By Liz Nye, New England Botanic Garden Staff
July 2024
Botanic gardens have always been places of learning, but in the age of climate change and dramatic biodiversity loss, gardens can do even more to safeguard the future of plants and ecosystems. Recently, New England Botanic Garden announced some exciting next steps toward a more active role in conservation and scientific collaboration. A formal affiliation with leading international and national environmental organizations, the U.S. branch of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI-US) and the Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA), has been launched.
“It’s a partnership that ushers in an exciting new phase for the Garden,” says CEO Grace Elton. “We know from experience that botanic gardens are uniquely positioned for education, but they can also play a major role in conservation and research.”
According to Botanic Gardens Conservation International, parent organization to BGCI-US, there are almost 2,000 botanic gardens in countries worldwide, and their collections contain roughly 30% of known plant species, including 41% of all endangered plant species. As human development, habitat degradation, and climate change continue to threaten plant species and entire ecosystems around the globe, partnering with mission-aligned organizations like ELA and BGCI-US couldn’t be more important or more timely.
“The wealth of knowledge housed at botanic gardens can inform environmental work happening across sectors among horticulture professionals, plant scientists, policy makers, community organizers, and even individuals who want to take action,” Grace says. “When it comes to protecting our environment for ourselves and for future generations, we can do so much more together than apart.”
Who are BGCI-US and ELA?
Both BGCI-US and ELA are nonprofit organizations that operate through membership models. BGCI-US engages around 160 botanic gardens in North America in efforts to secure plant diversity, conduct research, and advance the mission of its globally operating parent organization, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). Member gardens care for globally significant living plant collections, world class seed banks, and tissue culture infrastructure. Additionally, BGCI provides the botanic garden community with conservation tools, educational resources, and information to protect threatened plants across North America and around the world for the benefit of all.
While BGCI-US works internationally to increase the impact of conservation efforts by North American botanic gardens, ELA educates landscape professionals across the U.S. about the value of biological diversity. Its membership base of 1,300 individuals and organizations includes leading ecological horticulture experts who promote sustainable approaches to landscape design, construction, and management. ELA regularly publishes resources and convenes practitioners from across the country around the most pressing topics in ecological horticulture. For several years running, the Garden has partnered with ELA to host annual conferences and professional workshops onsite.
What the new partnership looks like
Plants form them all the time — symbiotic relationships with other species that benefit the long-term success of both. As it turns out, partnerships of a similar nature are common in public horticulture as well. Collaborations between botanic gardens, research institutions, colleges and universities, or other mission-aligned nonprofit organizations, allow botanic gardens to leverage the vast amount of knowledge and data stored in living plant collections and use it to help address some of the most pressing needs of the day. These might relate to climate change adaptation and mitigation, urban forestry, food system sustainability, or plant conservation.
When it comes to New England Botanic Garden, BGCI-US, and ELA, each with their own mission and independent board of directors, how will a mutually beneficial partnership take shape? For starters, this affiliation brings the leadership base of both BGCI-US and ELA to the Garden. By affiliating with New England Botanic Garden, BGCI-US and ELA gain practical support to expand their missions. They also gain much-desired executive leadership. As part of the partnership, the Garden has agreed to host a full-time position for an executive director to lead both BGCI-US and ELA. The Garden community will recognize the individual stepping into this role
“We’re excited that Mark Richardson, the Garden’s most recent director of horticulture, is taking on this new leadership position with ELA and BGCI-US,” Grace says. Mark, who joined the Garden in 2018, helped grow its reputation for horticultural excellence, engaging in meaningful projects to preserve rare plant collections and earning national recognition for sustainability initiatives that decarbonize horticulture operations.
“I’m thrilled to take on this new challenge in partnership with two organizations that share the Garden’s vision of a world where people and plants thrive,” Mark says. “The Ecological Landscape Alliance plays a critical role in educating industry professionals about innovations in ecological landscaping practices. BGCI-US provides its member gardens with vital resources in their efforts to save plants. Each complements the other and this partnership will further the strategic goals of all three organizations.” For the Garden, he sees many opportunities in store including taking part in meaningful conservation initiatives and new research and further development of the Garden’s plant collections.
“There’s no doubt this is a big moment for the Garden,” Grace says. “We look forward to keeping our community informed on all that’s to come.”
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