conservation – they just need the resources to match the global need.