Conservation of native plant diversity at the Yerevan Botanic Garden, Armenia

Abstract

The conservation of plant diversity attracts worldwide interest. One of the major objectives of botanic gardens is to create and support collections of native taxa, and to build and maintain stocks of plants for ex situ conservation. In Armenia the first steps toward the cultivation and conservation of the local flora were taken in the 1930s on the initiative of Prof. H. K. Magakyan, one of the founders of the Yerevan Botanic Garden and an effort was made to create a scientifically-based living collection of Armenian plants. In 1954 A. A. Akhverdov and N. V. Mirzoeva created an exhibition plot at the Garden on the Flora and Vegetation of Armenia and the plot has now been established for over 55 years. The plot undertakes the conservation of living plants, conservation of the main types of plant community in Armenia, the introduction into cultivation of rare and declining species of the native flora, the establishment of living plants for re-introduction into natural habitats and the evaluation of data pertaining to the cultivation of rare and declining species in botanic gardens. The collection is also the basis for training and experimental studies for a number of educational institutions in Armenia. Armenia has c. 3500 species of vascular plant, of which c. 1000 species are represented in the Plot. As well as conservation, the plot has scientific, cultural and educational significance. Dissemination of knowledge about native plants contributes to greater public awareness and a better understanding of the natural world.