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Bamboo is synonymous with China and holds important cultural and commercial values. Its ecological value lies in the ecosystems it supports as well as high potential for carbon sequestration of some bamboo species. Yet, given the wide distribution and significance of bamboo to China, it is surprising that so much about the plant remains unknown. This year, the South China Botanical Gardens, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) identified a previously unknown species of bamboo, Gelidocalamus fengkaiensis, found in Qixingding Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province.

This discovery highlights the importance of botanical gardens for conservation of biodiversity. Flora conservation has often focussed on protection of plants in the wild but increasingly, there is recognition of the conservation value of growing plants outside their natural habitat in a controlled environment such as a botanical garden. Greater ecological benefits come from gardens that form an organised network.

China now has an extensive and coordinated network of 162 botanical gardens. The network has conserved more than 23,000 species, accounting for about 60% of China’s native plants. More than 52 million tourists visit botanical gardens every year.

These gardens cover the main climatic areas with 32 gardens in marginal tropical areas, 68 in subtropical areas, and 62 in temperate areas. They contribute to biodiversity preservation through innovation in protecting Chinese native plants and through supporting China to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The Chinese Union of Botanical Gardens (CUBG), was launched in 2013 by CAS, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. In its first decade, CUBG implemented an initiative known as the ‘Full-Coverage Conservation Plan for Native Plants’, which includes the evaluation, inventory and protection of native plants in 15 representative areas that cover 3.59 million km² or about 37.4% of the land area.

The Botanical Gardens of CAS are the pillar of the nation’s botanical gardens and hold its most impressive relocation and conservation facilities, including vast facilities for tissue culture and micropropagation and seed banking. They promote their commitment to the investigation of plant resources, introduction and domestication, scientific research and resource application, environmental education and gardening. (Nature.com)