
YELLOWSTONE ARBORETUM
" Stewards of the Natural Environment "
Billings, Montana @ ZooMontana
Conservation Efforts for Plant Communities (CEPC)
A conservation area is an 'area of special natural or historic interest the character or appearance of which is desirable to preserve or enhance'. Conservation efforts of arboretums are additionally defined as 'efforts to protect a specimen due to its rarity, endangerment or heritage'. The Yellowstone Arboretum has identified six areas of interest that will receive enhanced care to protect their species, chronicle their historic value and aid in future research.
Global Conservation Consortia | Endangered Spruce Grove | Oak Introductions | Plains Cottonwood | Legacy Collection | Herbarium




The Global Conservation Consortia (GCC) aim to mobilize a coordinated network of institutions and experts to collaboratively develop and implement comprehensive conservation strategies for priority threatened plant groups.
About the Global Conservation Consortia
Our mission is to accelerate effective conservation of global plant diversity. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is coordinating a suite of Global Conservation Consortia, which catalyse groups of institutions and experts to collaboratively develop and implement comprehensive strategies to prevent extinction of priority threatened plant groups. Primary objectives include coordinated in situ and ex situ conservation efforts and dissemination of species recovery knowledge.
Our Consortia at the Yellowstone Arboretum includes Acer (Maple), Quercus (Oak) and Conifers.
Multi-sector consortia delivering integrated plant conservation on a global scale.
The programmatic objectives of the Global Conservation Consortia are to:
Foster new and existing network(s) of experts;
Identify species of greatest conservation concern and prioritize conservation action;
Ensure effective in situ species conservation;
Establish, expand and manage ex situ collections of high conservation value;
Foster applied research (e.g. conservation biology, ecology, horticulture, population genetics, taxonomy) to support species conservation;
Build capacity to empower and mobilise in-country partners in diversity centres and across species’ ranges;
Increase public awareness and engagement with species conservation issues; and collaboratively fundraise to scale-up conservation action.
A ceremonial planting of six ‘dinosaur’ trees at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has officially marked the launch of a significant new partnership for global tree conservation – the Global Conservation Consortium (GCC) for Conifers.
These six Critically Endangered Wollemi pines (Wollemia nobilis) are part of a new conservation programme for the species, coordinated by the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, with 34 botanic gardens around the world being involved in the initial planting phase.
The plants are part of a high-profile global "metacollection" of Wollemia nobilis designed to safeguard the species from extinction. Thanks to advances in genetic techniques, Australian plant scientists and conservation experts have been able to identify and breed genetically diverse Wollemi pines for the first time and are distributing young stock to safe sites internationally. At the heart of a research institute which also happens to be a leading visitor attraction, the young trees will also help increase public awareness and encourage engagement with species conservation.
