BGCI Policy Tools

BGCI is well-known and widely respected for its role in policy development and implementation relating to plant conservation.

It is generally agreed that without the policy work of BGCI, the GSPC would not have been developed and adopted by the CBD. Read more about BGCI's Policy goals

Key Guidance for Botanic Gardens

We have helped to develop key documents to help botanic gardens coordinate their efforts to conserve plant diversity and maximise their crucial role in this field.

	The Gran Canaria Declaration on Climate Change and Plant Conservation In issuing its ‘Gran Canaria Declaration on Climate Change and Plant Conservation’ the Gran Canaria Group, whose membership is drawn from major biodiversity conservation organisations around the world, including botanic gardens, is calling on the international community to take urgent action to protect global plant diversity.
	The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) is an output of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is not just aimed at botanic gardens but at any and all organisations that can contribute to plant conservation. It lays down specific, measurable targets that everyone is asked to help meet by 2010. Botanic gardens can particularly help with Target 8 and Target 14. BGCI's work is shaped by this document.
	The International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Plant Conservation provides gardens with a framework and objectives to work towards to achieve common aims. It was initiated long before the GSPC came into being and examines the myriad ways in which botanic gardens can and are contributing to plant diversity conservation.
	The 2010 Botanic Garden Targets brings together the GSPC and BGCI's International Agenda, analysing what gardens are doing and showing how they can contribute directly to meeting the GSPC's 2010 targets.

Access & Benefit Sharing

RBGKew, IPEN and BGCI developed this online resource to demystify "access and benefit-sharing" between botanic gardens around the world. Much of the work of botanic gardens and herbaria depends on gaining access to and exchanging new plant material. ABS is about ensuring benefits are shared fairly.

Find Out More

International Institute for Sustainable Development
IISD champions sustainable development around the world through innovation, partnerships, research and communications. They provide some really great in-depth resources including 'Linkages' news updates from various international convention meetings.

UNEP Biodiversity Online Presentation
This UNEP online presentation draws attention to the importance of biodiversity, celebrates humanity’s relationship with the environment and other species and underlines our immense responsibility in ensuring future generations continue to benefit from all that biodiversity has to offer.

Forest Restoration Information Service (FRIS)
The FRIS aims to: provide an open-access internet information service to support forest restoration projects world-wide, facilitate exchange of knowledge and experience among forest restoration projects, and provide a basis for analyzing factors determining success.

Global Partnership for Plant Conservation
The Global Partnership for Plant Conservation brings together international, regional and national organisations in order to contribute to the implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC). This website is full of useful information and links to all kinds of useful resources.

The IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Programme
The IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Programme seeks to promote the conservation and sustainable use of wild species subject to trade. It works closely with the IUCN/SSC Specialist Groups, which monitor the conservation status of species in the wild.

UNEP - World Conservation Monitoring Centre
UNEP-WCMC manages, analyses and delivers information on animal and plant species in support of their conservation and sustainable use, and provides support to others in information management. It manages the CITES Trade Database on behalf of the CITES Secretariat and produces updated Checklists.

The Species Survival Commission
IUCN's SSC is a science-based network of some 7,000 volunteer experts from almost every country of the world, all working together towards achieving the vision of “A world that values and conserves values and conserves present levels of biodiversity."

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar)
The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Journal Articles

An International Secretariat for the Rescue of Plants – A Proposal

February 2001

Agenda 21: Programme of Action for Sustainable Development

June 1999

Plants2010

The Global Partnership for Plant Conservation brings together international, regional and national organisations in order to contribute to the implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC). This site is full of resources for anyone wanting to help meet the targets.

International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation

The International Agenda is a global policy framework for botanic gardens worldwide to contribute to biodiversity conservation. Find out more about how botanic gardens are contributing here.

Have your say! BGCI Membership Questionnaire 2008

BGCI is striving to improve the services that we provide to our members. We need your help in order to do this. Please take 5 minutes to submit our Membership Questionnaire.