Originally published in BGJournal, January 2023

Introduction to the Partnership Programme 

Trees, the backbone of most terrestrial ecosystems, provide critical benefits to people and the planet. Despite their importance, canopy loss is occurring worldwide and many tree species are threatened with extinction. Furthering these challenges, given their size and long-life span, this unique life form requires specific curatorial and horticultural care. They are also underresearched and under-conserved. 

Increasing the number and professionalism of tree-focused botanical gardens can support a healthier planet during this sixth mass extinction. These opportunities underscore the importance that: 

• trees are essential for life on this planet; 
• people need access to trees and treefocused gardens to receive the benefits that trees provide; and 
• tree-focused gardens need professional support and networking to research, conserve and care for trees. 

To support these needs, in 2011, The Morton Arboretum, with the endorsement and cooperation of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the American Public Gardens Association (APGA), established ArbNet. This esteemed and award-winning program identifies arboreta through the Morton Register; defines industry standards through the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program; raises professionalism; supports tree planting and proper care; facilitates collaborations; and advances tree research and conservation.

Over the past decade, ArbNet has fostered meaningful partnerships for long-lasting impact with not only tree-focused gardens, but also garden associations. The BGCI and ArbNet teams work closely with each other, as they recognize the importance of the botanical garden community as a way to support plant conservation at a regional, national, and international level. Through this mutual support, these networks are collaborating to help gardens meet the targets of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation as well as key aims identified in the ArbNet and BGCI accreditation programmes. 

As a way to support international collaboration between tree-focused botanic gardens and arboreta, in 2017, BGCI and ArbNet developed the BGCI/ArbNet Partnership Programme. This funding opportunity supports the exchange of skills, resources, and expertise between gardens of different sizes in different countries to advance tree conservation efforts. Administered through the BGCI Global Botanic Garden Fund, the Partnership Programme provides funding (usually up to $2,500) for collaborative tree conservation projects, with priority given to projects that target biodiversity hotspots and/or capacity building in developing countries. Grant applications must satisfy the following conditions: 

• Focus on tree conservation; 
• Involve an international partnership between two botanical institutions; 
• Both partners are BGCI members (botanic gardens that are not BGCI members may apply, but a membership fee must be paid prior to the application deadline); 
• At least one of the two partners is an ArbNet accredited arboretum (accreditation applications may be submitted by the closing date of the Global Botanic Garden Fund). 

Over the years, there have been many beneficial partnerships. These include The Tasmanian Arboretum (Tasmania) partnering with the Vilnius University (Latvia) on a project to “Develop a social media program to promote the Plant Conservation role of botanical institutions” or the Tropical Rainforest Conservation & Research Centre (Malaysia) and The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah (Australia) project “Developing various Dipterocarpaceae propagation techniques”. 

One particular partnership that has been incredibly fruitful is the 2019 project between the Northwestern University Ecological Park, & Botanic Gardens (NUEBG), Philippines and Dr. Cecilia Koo Botanic Conservation Center (KBCC), Taiwan. 

A Model of International Collaboration for Tree Conservation 

The NUEBG is among the many facilities of the Northwestern University Inc., a private non-government academic institution in the Northwest Luzon, Philippines started in 2007. The goal of this garden is to conserve the endemic species (species found only in one country or location) of the Northwest Luzon, which is regularly battered by annual typhoons and the alarming degradation or loss of its natural forests. 

The KBCC is a non-governmental organization for tropical plant conservation in Taiwan. It aims to be the largest shelter of tropical plants on earth by 2027. It will do this through ex situ conservation of 40,000 different taxa with the ultimate goal of participating in, and leading, in situ conservation. 

The Philippines is a megadiverse country with many endemic species. One of the reasons it is so diverse is because of the number of unique ecosystems that can be found, including coastal tidal flats, upper montane tropical rainforests, ultramafic, forest over limestone, and seasonal dry forests. However, the Philippines and Taiwan are visited by at least 20 strong typhoons annually that destroy vegetation and communities along their path.

As with many biodiversity hotspots that experience disturbance, both human and environmental, urgent work is needed to document species, and understand their current conservation status. Therefore, ex situ plant conservation is urgently needed as a means to protect critical flora. 

The NUEBG in the Philippines and the KBCC in Taiwan were awarded a BGCI/ArbNet Partnership Programme grant for a project called “Mega diverse flora in peril threatened by annual super typhoons.” This partnership project aimed to: 

• document the local flora in priority sites; 
• assess the conservation status of the documented plants; 
• study seed germination and plant propagation of priority threatened tree species; 
• understand how species respond and recover from natural disturbances; and 
• collect herbarium vouchers and specimens of the flora to be held in the living collections at NUEBG and KBCC. 

These ex situ collections will be used for future cultivation at the conservatories, as well as research, education, and future ecological restoration. 

