Botanic Gardens Conservation International

There are an estimated 3,000 botanic gardens and arboreta in the world attracting 750 million visitors each year. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is the pivotal centre of this network. Its members include the largest, most renowned gardens on the planet – such as Kew, New York, Missouri, Singapore, Sydney and Shanghai – but they also include many smaller gardens with regional and local impact. BGCI’s mission is to mobilize botanic gardens and engage partners in securing plant diversity for the well-being of people and the planet.

Visit the BGCI

Largest living collection at a botanic garden (species)

Formally established in 1759, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK) located in Richmond, London, UK, had 16,900 unique plant species in cultivation as of May 2019, making it the most diverse collection of living flora at a single-site botanic garden. If also including subspecies and cultivars, that figure increases to 21,843 taxa. This is based on self-reported data from GardenSearch, a global database of more than 3,700 botanical institutions that is vetted and maintained by Botanic Gardens Conservation International.