A new International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation

CBCN Editor's note:

Botanic Gardens Conservation International is an international non-governmental organization consisting of over 460 botanical gardens around the world, dedicated to developing the role of botanical gardens in conservation and biodiversity programs. In 1996, CBCN and BGCI formed a relationship recognizing our many common interests and goals. This article, on the development of the new International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation, is presented by CBCN's Web Site in that spirit of cooperation.

 

Botanic Gardens Conservation International invites you to help revise and update the Botanic Gardens Conservation Strategy.

 

In 1989 the Botanic Gardens Conservation Strategy was published by BGCI, IUCN and WWF to outline the ways in which botanic gardens worldwide can contribute to the implementation of the World Conservation Strategy. Since then the Strategy has been influential and widely used to help promote and guide the development of plant conservation programmes and priorities of many botanic gardens. The Strategy has also been published in seven languages (Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, English, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish).

Although the Strategy is still an extremely important and useful document, for some time Botanic Gardens Conservation International has been concerned that it needs to be re-evaluated, updated and strengthened. So much has changed in the world during the last decade and the practice of plant conservation itself has moved forward considerably. As well as that, in the 1980s the botanic garden community was much less well organized, motivated and coordinated than it is today and BGCI itself had only just been established. There were also relatively few national and regional botanic garden and plant conservation organizations operating effectively.

Today, more and more botanic gardens recognize that they share a common purpose and can play a great range of diverse roles in conservation and environmental education. Such roles are now well acknowledged, and should be linked to the implementation of international instruments such as the Conventions on Biodiversity, Desertification and Climate Change Conventions, CITES and Agenda 21, as well as to national biodiversity conservation strategies and action plans that are being developed in so many parts of the world.

BGCI recently began to give thought to how the Strategy should be renewed. We considered that it would be a mistake simply to rewrite and redraft the existing text but that a fundamental revision involving many partners throughout the world should be undertaken.

We also believe that it is important to begin an initiative whereby the botanic garden community itself drives the process of renewing the Strategy to ensure that it is relevant and applicable in all parts of the world.

We would like the new Strategy to become an action-based document, outlining priorities for botanic gardens in the implementation of specific tasks, as well as in defining general principles. It needs to incorporate botanic garden commitments to the implementation of, for example, the new international Conventions and towards playing enhanced roles in national sustainable development and environmental sustainability. We also hope that it can become a document that individual botanic gardens can formally accept and ratify. In this way we will be able to:

• measure whether we are being successful,

• measure what institutions are involved, active and effective and

• judge whether these actions are sufficient to stem the loss of biodiversity throughout the world.

Ultimately we hope that through the ratification of such a strategy, individual botanic gardens can gain the benefit of being part of the implementation of a clearly defined international plan but also find new direction through accepting real commitments and sharing new responsibilities.

In an opening address at BGCI's 5th International Botanic Gardens Conservation Congress held in Cape Town, South Africa (14-18 September, 1998) my proposal to launch a process to revise the Strategy was welcomed by the delegates. Plans for wide consultation with botanic gardens and their network organizations throughout the world were outlined. A special workshop was also held to consider the proposed content, scope and purpose of the new Strategy was held.

Throughout the Congress a wide range of workshops were held where recommendations were formulated to help highlight priorities for botanic gardens for inclusion in the Strategy. At the close of the Congress I announced that I would write to each one of the member organizations of BGCI and to all botanic garden network organizations throughout the world to invite their participation in this process.

We invite you, your garden and your network organizations to become an active participant in this process.

We have prepared an outline of the questions that you may wish to consider in preparing a response and to guide your deliberations. We will also keep in contact with you as the process continues so that you will have an opportunity to comment of a draft of the new Strategy. We also urge you to consult with non-botanic garden partners and other sectors so that this process involves as wide a consultation as possible and to ensure that the new Strategy helps the botanic garden community to find is most effective role in meeting global priorities in conservation and sustainability.

It is our aim to complete the new Strategy according to an ambitious and tight deadline over the next two years before the next international botanic gardens congress meets in Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.A. in June, 2000.

Please note that we wish to receive all draft responses from you no later than 30th June, 1999.

We look forward to having your collaboration in this important and exciting initiative.

With thanks and good wishes.

Yours sincerely

Dr Peter S. Wyse Jackson
Secretary General

Next Pages:

 

• Guidelines and Suggestions for Participants in the new International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation Consultation Process

   

• International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation

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