Collaborative Conservation by Botanical Gardens: Unique Opportunities for Local to Global Impacts

Abstract

Conservation organizations with common missions can find strength and synergy in collaboration. Collaboration can also be challenging, especially finding the right partnerships or organizations to lead. Within the “ecosystem” of conservation organizations, botanical gardens have a unique array of resources and expertise which make them ideal candidates for leadership or partnership in collaborative conservation efforts. We will explore this idea by examining four conservation initiatives at Desert Botanical Garden (Phoenix, AZ, USA) that approach collaborative conservation on regional, state, and international scales. On a regional scale, Metro Phoenix EcoFlora and the Central Arizona Conservation Alliance lead landscape-level conservation by providing a structure for more than 60 official conservation partners, by generating data, and through public engagement needed in a rapidly developing region. On the state scale, Great Milkweed Grow Out is an initiative for pollinator conservation that provides expertise, materials, and opportunities for a wide range of partners across Arizona. Desert Botanical Garden’s endangered plant species conservation efforts provide expertise and resources through horticulture and seed preservation for threatened and endangered plants across the US and internationally. We will share the structure of each program where applicable, how they came to fruition, and their successes. Through each case study, we will highlight the ways positioning within a botanical garden has benefitted the program and success in collaboration. We will also highlight unique challenges. Botanical gardens provide unique opportunities, and they should not be overlooked when seeking a conservation partner or leader.

Botanic Gardens in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainability: History, Contemporary Engagements, Challenges and Renewed Potential

“…This reality has led to new and exciting collaborations among botanic gardens in the global north and botanic gardens in the global south [61]. Highly important -and successful -biodiversity conservation and restoration initiatives have taken place in this context [62,63]. Nevertheless, questions can emerge about the potential for power imbalances to develop between botanic gardens which inadvertently reproduce dynamics that echo those that characterized former colonial relations [64].…”

Botanic Gardens in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainability: History, Contemporary Engagements, Decolonization Challenges, and Renewed Potential

“…This reality has led to new and exciting collaborations between botanic gardens in the global north and botanic gardens in the global south [113]. Highly important-and successful-biodiversity conservation and restoration initiatives have taken place in this context [25,114,115]. Nevertheless, questions can emerge about the potential for power imbalances to develop among botanic gardens that inadvertently reproduce dynamics that echo those that characterized former colonial relations [1].…”