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BOTANICAL GARDENS, ARBORETA AND GENETIC RESOURCES CONSERVATION

The role of botanical gardens and arboreta as institutions of fundamental importance in genetic resources conservation is frequently overlooked by those in agriculture, but these institutions have long played a central role in these functions. The distinction between botanical gardens and arboreta is that (theoretically) the arboreta grow only woody shrubs and trees and botanical gardens are not confined to one type of plant or other. In practice, however, the differences are very small. Commonly, these institutions are thought to be only for the purpose of display of beautiful plants. While this is one important role (and through it, conservation of important germplasm) most of these types of institutions are much broader in objective and function. The living collections at botanical gardens range from the very rare plants (such as endemic or threatened species confined to small geographic areas) to those of some other type of importance, either scientifically or commercially.

Frequently botanical gardens or arboreta are the owners of acreage in nearby countrysides where conservation of natural areas is practiced. The planting objectives of each garden are different, and because this is true, a wide range of plant materials is maintained across the country. Usually a botanical garden will attempt to reproduce several different types of habitat in their greenhouses or outdoors, such as deserts, marshes and bogs, aquatic, forest, prairie, both tropical and temperate zones. Because of this diversity, a large sample of genetic resources of native and cultivated plants are maintained.

Most botanical gardens and arboreta have several types of research programs. Not only are they concerned with the classification of the diversity of plants on the earth, but they do research in such areas as conservation, physiology, genetics, horticulture, and others. Moreover, their library and