News published: 09 October 2023

World’s Botanical Garden leaders share conservation strategies for the future.

Strategies will be present to the UN later this month. 

The world’s botanical garden leaders met in St. Louis last week to collectively commit to efforts to prevent the extinction of tens of thousands of plant species.

The Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s (BGCI) Advisory Council held its annual meeting at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The meeting focused on defining the specific role botanical gardens worldwide will play in achieving the goals of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC). The GSPC’s targets focus on restoring biodiversity to the world, meeting climate change targets, and conserving rare and endangered species in their natural habitats and botanical gardens.

The group shared their objectives, and pledged a commitment from botanical gardens to conservation, at a press conference on Friday, Sept. 29.

“Fostering the relationship between NGOs and botanical gardens is essential. It’s all about human networking. This is where true impact can happen by developing those relationships,” HRH Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan said at the press conference at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

You can watch the full press conference here: 2023 BGCI Press Conference

The group will also call for all countries of the world to approve and implement the new GSPC, through the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity being held from Oct. 16 to 20 in Nairobi.

The Missouri Botanical Garden’s mission is “to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life.” Today, 164 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science, conservation, education and horticultural display.
Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is the world’s largest plant conservation network and a membership organization, representing more than 850 botanic gardens in over 120 countries around the world. Its mission is to mobilize botanic gardens and engage partners in securing plant diversity for the well-being of people and the planet.