Botanical Gardens and Their Role in Plant Conservation

Approaching the contributions of a world-wide sector of scientific institutions to addressing the extinction crisis, Botanical Gardens and Their Role in Plant Conservation brings together a diversity of perspectives. There are more than 3,600 botanical gardens worldwide, where trees, shrubs, herbs, and other plants are studied and managed in collections. They are foremost among efforts to conserve the diversity of living plant species and ensure that crucial biodiversity is available for the future of humanity.

This book is a showcase for plant conservation, restoration, biodiversity, and related scientific and educational work of botanical gardens around the world, featuring both thematic overview chapters and numerous case studies that illustrate the critical role these institutions play in fighting extinction and ensuring plant diversity is available for sustainable use.

FEATURES

• A wide range of case studies derived from practical experience in a diversity of institutional, national, and biogeographical settings,
• Reviews of topics such as networking amongst institutions, the importance of global policy agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation,
• Profiles of botanical gardens contributions at the national level to conservation priorities,
• Real-world examples of programs in plant conservation for both critically endangered wild plant diversity and unique horticultural or cultural germplasm.

Botanical Gardens and Their Role in Plant Conservation includes contributions from institutions from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas, and institutions of all sizes and histories, from long-established national gardens to new gardens offering their perspectives on developing their roles in this vital undertaking.

Prof. T. Pullaiah obtained his M. Sc. and Ph. D. degrees in Botany from Andhra University. He was a Post-doctoral Fellow at Moscow State University, Russia, during 1976-1978. He travelled widely in Europe and visited Universities and Botanic Gardens in about 17 countries. He joined Sri Krishnadevaraya University as Lecturer in1979 and became Professor 1993. He has published 120 books, 345 research papers and 35 popular articles. His books have been published by reputed International publishers like Elsevier, Springer, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, Apple Academic Press, Scientific Publishers, Astral International, CBS Publishers etc. Under his guidance, 54 students obtained their Ph. D. degrees and 34 students their M. Phil. Degrees. He is the recipient of P. Maheshwari Gold Medal, Prof. P.C.Trivedi medal for Editorial excellence and Dr. G.Panigrahi Memorial Award of Indian Botanical Society and Prof. Y. D. Tiagi Gold Medal of the Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy. He was President of Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy (2013) and President of the Indian Botanical Society (2014). He was a member of Species Survival Commission of International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

David Galbraith completing his B.Sc. and M.Sc. at University of Guelph and Ph.D. at Queen’s University at Kingston, in Canada. His early research focused on evolutionary ecology of aquatic vertebrates. Following a post-doctoral fellowship in Canterbury, England, he served as executive director and curator of a small AZA-accredited center for endangered wildlife species conservation. In 1995 he joined Royal Botanical Gardens (Canada) to develop biodiversity projects among botanical gardens across Canada in response to the Convention on Biological Diversity. In 2006 he was appointed RBG’s Head of Science, overseeing library, archives, and herbarium, research, and use of RBG resources by outside researchers. He has published many contributions on conservation policy, management, and history of botanical gardens. In 2002 Dr. Galbraith was honored by the American Public Gardens Association with their annual Professional Citation for his innovative work in public horticulture. He was named Hamilton Environmentalist of the Year in 2010 for his efforts to protect nature. Dr. Galbraith has always been passionately engaged in biology, history, cultural heritage, and the arts, and is fascinated by how all of these intersect within botanical gardens. He is an adjunct biology professor at McMaster University, a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and a Fellow International of the Explorers Club.