Genomic research depends upon access to DNA or tissue collected and preserved according to high-quality standards. At present, the collections in most natural history museums do not sufficiently address these standards, making them often hard or...

Public gardens can benefit from the introduction of new plants to the horticulture industry. There are many ways to develop and discover new plants in the public garden setting, whether it be through plant breeding, exploration or simply discovering a...

Over 75% of all species of cacti are in decline, largely because of global environmental changes (GEC), including climate change. Mitigating the impacts of GEC on cacti will require a coordinated effort that combines conservation, research, and ...

This report introduces readers to digital plant records management, provides a comparative analysis of the leading digital plant recordkeeping tools, and outlines considerations related to use of these tools to enhance plant care, public education, and...

This document is meant to serve as a resource to compare three popular collections management software programs:

BRAHMS - http://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/brahms/software/v8...

Botanic gardens are living museums, offering opportunities for conservation and research as well as education, experience, and enjoyment through their plant collections. A garden’s plant records system is as vital as the plants themselves, and serves...

The papers included in this special issue are mostly based on presentations made at the IABG international conference held at Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, China, November 2016, which addressed the roles that botanic gardens, both in China and...

In the realities of the modern world, when the natural habitat is rapidly disappearing and the number of imperiled plants is constantly growing, ex situ conservation is gaining importance. To meet this challenge, botanic gardens need...

As species’ geographic ranges and ecosystem functions are altered in response to climate change, there is a need to integrate biodiversity conservation approaches that promote natural adaptation into land use planning. Successful conservation will need...

Seed transfer guidelines and zones are used to manage the movement of plant materials, but by the end of the century many landscapes across the globe will have climates that are incompatible with current vegetation. The mismatch in rates between...

Restoration projects that support pollinators are becoming increasingly popular. Pollinating insects require resources, including nectar and pollen, throughout the growing season. However, commercially available seed mixes vary considerably in their...

In 2012, more than two million acres of important sage-brush habitat burned in four Western States. In the East, Hurricane Sandy caused not only widespread damage to homes and businesses, but also to native plant communities that stabilize soils and...

Native plant communities are key to ecosystem health, resiliency, and productivity. Since its creation, the Forest Service has been using native plants in reforestation, rangeland improvement, watershed restoration, wildlife enhancement, mine...

Complete and accurate plant records are a defining feature of arboreta and botanic gardens. Excellent plant records allow an institution to maintain and care for its living collections and use the collections to support its educational, conservational...

Extinctions of species and subspecific taxa in hotspots of biodiversity deserve special attention. After more than 40 years of major efforts, estimates of extinct plant taxa in California seem to be somewhat stabilized. The time is...

The Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) Partnership, developed and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew), conserves propagules primarily from orthodox seed-bearing wild vascular plants. It is the largest ex situ conservation programme in the world...

Target 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation calls for ‘at least 75 per cent of threatened plant species in ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and at least 20 per cent available for recovery and...

Recent estimates indicate that one-fifth of botanical species worldwide are considered at risk of becoming extinct in the wild. One available strategy for conserving many rare plant species is reintroduction, which holds much promise especially when...

Impacts of global climate change, habitat loss, and other environmental changes on the world's biota and peoples continue to increase, especially on islands and in high elevation areas. Just as floristic diversity is affected by environmental change,...

As multidisciplinary institutions at the interface between people and plants, botanic gardens are prime centres for botanical research and plant conservation. With plant diversity continuing to decline worldwide, ex situ conservation at botanic gardens...