Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)
Photo courtesy of BGCI.
Plants are essential to all life on earth, providing the ecosystem services that humans and wildlife rely on for survival. Yet more than one of every five plant species is currently endangered. Botanic gardens, located in nearly every country and ecosystem around the world, are working individually and collaboratively to conserve threatened species. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI US) supports and advances the conservation work of North American gardens, and shares best practices for conserving diversity with the global botanic community.
BGCI also supports the development and implementation of global policy—specifically the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)―at the global, regional, national, and local levels.
In 2010, the Arnold Arboretum partnered with BGCI US to conduct the North American Collections Assessment, which found that only 39% of North American threatened species are maintained ex situ in plant and seed collections. BGCI is committed to helping achieve the GPSC Target 8, which calls for 75% of threatened plants to be conserved ex situ by 2020.
Photo courtesy of BGCI.
The Arnold Arboretum currently hosts Abby Hird, BGCI US Research Associate and former Arnold Arboretum Putnam Fellow, and continues to partner with BGCI on important global and national conservation efforts.
Visit the BGCI US website to find out more about current projects and initiatives.