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Investing in Nature - a Partnership between HSBC and BGCI

In 2002, HSBC announced a major funding intiative to support global conservation work and selected BGCI along with the World Wide Fund for Nature and Earthwatch, to collaborate on a five-year partnership for securing biodiversity and combatting environmental problems.

The funding through the Investing in Nature (IiN) programme has had a dramatic impact on BGCI’s important work.

Objectives set as a result of the vital $11.6m cash injection included funding a living gene bank in botanic gardens around the world to protect 20,000 endangered plant species, raising public awareness of the value of plants through its 800 member gardens in 118 countries, revitalising conservation in 16 major gardens in Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia and the Middle East and funding education programmes in Canada, China, Japan and the US.

Since IiN’s launch in 2002, BGCI has:

• Helped conserve or protect around 12,000 species
• Aided around 1,900 scientists and 1,400 teachers
• Set up 80 projects
  

It has also been responsible for hosting numerous international conferences highlighting the importance of protecting plant diversity.

“Botanic gardens are like a Noah’s Ark for endangered plant life,” said Dr Peter Wyse Jackson, former secretary general of BGCI, at the launch of the Project.

“Our partnership with HSBC has helped fill this ark with thousands of the world’s rarest plants, helping reverse the current extinction crises and protecting the world’s greatest renewable natural resource for the future.

“At the same time, the project has helped raise international awareness of the value of plants and the threat they face in a way never attempted before.”