Journal of Botanic Gardens Conservation International BGjournalVolume 3 • Number 2 • July 2006 Special issue: the botanic gardens of East Asia Contents 01 Editorial Editors: Etelka Leadlay, Anle Tieu and Junko Oikawa 02 Thoughts on scientific research in Chinese botanic gardens at the Cover Photo: Wuhan Botanical Garden, China beginning of the 21st century (Photo; BGCI) Design: John Morgan, Seascape 04 BGCI supports collaboration between botanic gardens: the E-mail: [email protected] environment and artistic photo exhibition, Sound of Nature at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden Submissions for the next issue should reach the editor before 20th October, 2006. We would be very grateful for text on diskette or via e-mail, as well as a hard copy. 06 The management of living collections in Beijing Botanical Garden Please send photographs as original slides or prints unless scanned to a very high resolution (300 (North) pixels/inch and 100mm in width); digital images need to be of a high resolution for printing. If you would like 08 Achieving conservation and sustainability on different fronts – Hong further information, please request Notes for authors. Kong Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden BGjournal is published by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). It is published twice a year and is Conservation of an endemic plant, Croton hancei in the Hong Kong sent to all BGCI members. Membership is open to all 10 interested individuals, institutions and organisations that Special Administrative Region support the aims of BGCI (see page 32 for Membership application form) 12 The botanic gardens of Macau Further details available from: • Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Descanso House, 199 Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3BW 14 Restructuring Japan’s botanic gardens through a contract system UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5953, Fax: +44 (0)20 8332 5956 Email: [email protected], www.bgci.org • BGCI-Russia, c/o Main Botanical Gardens, 16 Status of ex situ conservation of threatened Japanese plant species in Botanicheskaya st., 4, Moscow 127276, Russia. Japanese botanic gardens Tel: +7 (095) 219 6160 / 5377, Fax: +7 (095) 218 0525, E-mail: [email protected], www.bgci.ru • BGCI (U.S.) Inc., c/o Dan Shepherd, Director, 18 Plant conservation in South Korean botanic gardens 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11225-1099, U.S.A. Tel: +1 718 623 7200, The present status of South Korean botanic gardens Fax: +1 718 857 2430, Email: [email protected] 20 www.bgci.org/us • BGCI-Netherlands, c/o Utrecht University Botanic 22 Developing an action plan for Fushan Botanic Garden: A dream for Gardens, P.O. Box 80162, NL-3508 TD, Netherlands. people who appreciate biodiversity Tel: +31 30 253 2876, Fax: +31 30 253 5177, E-mail: [email protected], www.bio.uu.nl/botgard 24 The history, conservation challenges and future tasks of the Botanical • BGCI-Canarias, c/o Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Garden at the National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung Clavijo, Apartado de Correos 14, Tafira Alta 35017, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Spain. Tel: +34 928 21 95 80/82/83, Fax: +34 928 21 95 81, 26 Conservation and the development of plant resources at the Botanic E-mail: [email protected] • BGCI – China and South East Asia, c/o Registry, Garden of Mongolia and the Institute of Botany Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569. Tel/Fax: +65 6467 4206, E-mail: Bian.Tan The Botanic Garden Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian @bgci.org, [email protected], www.bgci.org/china 28 • BGCI-Colombia , c/o Jardín Botánico de Bogotá, Academy of Sciences: securing protection of rare and endangered Jose Celestino Mutis, Av. No. 61-13 – A.A. 59887, Santa plants in the Russian far east Fe de Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. Tel: +57 630 0949, Fax: +57 630 5075, E-mail: [email protected], www.humboldt.org.co/jardinesdecolombia/html/la_red.htm 30 Botanic gardens of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) • BGCI-Deutschland, c/o Botanische Gärten der Universität Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 171, 53115 Bonn, Book Notices Germany. Tel: +49 2 2873 9055, Fax: +49 2 28731690, 31 E-mail: [email protected] BGCI is a worldwide membership organization established 32 Forthcoming Meetings in 1987. Its mission is to mobilise botanic gardens and engage partners in securing plant diversity for the well- How to join Botanic Gardens Conservation International being of people and the planet. BGCI is an independent organization registered in the United Kingdom as a charity (Charity Reg No 1098834) and a company limited by guarantee, No 4673175. BGCI is a tax-exempt (501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the USA and in Russia. