BGCI is a global membership organisation representing more than 1,100 botanic gardens in over 100 countries. It was established in 1987 to strengthen the international effort to conserve plant diversity. The organisation’s mission is to mobilise botanic gardens and their partners to safeguard plant diversity for the benefit of people and the planet.
Through its worldwide network, BGCI brings together significant plant collections and seed banks, as well as professional networks within research, education and conservation. BGCI works to promote an effective and coordinated approach to plant conservation by sharing knowledge, resources and best practices – and by inspiring both professionals and the wider public.
The organisation also serves as an advisor and coordinator for a range of international initiatives that prioritise and protect threatened plant species.
The Botanical Garden has been awarded Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)’s prestigious Conservation Practitioner Accreditation. The accreditation formally recognises the Botanical Garden as an institution actively engaged in conservation work — both nationally and globally.
BGCI represents more than 1,100 botanic gardens across over 100 countries and works to protect endangered and rare plants. It is an independent global membership organisation that connects the world’s botanic gardens in a shared conservation network — much like zoos collaborate to safeguard the world’s threatened animals. Together, botanic gardens worldwide hold more than 40% of all threatened plant species.
“When you stand in the Botanical Garden, you are surrounded by a living archive of the world’s botanical heritage. With the BGCI accreditation, we gain more than a seal of approval; we gain international recognition that the Botanical Garden in Copenhagen is an active part of the global mission to understand, protect, and conserve plants and their habitats. It strengthens our work and commits us to even more,” says Tonni Eilersen, Head of the Botanical Garden.
The Botanical Garden was established in the year 1600 as a medicinal garden and has, over time, been located in four different places in Copenhagen. The fourth and current location at Østervold is 151 years old and was laid out according to a garden plan by landscape architect H.A. Flindt. The historic garden is protected and, in addition to its 8,000 plant species, contains classical sculptures and historic buildings.
In 2004, the Natural History Museum Denmark was formed through the merger of the Zoological Museum, the Geological Museum, the Botanical Museum, and the Botanical Garden.
Every day, a team of botanical horticulturists observe and care for the plants in the Garden and act quickly if anything is amiss. The Garden contains everything from common species to endangered — and even globally extinct — plants that survive only here because they are tended by horticulturists with highly specialised expertise.
The accreditation enables botanic gardens around the world to share knowledge on how best to protect and care for these vulnerable species.
“If, for example, we have a plant that is extinct in the wild and found in only three botanic gardens worldwide, it is essential that we can exchange knowledge on how to keep it alive. If we lose it, we may ultimately lose important traits — perhaps even those with medicinal potential,” explains Tonni Eilersen.
With the BGCI accreditation, the Garden now gains formal international status as a conservation practitioner. This opens up greater opportunities to prioritise and strengthen efforts for threatened species — both those the Garden already conserves and those it may take responsibility for in the future.
The Botanical Garden is home to Denmark’s largest scientific collection of living plants, with around 8,000 species and a special focus on conserving threatened plants. Its national plant collections also include the Herbarium, with approximately three million specimens, and a seed collection.
The recognition is more than a certificate on the wall. BGCI accreditation places demands on everything from the documentation and management of plant and seed collections to research, conservation projects, public engagement, sustainability and international collaboration.
It also strengthens the Garden’s ability to participate in global cooperation on plant conservation, knowledge exchange and research — thereby contributing to biodiversity conservation across borders.
“Plants are fundamental to the world’s ecosystems and face unprecedented threats from the biodiversity and climate crises. Understanding and conserving the world’s plant diversity is more important than ever. The accreditation gives us a stronger mandate and new opportunities for collaboration, and it strengthens our day-to-day work to protect and study plants — both in Denmark and internationally,” says Natasha De Vere, Professor and Curator of Botany at the Natural History Museum of Denmark.
For the public and future generations, the accreditation ensures that the Garden’s collections are not merely preserved as displays or recreational assets — but as active tools in the fight against species and habitat loss. The Garden’s enhanced focus on plant conservation will also be reflected in its future public engagement, guided tours and educational programmes.
