We are creating alliances to fight the loss of cultural biodiversity, including collaborations with several international organizations and the establishment of a new Biocultural Gardens Network.
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
We are actively engaged with IUCN, the world’s oldest and largest conservation organization. Based in Switzerland, it brings together national governments, state agencies, and NGOs (including universities, gardens, and zoos) to set international conservation priorities, best practices, and collaborations. At the urging of many members, including Cornell Botanic Gardens, the IUCN has added a new membership category for indigenous peoples organizations (IPO). Botanic Gardens’ director, Christopher Dunn serves as Chair of the IUCN National Committee for the USA.
Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)
BGCI promotes plant conservation at gardens and in natural systems globally. It is particularly strong in developing conservation education programs for gardens, international strategies for plant conservation, and maintaining and respecting the interdependence between botanical and cultural diversity. In addition, we have a formal Memorandum of Agreement with BGCI to enhance and promote our graduate-level Public Garden Leadership program in partnership with the Cornell’s Department of Horticulture,
Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC)
The GPPC is an international consortium of organizations (many of which are botanic gardens) to promote and implement the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. This Global Strategy was approved and supported by the Convention on Biological Diversity. Many of our conservation programs directly support the Global Strategy. At a recent symposium (2018) of GPPC members, Cornell Botanic Gardens led the discussion of furthering work towards better integrating cultural imperatives with those that focus on plant conservation.
Terralingua
Terralingua is primarily a North American organization focusing on the essential interactions between nature conservation and the maintenance of cultural and language diversity. Dr. Dunn is a member of the Board of Governors, giving us a strong national voice and presence with respect to biocultural conservation.