The 8th Global Botanic Garden Congress

Amongst a treasure trove of fresh ideas and inspiration on how we can collectively reduce the loss of plant biodiversity, we reconnected with old friends and made new relationships at the congress. Kudos to the organizers, Singapore Botanic Gardens and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, for making the congress such a memorable experience. 

A sincere thank you to everyone who attended our exhibit and presentation and to our amazing co-presenters, Martin Smit, curator at Utrecht University Botanic Garden and Waheed Arshad, PhD. A special shoutout to the entire Species360 team, with particular appreciation to Angela Benard, who joined us at the congress. Your dedication and hard work were crucial to our preparation—we couldn't have done it without you!

Since our first attendance at the GBG congress in 2010, we’ve witnessed a significant shift towards a greater emphasis on data and collaboration. Global conservation initiatives, such as the Global Conservation Consortia, increasingly rely on coordinated efforts between botanical institutions. However, with around 80% of the world’s botanic gardens lacking access to professional record-keeping systems, achieving effective collaboration and tracking conservation projects remains a considerable challenge. At Species360, our mission is to address this issue through the introduction of Hortis, a solution designed to eliminate technical and financial barriers to modern plant record technology. Additionally, we have launched a fundraising initiative to empower anyone who wishes to support the acceleration of data-driven plant conservation. For more information, please visit https://www.hortis.com/conservation-impact-partners.

We already look forward to the 9th Global Botanic Garden Congress to be held in Chicago in 2027.