Plant Science: Areas of interest

Conservation Science

About the Institute for Plant Conservation Biology

The success of the Chicago Botanic Garden's Conservation Science initiatives and the national and international significance of this work has encouraged the Garden to take the next step in the development of its conservation programs — to create the Institute for Plant Conservation Biology.

The Institute will advance the goals of Chicago Botanic Garden conservation science by providing the framework in which the Garden can:

Further its research
Train the next generation of plant conservation biologists
Disseminate information to scientists
Strengthen its role as liaison to the stewardship community, and serve as a resource for seed banking, tissue culture and rare plant genetics.

The Institute for Plant Conservation Biology will carry out multilevel research and training for applied plant conservation biology. Its faculty will conduct research with the goal of contributing to the conservation of imperiled plants and improving plant conservation methods.

The Institute extends the Garden's conservation mission to contribute to the preservation of global biodiversity through the study and dissemination of information about endangered native plants and communities in the upper Midwest. The Institute builds on the foundation provided by the Conservation Science Department and involves collaboration with the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Garden's Native Habitats and Lake Enhancement Programs, federal agencies, local universities and stewardship organizations.