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Level IV Criteria

  • Satisfy all criteria for Level I, Level II and Level III accreditation.
  • A scientific and/or conservation staff and capability to collaborate in scientific or conservation activities with other arboreta or organizations related to trees.
  • Institutional capacity, stability, and commitment to hold and safeguard plants of collections or conservation value on behalf of the collective interests of the profession.
  • Professional capability to collaborate in some way with other arboreta relevant organizations (e.g. public gardens, universities, local government, NGOs, student groups, etc.) preferably with evidence of  existing collaboration. Examples of collaborations may include plant evaluations, research projects, in situ or ex situ conservation projects, educational programs, exhibits, public events, interpretation, collecting expeditions, plant exchanges, professional meetings and co-authoring scientific research papers. See checklist below

  • Specific consideration of a conservation role  See chart below

a. Tree Conservation & Science Action Checklist (required for Level IV)

Please check all activities that your arboretum participates in.  Below the checklist, provide details in part 7b (levels III and IV) and part 7c (level IV) as appropriate, about the activities that you checked in the list.

Links and Acronyms (for reference)

Global Conservation Consortia (GCC)

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Tree Specialist Group

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)

BGCI Conservation Action Tracker

Public Gardens as Sentinels against Invasive Plants (PGSIP)

General capacity building for threatened tree conservation

Promote tree conservation through your networks, conferences, presentations, social media, and arboretum website

Host or share GCC educational content (e.g GCC Species Steward panels and/or taxa information sheets; these are provided by the GCC Coordinators)

Carry out education/awareness raising and interpretation among your visitors for threatened trees

Host tree conservation conferences, training workshops, or related meetings (e.g. IUCN Global Tree Specialist Group meeting)

Contribute content, expertise, or other support to tree conservation training materials, such as guidance briefs, manuals, or reports

 Host employee(s) who is an active member of the IUCN Global Tree Specialist Group

Report and share information on your tree conservation work using the BGCI Global Tree Portal, including the Conservation Action Tracker

 

Ex situ tree conservation

Enable researchers or conservationists external to your organization to use your grounds, collections, and/or resources for tree conservation and science work/research

Formal participation in a ex situ conservation project focused on threatened tree species (provide project name in part 7b below)

Partner with Indigenous communities to support culturally significant ex situ tree conservation and restoration activities

Participate in Public Gardens as Sentinels against Invasive Plants (PGSIP) by collecting and sharing data about plants escaping from cultivation in your arboretum

Share threatened tree germplasm/material with other institutions (e.g. for propagation, living collections, seed banks, herbaria, etc)

Develop protocols for propagation of threatened tree germplasm

Host and manage a native or threatened tree nursery

Undertake planting trials for threatened trees

Conduct conservation genetics research on ex situ collections of threatened tree species

Threatened trees included in your collection

Threatened trees included in your collection with interpretation aimed at conservation awareness

Conservation of legacy cultivars

Engage in collections climate change adaptation planning and activities

Provide support to other arboreta to improve their capacity to participate in threatened tree conservation activities (e.g. provide training, financial support, mentorship, threatened tree germplasm/seeds, etc.)

Host a metacollection site as a designated Species Steward for one of the GCCs

 

In situ tree conservation

Formal participation in an in situ conservation project focused on threatened tree species (provide project name in part 7b below)

Partner with Indigenous communities to support culturally significant in situ tree conservation and restoration activities

Participate in in situ expeditions and surveys to seek out and monitor threatened tree populations

Host and manage a native or threatened tree nursery to repopulate threatened tree species in situ

Conduct conservation genetics research on in situ populations of threatened tree speciesContribute to red listing initiative for trees within a taxonomic group or region

Lead red listing initiative for trees within a taxonomic group or region

Engage in or support in situ habitat restoration or habitat protection in support of priority threatened tree species or ecosystems (e.g. invasive species removal, land protection, reforestation, facilitating sustainable management planning)

Engage in or support in situ conservation and recovery of threatened tree species in the wild (e.g. population monitoring/surveys, reintroduction of seeds/seedlings, assisted migration)

Carry out conservation planning for threatened tree species, e.g. individual species recovery plans, or multi-species plans

 

View list of Level IV Accredited Arboreta

Level IV sample application download