A tremendous floristic diversity and the national recognition of the role of botanic gardens to safeguard this botanical heritage for generations to come, explain BGCI’s special attention to managing a multifaceted conservation programme in China. In a country where a large proportion of the population still directly depends on natural resources and more particularly wild plants to meet livelihood needs, such a major programme focus is even more essential to achieve positive conservation outcomes.

Hosted by the South China Botanical Garden, CAS, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, BGCI’s China Programme Office works with botanic garden members and conservation partners towards the objectives of BGCI’s Five Year Plan 2007–2012:

• Securing plant diversity to maintain species and ecosystem functions that provide a vital basis for livelihoods of rural communities.
• Enabling people and botanic gardens to enhance proficiency and capacity of stakeholders to implement
  practical conservation initiatives.
• Influencing decision-making and policy to link practice and policy, as well as replicate and scale up
  successful conservation interventions.