News published 25 March 2025

Urgent plant conservation action is more critical than ever.

BGCI and IrisBG announce they have officially formalised their longstanding relationship with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Both organisation are committed to cultivating a community that actively contributes to worldwide research and conservation efforts.

At the core of our MOA is the understanding that reliable and comprehensive plant collection data is vital to advancing botanical conservation initiatives. BGCI and IrisBG will work together to inspire enhanced record-keeping practices, improve data standards, and encourage the development of data-driven analytics. This initiative aims to make information about plant species and populations more accessible, thereby fostering a collaborative environment in the ongoing effort to conserve plant diversity.

This collaboration is set to foster informed, collaborative, and collective decision-making essential for managing and safeguarding the world’s plant diversity.

“Botanical gardens conserve more than a third of plant diversity in their living collections and seed banks. It is essential that this material, and its associated data, is shared and used for species recovery and habitat restoration. We are delighted to be working with IRISBG to raise data standards, and to ensure that plant material and associated information is used to prevent plant species extinctions.” Paul Smith, Secretary General, BGCI.

With this joint venture, the two organisations will continue the fight against plant extinction and biodiversity loss, reinforcing their commitment to protecting and preserving the world’s botanical heritage.

“We at IrisBG are thrilled to officially formalize and share our longstanding relationship with BGCI, with the hope that it will inspire botanical gardens, arboreta, and research institutions to put the value on the record-keeping and conservation efforts that are so direly needed. With a shared vision to create a dynamic and streamlined botanic garden data ecosystem, we will work together to empower botanical gardens with innovative and user-friendly tools to collaborate, share, and analyze their living collections data.” Mari Rustan, Director of Strategy and Product Manager, IrisBG.