Towards a targeted meta-collection of Nordic gardens
Coordinator: Michael D. Pirie, , University of Bergen
Endangered Rhododendron platypodum at the Arboretum in Bergen. Photo: Michael Pirie
In the ongoing biodiversity crisis, the living plant collections of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta have a vital role in communication, knowledge discovery, and conservation of plant diversity. They provide safe sites for plants that are threatened in the wild and can demonstrate ecological tolerances that might hallmark successful assisted migration.
There is huge potential for bringing together international networks of living plant collections and pooling their resources for coordinated action. However, the underlying data are complex: tens of thousands of species and many more individual plants with different wild or cultivated origins. Small differences in data entry or availability can hide rare species and prevent comparative analyses.
In this project we will establish a common framework for woody plant species held across a network of 15 (and growing) collections in Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Norway, and Sweden. We will identify priority species and collections and instigate action – such as propagation and exchange of material. Our aim is that this Nordic meta-collection can be extended to further taxa, through the use of open data and standards, ultimately feed seamlessly into global solutions.