A photo taken from high above a tropical forest of green trees, stretching out to the horizon where the sun is just about to set

Nurturing Nature Through Plant-based Solutions for Long Term Climate Resilience

Mauricio Diazgranados, Eric Sanderson, and collaborators

The world faces increasingly dire challenges that have put significant pressure on ecosystems and the species that inhabit them, resulting in accelerated biodiversity loss, and therefore the decline of nature’s benefits. Plants play a crucial role in building climate resilience by providing essential ecosystem services. For example, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate the greenhouse effect. They also stabilize soil, prevent erosion, and regulate water flow, reducing the risk of floods and landslides. Additionally, plants provide habitat and food for wildlife, supporting biodiversity and enhancing the overall resilience of ecosystems.

Botanical gardens are a major untapped resource in adaptation and mitigation planning in the face of climate change. They play a crucial role in in-situ and ex-situ conservation, research, and education, serving as living repositories of plant diversity, centers for scientific study and species preservation, and public spaces that raise awareness about environmental issues and the importance of plant life in ecosystem health and climate resilience. The Nurturing Nature project is designed to leverage their expertise and activate a global network of botanical gardens to increase resilience to climate change through the development of an Action Plan that will seek to enhance biodiversity in diverse ecosystems in partnership with representatives of local communities, promoting the establishment of long-term solutions.

The New York Botanical Garden, in partnership with Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), has established the Climate Resilience Advisory Group to develop the Action Plan as a science-based roadmap for increasing climate resilience through plant-based solutions. With the leadership of a global network of botanical gardens, this project will lay the groundwork for a multi-year and multi-phased initiative that centers plants as the primary driver to effectively increasing resilience to climate change over time.

More information: Climate Resilience Advisory Group

This project was made possible thanks in part to the generous support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

New Global Survey

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) are launching a global survey to document the contributions of botanical gardens to ecological restoration and to inform future action in this realm.

This survey is a core component of the Nurturing Nature Initiative. It invites gardens at all stages of engagement, from those just beginning to explore restoration work to those with established programs, to share their experiences. Responses will help to build a more comprehensive understanding of how botanical gardens currently contribute to global restoration goals and identify where further support, partnerships, or knowledge sharing would be most valuable.

The survey is available here and will remain open for 30 days from July 24^th to August 22^nd, 2025.

All botanical gardens are encouraged to participate and share the survey widely within their networks. The survey is intended to be completed by a garden staff member familiar with their institution’s strategic direction and project work. Only one response per garden is requested, and the survey should take no more than fifteen minutes to complete.

Welcome, Emma Grover!

We’re excited to welcome Emma Grover to the NYBG Science team as Project Manager for the Nurturing Nature Initiative! She has joined us in March of 2025 and will be based in the Center for Conservation and Restoration Ecology.

This new Nurturing Nature initiative, launched with Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), brings together experts from around the world to create a roadmap for using plants to build resilience to climate change.

Emma is an ecologist and project management professional, joining us after working as a consultant in the nature-based solutions space. In her previous role, she contributed to the design and implementation of international, multi-stakeholder sustainable land management projects, with a focus on agroforestry systems, grasslands, and croplands across the globe.

She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia and a Master in Environmental Science (MESc) from the Yale School of the Environment, where her thesis explored how bioclimatic variables shape leaf functional traits in lowland tropical rainforest trees.

Please join us in giving Emma a warm welcome as she begins this important work!

Nurturing Nature Initiative: Why Botanical Gardens Are Key to Climate Resilience

by Emma Grover

In a world where climate change and biodiversity loss increasingly define our collective future, the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is deepening its commitment to advancing plant-based solutions for climate resilience. Through the Nurturing Nature Initiative, NYBG is working to unlock the powerful, often underutilized potential of botanical gardens—each a unique institution rooted in place, yet united by shared goals and capacities—to restore ecosystems, support communities, and sustain biodiversity.

NYBG at COP16

At COP16, We Look to Plants for the Answers

The UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) took place in Cali, Colombia, from October 21 to November 1, 2024. During COP15 in 2022, the landmark plan for nature, known as the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was agreed upon and established a pathway for the world to live in harmony with nature. COP16 focused on action and implementation to put the framework’s Biodiversity Plan on course to reach its goals by 2050.

Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest threats facing humanity. For over 133 years, NYBG has been advancing plant research and conservation. Confronting this historic crisis, NYBG is committed to leveraging its expertise and collections to address the biodiversity crises. By conserving and restoring biodiversity, we are investing in a nature-positive world that views plants not only as a resource, but as the very foundation of our ecological and cultural systems.

Read about NYBG scientists’ time at COP16 and learn more about how NYBG Science looks to plants for the answers in advancing real-world solutions around conservation, restoration, land use, regenerative agriculture, and plants, people, and culture.

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