International Cooperation Amng Botanic Gardens: The Concept of Establishing Agreements
Date
1988-05
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Comprehensive, coordinated international cooperation
among botanic gardens is an emerging concept, being based on the
mutual benefits for all concerned.
Established, oftentimes, as manifestations of European
colonial expansionism, the botanic gardens of today have become
increasingly isolated and found their positions eroding with the
dissolution of world empires.
In this research, I propose the following thesis: For the
world's botanic gardens and similar institutions to continue to
play an important role in the plant sciences, it is imperative that
these institutions cooperate at not only the national and regional
levels but ultimately at the international level. Furthermore, if
significant and effective international cooperation is to occur
among botanic gardens, it is best to formalize agreements, by
developing written documents.
As the traditional stewards of the world's plant
resources, botanic gardens must accept the growing challenge of
conserving plant taxa for posterity. Complete conservation
coverage of all threatened and endangered plant taxa can not be
accomplished by individual botanic gardens. The reduction of
duplications of effort dictate the need for botanic gardens to
engage in international cooperation activities.
Plant conservation is not the only reason for botanic
gardens to engage in international cooperation activities. Given
the new political, cultural and economic factors facing the
world's botanic gardens, international cooperation in plant
exploration, plant exchanges, institution building and information
exchanges is becoming increasingly requisite for successful
institutional operation now and into the future.
Informal cooperation must be expanded to more
formalized levels with commitments to international cooperation
being supported by written documents of agreement. By writing
agreements, botanic gardens insure a greater probability of
success by providing for clearly documented statements of
intentions, expectations and abilities as well as long-term
institutional memories of cooperation efforts, a means by which
external sources of funding may be obtained and gauges by which
progress may be assessed and activities may be evaluated.
Description
Keywords
International, Cooperation, Partnerships, Scientific exchanges