News Published: 20 March 2025

Climate change presents a significant threat to plant conservation, a 2-3°C temperature rise could lead to half the world’s plant species being threatened with extinction. And the impact to future generations and life as we know it, could also be catastrophic. Alongside the Global Biodiversity Framework and Climate COP, the UN Sustainable Development Goal Climate Action (2030) is a key target for halting the climate crisis, but time is running out.

We need urgent collective action and the ability to reach millions of people, to create more sustainable, inclusive consumption, and ensure support for plant conservation.  

Botanic garden education and engagement programmes play a pivotal role in addressing climate change, raising awareness of, and educating visitors on the impacts of climate change. But is there more that we could be doing? As neutral, safe spaces we often shy away from addressing difficult or political subjects, our programmes inform, but do they inspire audiences to take action? Can we, as gardens, play a bigger and more impactful role in the climate conversation? 

At the 11th International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens, Seoul, South Korea we aim to bring together educator representatives from across our botanic garden network to discuss and agree on what more we as a network can do in the next five years to contribute to climate action and climate goals. This is the first step in a project that aims to develop (and present to the United Nations) a Declaration of Intent around how we as a community will deliver for climate action over the next five years.

Through the Green Match Big Give Campaign, we are fundraising to make this happen. Funds received will allow us to bring representatives together for this key workshop, to develop a Declaration of Intent and ensure the training and resources are available to support gardens in this mission.

The fundraising campaign will run from 22 – 29 April 2025.