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Boards or staff of BGCI or of its members BGjournal replaces BGCNews and is published twice a year. BGjournal has been given a new name as the news section of BGCNews and Roots (Botanic Gardens Conservation International Education Review) is now contained in Cuttings which is published quarterly. There are 31 issues of BGCNews published twice yearly from 1987-2003. Editorial On behalf of the botanic garden conservation through the cultivation of Over the past four years BGCI has community of East Asia, we are endangered plants, and; shoulder most been conducting the Investing in pleased to introduce this special issue of the education activities that are Nature programme throughout the Asia of BGCI’s BGjournal that focuses on related to the diversity and function of region. Supported by HSBC, it is has the botanic gardens of East Asia and plants, the relationship between them greatly helped to assist the botanic some of their work in education and and people and their conservation. gardens of the region expand their plant conservation. The production of efforts in conservation and education. this issue has been supported by the To support the activities of botanic The programme has not only enabled Mitsubishi Corporation in Japan as a gardens in Japan, China and Korea BGCI to fund a number of projects part of their assistance to develop the national botanic garden networks have within individual botanic gardens, but networking of botanic gardens in the been established. Since their also assist in the training of a large East Asia region. establishment, going back to 1965 in number staff in a wide range of topics. Japan, these networks have It is the intention of BGCI and the Unlike all previous issues of contributed to the activities of their botanic gardens networks of East Asia BGJournal, which were only published member gardens, including to continue the good work that has in English, the July 2006 issue has also conservation, environmental education, already started. Because of this, we been produced in Chinese, Korean, horticulture and recreation. would encourage all of the botanic Japanese and Russian and will be gardens of East Asia to join BGCI, take distributed to all of the botanic gardens However, with the speed of advantage of the resources and within the East Asia region. By doing environmental change in East Asia, the programmes it offers and, as so, we are keen to not only make the reduction of plant diversity is a reality. importantly, ensure that the global botanic gardens community To cope with such change, it is significance of the Asia region is fully more aware of East Asia, but also to recognized that as well as recognized throughout the world. encourage networking within the strengthening the domestic botanic region. We also hope that the East gardens networks, a network in the Prof. Hongwen Huang, Chairman, Asia issue of the BGjournal will be East Asia region, working together with Botanical Garden Working useful as a part of the development of BGCI, should be explored. It is felt that Committee of Chinese Academy the East Asia Botanic Gardens Network if the botanic gardens of this area can of Sciences at its first meeting. This first meeting is make contact with each other through to be held at the Kunming Botanical the network, we can take effective Prof. Jung Oh Hyun, President, Gardens in August 2006. action against the crisis facing the Korean Association of Botanic region’s plant diversity. Gardens and Arboreta Throughout the East Asia region there are now over 250 botanic gardens and As a part of this, all of the botanic Mark Richardson, Director, Asia the number is increasing. It is a blend gardens in the East Asia region are and Middle East Programmes, of several major institutions and many encouraged to not only interact with BGCI that are small with few staff and limited botanic gardens in their immediate funds. Although the scale of many area but also to look for any Prof. Mitsuo Suzuki, President, gardens is small, together they display opportunities to work with other Japan Association of Botanic a diverse collection of plants; assist botanic gardens throughout Asia. Gardens BGCI • 2006 • BGjournal • Vol 3 (2) • 01 01 Authors: Hongwen Huang and Ziyuan Duan Thoughts on scientific research in Chinese botanic gardens at the beginning of the 21st century economic crops is weak and alien sciences are in an era of molecular species threaten indigenous plants and biology and so research in botanic associated ecosystems. gardens faces a great opportunity as well as a grave challenge, for broadly- The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) based botanical research. regards botanic gardens as an essential resource for the development and 1 Research direction and targets utilization of plants and has 14 botanic • The focus should shift from plant gardens under their management.