Our plant conservation efforts
To stem the loss of biodiversity and cultural diversity we actively conserve rare and endangered plants, apply adaptive management approaches to natural area conservation, preserve regional diversity, control invasive species, and collaborate with national and international organizations, and preserve our plants at Cornell’s herbarium.
Native rare plant conservation
We conserve dozens of locally, regionally, and globally rare plants including the American globeflower (Trollius laxus) and fringed gentian (Gentianopsis crinita).
An adaptive approach
Through conservation, management, and research, we apply an adaptive management approach to maintain the ecological integrity of our natural areas.
A key part of conserving native plant diversity is through the control of invasive species.
We protect and restore our natural areas through ongoing deer management.
Support forests of the future on the Cornell campus.
Protecting globally rare plants in our collections
Botanic gardens preserve the genetic diversity of plants worldwide. We grow 12 plants in our collection that are classified as globally rare, vulnerable, or endangered, helping to protect these species against extinction.
Collaborating to preserve genetic diversity
We collaborate with other botanic gardens to collectively preserve maples and oaks. Their genetic material is available for taxonomic studies, evaluation, breeding, and other research through the National Plant Collections Network.
Preserving Plants as Herbarium Specimens
We preserve many of our cultivated and wild species by creating herbarium specimens which are provided to the Bailey Hortorium (a herbarium) at Cornell—one of the largest university-affiliated collections of preserved plant material in North America.