Botanic Gardens and Public Greenspace

Botanic gardens and municipalities both maintain collections of plants, but they thinkabout them in different ways. Scientists at botanic gardens conduct research, engage inconservation, and educate the public. City plant managers seek to balance costs with thebeautification of their urban greenspace. Nonetheless, thinking of urban greenspace through thelens of a botanic garden can help city plant managers find new opportunities for collaborationand the enhancement of urban biodiversity. This paper examines the similarities and differencesof municipal greenspace management with the IUCN and WWF 1989 list of defining features ofbotanic gardens: proper labels for the plants; science-based reason for inclusion; sharinginformation with other gardens, research institutions, and the public; sharing seeds and geneticmaterial with other gardens and research institutions; committing to maintaining the plants in thecollection; maintaining taxonomy research programs; monitoring the plants in the collection;being open to the public; promoting conservation through public outreach; properly documentingthe plants in the collection with their (wild) origins; and researching the plants in the collection.Keywords: Botanic gardens, urban greenspace, living collections, neighborhood arboreta