Defining the role of botanic gardens in the science and practice of ecological restoration

Abstract : Many of the skills and resources associated with botanic gardens and arboreta, including planttaxonomy, horticulture, and seed bank management, are fundamental to ecological restoration efforts, yetfew of the world’s botanic gardens are involved in the science or practice of restoration. Thus, we examinedthe potential role of botanic gardens in these emerging fields. We believe a reorientation of certain existing institutional strengths, such as plant-based research and knowledge transfer, would enable many more botanicgardens worldwide to provide effective science-based support to restoration efforts. We recommend botanicgardens widen research to include ecosystems as well as species, increase involvement in practical restorationprojects and training practitioners, and serve as information hubs for data archiving and exchange.