Conservation

The ultimate goal of conservation initiatives at the Botanical Garden is protection of plant species, habitats, and ecosystems from degradation and extinction—thereby reducing the negative consequences for human well-being and the biological diversity of the planet. The first prerequisite for protecting plant species, habitats, and ecosystems is identifying those species at risk of extinction. Armed with this information, Garden scientists and collaborators work to develop sustainable management plans for protecting at-risk species and ecosystems. Solutions often involve understanding what conservation measures can be effective in a particular place, at a local level.

NYBG’s Conservation Projects

North America

Biodiversity Gradients in Obligate Symbiotic Organisms: A Case Study in Lichens in a Global Diversity Hotspot (NSF Dimensions)
Conservation Assessment of Intertidal Vascular Plants of the Hudson River Estuary
Conservation Assessments of Plants of the Americas
Documenting the Occurrence through Space and Time of Aquatic Non-indigenous Fish, Mollusks, Algae, and Plants Threatening North America’s Great Lakes
EvoNet: A Phylogenomic and Systems Biology Approach to Identify Genes Underlying Plant Survival in Marginal, Low-Nitrogen Soils
Flora of Central Park
Incised Fumewort in Westchester County: Early Detection and Rapid Response
Lichen Biodiversity of the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain
Lichen Conservation Biology
The Macroalgal Herbarium Consortium: Accessing 150 Years of Specimen Data to Understand Changes in the Marine/Aquatic Environment
The Macrofungi Collection Consortium: Unlocking a Biodiversity Resource for Understanding Biotic Interactions, Nutrient Cycling and Human Affairs
Natural History Collections: Developing Ericaceae Research Resources through Collections Enhancement and Data Integration
The New Manual of Vascular Plants Project by NYBG
New York City EcoFlora
North American Lichens and Bryophytes: Sensitive Indicators of Environmental Quality and Change
Starry Stonewort: Assessing the Threat of an Invasive Freshwater Macroalga in the Northeast
Strategy for Conserving Ash Trees in the Northeast: Collection, Analysis, and Outreach
Systematics and Biogeography of the Woodland Sedges Carex section Laxiflorae (Cyperaceae)
Westchester Wilderness Walk, Zofnass Family Preserve

Caribbean

Comparative Exploration of Plants and Local Knowledge in Portland Parish, Jamaica
Conservation Assessments of Plants of the Americas
Identifying Cuba’s Most Vulnerable Plant Species in the Face of Climate Change and Habitat Loss
Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve
A New Era: Cuban/U.S. Collaboration in Biodiversity Science
NYBG Caribbean Consortium
Phylogeography and Conservation Genetics of the Caribbean Zamia clade

Southeast Asia

Community-based Natural Resource Management in Sagaing Region, Myanmar
Floristic Inventory of a Neglected Biodiversity Hotspot: Myanmar’s Northern Forest Complex
Palms of Vietnam
Plant Conservation and Forest Resource Management in Myanmar

Pacific

Plant, Fungal and Linguistic Diversity of Tafea Province, Vanuatu
Plants and People of Micronesia
Plants and People of Vanuatu

Atlantic Coastal Forest of Brazil

Coastal Forest Plant Diversity in Northeastern Brazil
Dimensions US-BIOTA-Sao Paulo: A Multidisciplinary Framework for Biodiversity Prediction in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Hotspot
Molecular-based Plant inventory of a Megadiverse Bahian Forest
Plant diversity in the Montane forest of Pernambuco
Rare Trees of the Atlantic Forest of Southern Bahia, Brazil

Amazonia

First Catalogue of the Flora of Acre, Brazil
Floristic Exploration in Southwestern Amazonia
Floristic Inventory of the Tapajos National Forest and Amazonia National Park
On the Andaquí Trail: Exploration and Conservation of Colombia’s Eastern Andean Piedmont
Professional Woodsmen for Managed Forests in Amazonian Brazil