How are botanic gardens in the Commonwealth of Australia and the United States of America managing the risk to living plant collections in the event of water shortage?
Date
2016
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Given the time, money and effort expended in the acquisition, establishment, curation and maintenance of a living botanical collection, and the irreplaceable nature of some living collections, it would be reasonable to assume that these living assets would be secured against loss. Using broad survey and in-depth interviews with gardens in the United States and Australia, this research considers what botanic gardens can do to protect their living collections in the face of water shortage. ☐ This research found two major approaches to managing living collection in the face of water shortage, managing the collection, and managing the water. A third important component was managing stakeholder expectations; with education and good communication essential to achieving a transition to active collections management in the face of water shortage. Gardens were more likely develop plans to manage water shortage if they have faced shortage previously. Plans ranged from simple prioritizing of collections for watering, to complex, multi-million dollar ‘drought proofing’ systems developed over many years In Australia, the rising cost of water was found to be a driver for some gardens to initiate schemes to reduce water use and assess the suitability of living collections in the face of climate change. ☐ Using the experience and observations of botanic gardens that participated in this research, and a review of current practices in allied fields such as sports turf management, a ‘how to’ guide was developed to assist gardens in planning for water shortage.