Project Outcomes and Achievements

The team identified priority sites that had narrow endemic species in Key Biodiversity Areas and critical habitat, with the goal of finding a predetermined list of prioritized species. Sites were identified, visited, and explored from 2020 to 2021. When possible, herbarium vouchers and seeds were collected. The team was able to find 99 species out of the 105 prioritized species. Some of the trees that were found are rare endemic species that can only be found in Northwest Luzon. Three species could not be located, meaning they are likely extinct in the wild, and another three species were not able to be accessed in the provenance or their locality where they were first documented. 

An exciting discovery of these trips was the re-collection of Syzygium ilocanum and Guioa parvifoliola. Both of these species were thought to be extinct in the wild. While they were no longer found in their type locality, the team was able to locate new populations in a nearby forest. The team also found Syzygium subsesillilimbum, which is rare to find as a mature tree in the wild. 

After collection, with proper documentation and transport permits, seeds were sent to the KBCC for germination testing, and for cultivation ex situ. Successfully germinated seeds were selected and planted for scientific research, as well as for exhibits at KBCC. This research will help inform conservation action for species that are difficult to propagate. Some of the tree genera that successfully germinated as a result of this partnership are Cassia (Fabaceae), Flueggea, Dolichandrone (Bignoniaceae) and Antidesma (Phyllantaceae). These plants are of high ornamental value, as they have showy flowers and attractive fruits. NUEBG has successfully conserved 48% of the target 105 species while another 34% are currently being monitored in the nursery. However, 13% will need to be collected again due to unsuccessful recovery in the garden nursery.

Real World Impact 

The NUEBG received ArbNet arboretum accreditation at Level II in 2020, with less than 400 tree species in its collection. With much effort and perseverance they are now at Level IV, after just a year of being engaged in this project. The latest tree inventory at the NUEBG shows more than 500 tree species documented in their living collections. These species are both endemic to the Philippines and from around the world: including 38 species of Gymnosperms in the family Cycadaceae, Pinaceae, Araucariaceae, Cupressaceae, Podocarpaceae and Gnetaceae; approximately 26 species of the Basal Angiosperms consisting mostly of Annonaceae, Magnoliaceae and Myristicaceae; 6 species of woody monocots consisting Beucarnea, woody Dracaeana and Cordyline australis; and 417 Dicotyledonae species ranging from 64 families. A total of 517 species of trees are safeguarded in the gardens at NUEBG. The BGCI/ArbNet Partnership Programme grant also enabled NUEBG to expand its research, collecting, and ex situ conservation programs, all of which are required for Level IV accreditation.

The growing collection at the KBCC now has representation of the flora of Luzon, Philippines. The ex situ efforts will increase the capacity to propagate critical plant species, and will create additional stocks for reintroduction in the future. It also provides a safeguard for mature trees that cannot produce seeds due to harsh climatic conditions and severe weather disturbances. KBCC will serve as one of the emergency conservatories for NUEBG in case of climatic catastrophe, volcanic eruptions, disease outbreak, or human disturbance in the future. It ensures that critical plants in peril will not be lost even when their natural habitat is destroyed completely. 

In addition to the increase in the NUEBG’s living collections, the Herbarium of the Northwestern Luzon (HNUL) has reached its target of 20,000 specimens at the end of 2020, after a series of expeditions in the wild. Some of these herbarium vouchers are of species which have not been collected for almost a century. The NUEBG is a repository of biological specimens in Northwestern Luzon, Philippines. It is now extensively utilized for research purposes. 

Both NUEBG & KBCC are private botanical institutions, each having their own unique conservation strategies, knowledge, capacity, and skill sets. As a result of this important partnership grant, the institutions formed a tighter collaboration to foster tree conservation in the region. The NUEBG-KBCC partnership plans to extend the species collection until 2025, to meet an ambitious goal to ensure that no tree species goes extinct in Northwestern Luzon, Philippines, covering the northern and western Cordilleras and the Zambales Mountain Range in the south. This collaborative effort created the The ArbNet Conservatory of Exceptional Philippine Trees as a way to conserve rare trees in North Luzon and Taiwan, which both experience severe weather disturbances. 

The partnership grant was a great catalyst that supported collaboration and will surely be sustained for years to come. 

A Memorandum of Understanding has been forged to strengthen the partnership and scientific cooperation, and this partnership serves as a model for international plant conservation. 

Grant Applications

The call for applications for the BGCI/ArbNet Partnership Programme usually opens around April or May each year, so be on the lookout via the ArbNet and BGCI website or ArbNet newsletter (sign up here) for when the call for applications opens for 2023. To learn more about the types of projects that have been previously funded recently, check out the tree conservation projects funded in 2021. If you are not already an ArbNet accredited institution you have plenty of time to submit your application in order to qualify for this programme.

Authors

Sue Paist, ArbNet coordinator

Michael Agbayani Calaramo (director/curator–NUEBG) 

Dr. Jessica Turner-Skoff (The Morton Arboretum)