Public gardens increasingly recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion in their work. This toolkit provides concrete ways to address LGBTQ inclusion in gardens. It explains the importance of LGBTQ inclusion, including the challenges LGBTQ...

Diversification of urban forests is essential to enhance their resilience to future biotic
threats as well as those posed by a changing climate. Arboreta and botanic gardens
host a wide range of plant material that can be evaluated to...

Positive interactions between people and nature inspire behaviours that are in harmony
with biodiversity conservation and also afford physical and mental health benefits.
Since most people live in towns and cities, urban greenspaces are...

“Plant blindness” is the cause of several problems that have plagued botany outreach
and education for over a hundred years. The general public largely does not notice
plants in their environment and therefore do not appreciate how...

A geographically diverse group of 29 ethnobiologists addresses three common themes in response to the COVID-19 global health crisis: impact on local communities, future interactions between researchers and communities, and new (or renewed) conceptual...

Academic campuses across the Great Plains can serve as landscapes for teaching and learning about native flora of cultural importance with regard to food, medicine, and lifeways. Campus visitors (tourists) and local community members could benefit from...

The following is a collection of tools from ABCD faculty members as well as individuals and organizations that embody the principles of ABCD in their work. The addition of the toolkit was made possible by a generous grant from the Alumnae of...

Urbanization, lack of contact with the natural world, and growing up removed from agriculture has contributed to a void of knowledge relating to food and food production, along with a phenomenon known as plant blindness. We sought to change this lack...

Hear from three experts exploring research, strategies, and benefits of connecting people to nature: Louise Chawla, University of Colorado; Lauren Watkins, Impact by Design; and Sheila Williams-Ridge, University of Minnesota. 

NAAEE featured...

In this article, we examine how the general public in the United States has viewed global warming over the past decade, identifying important trends in public understanding of global warming,
their perceptions of the risks, varying degrees of...

Attached are a series of documents from various institutions and states that desribe their Adopt-A-Pond, Field, or Park Programs. These documents can serve as templates for those interested in adopting their own specific guidelines, applications, and...

Successful programs of crop wild relative (CWR) exploration, conservation, and utilization are ultimately dependent on sustained public prioritization and support, which in turn requires public awareness and engagement. Here we discuss the importance...

This paper examines Urban Advantage, a thirteen-year partnership in New York City, between eight cultural institutions (botanical gardens among them) and the Department of Education, as a ‘case’ of a long-lasting research practice partnership that has...

This Field Guide to Conservation in Cities captures the collective experience of The Nature Conservancy and Center for Whole Communities (CWC) from 2014 to 2016, as they initiated a network of urban conservation programs in 12 cities across the United...

This EPA toolkit uses examples from outreach efforts in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin to provide a helpful framework for state and local agencies, watershed groups, nongovernmental organizations and others in developing effective...

Climate change is not a new issue for Latinos living in the United States. Many Latino leaders have provided leadership on climate, and organizations are working to engage Latinos in solutions. Latino climate leadership is accelerating, but further ...

The global environmental conservation community recognizes that the participation of local communities is essential for the success of conservation initiatives; however, much work remains to be done on how to integrate conservation and human...

This project directly addresses that gap in the public gardens’ knowledge of how to embed their unique expertise into the broader agenda of sustainable community development. It carefully records the choices confronting gardens and communities from the...