At the end of April, Botanic Gardens Conservation International published a report on the inextricable link between worsening poverty and the loss of biodiversity - an issue we've discussed before when the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report revealed the same findings.

This report highlights how botanic gardens across the world are involved in a variety of projects that use biodiversity to improve human well-being...Education and research are core strengths that need to be supported and directed to ensure they can continue to link plant diversity with human well-being. For example, many gardens have strong emphasis on research relevant to the development of useful plants in use in agriculture and healthcare...Given the scale of the crisis facing our efforts for both conservation and development, BGCI believes that it is an ethical and practical imperative that botanic gardens are mobilised for this goal.