Reverse the Red is a global coalition of partners working to halt extinctions and reverse declines shown on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, and to recover species.
Botanical gardens and arboreta play a critical role in collaborative and cross-sector plant conservation efforts locally and globally. At a time when government entities are stepping back from international partnerships, it's all the more important that nonprofits and conservation organizations lean into this work.
In declaring this year’s Reverse the Red Species Pledges, the Arboretum and Garden are deepening their commitment to advancing collaborative plant conservation strategies. Looking ahead to 2027, the Arboretum and Garden will cultivate connections to accelerate crucial conservation work by co-hosting the botanical garden community in Chicago, in partnership with Botanic Gardens Conservation International, at the 9th Global Botanic Gardens Congress.
This will be the first time the Congress, scheduled for Aug. 2-6, 2027, will be held in North America in 27 years. Delegates from among the world’s 3,000 botanical gardens will participate in the conference, themed around the role botanical gardens play in habitat restoration in both wild and urban built environments. For details about the event, visit botaniccongress.org.
"This partnership on Reverse the Red Day for plant conservation showcases the best of the conservation world - together, we can recover species. The Chicago Botanic Garden and Morton Arboretum, and all of their collaborators, are leading gardens forward with an example of strategic, recovery-focused action for these six species, in addition to the species pledges committed last year by these two organizations," said Reverse the Red's Strategy Director Michael Clifford. "We are looking forward to being in Chicago in 2027 for the 9th Global Botanic Gardens Congress to share success stories of species recovery and accelerate actions like these in the plant and botanic garden community."
Reverse the Red Species Pledges
Chicago Botanic Garden
Chicago Botanic Garden pledged to protect Cucharillo (Magnolia dixonii), an endangered canopy tree of northwestern Ecuador’s Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena hotspot, and Stone’s Paphiopedilum (Paphiopedilum stonei), a critically endangered orchid of inland cliffs and mountain peaks in Malaysia.
Conservation of Cucharillo is done in partnership with Fundación Jocotoco and Atlanta Botanical Garden. Seed of this species is very difficult to collect due to rugged terrain, so collections, and the resulting restorations, often come from just a few maternal trees. The Chicago Botanic Garden is assessing genetic diversity in collections to design restored populations that capture sufficient genetic diversity for the species' long-term resilience.
Conservation of Stone’s Paphiopedilum is done in partnership with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. The Garden’s orchid collection includes several red-listed Paphiopedilum species. As part of the Botanic Gardens Conservation International Paphiopedilum working group, the Garden is one of the largest Paphiopedilum collection holders in the United States. Because Paphiopedilums produce flowers sporadically and small collections rarely contain another synchronous bloom, the Garden is exploring strategies to prevent inbreeding and preserve genetic diversity. Through the creation of plant pedigrees and the Garden’s pollen bank, we are helping to extend the lifespan of pollen so it can be used when other plants bloom and share pollen with other institutions to make more genetically informed crosses. The Garden recently shared pollen with the San Diego Zoo and if seeds develop, they will be shared to enhance the genetic diversity of collections across institutions.
“Strong partnerships are essential to preventing plant extinctions,” said Jeremie Fant, director of conservation at the Chicago Botanic Garden. “Well-managed collections in botanic gardens serve as active conservation tools that support research, restoration, and long-term recovery. None of this work happens in isolation—collaboration among gardens, researchers, and local partners is what allows us to produce meaningful conservation outcomes.”
The Morton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum pledged to protect four flagship oak species found in the tropical montane cloud forests of Mesoamerica, the region extending from the U.S.-Mexico border through Panama. Montane cloud forests are a rare habitat type found at higher elevations—usually between 800 and 3,500 meters—characterized by a nearly constant presence of clouds at the canopy level. These forests are exceptionally biodiverse and are considered one of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth.
Through its Center for Species Survival: Trees, the Arboretum is working with Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla Botanic Garden and Instituto de Ecología (INECOL) in Mexico, as well as Asociación Pronatura Agathos in Costa Rica, with support from the Fondation Franklinia, to secure four species of threatened oaks: Quercus delgadoana, Quercus hirtifolia, Quercus insignis and Quercus meavei. The four pledged oaks are understudied and impacted by timber exploitation for charcoal and other uses, deforestation, population fragmentation, and climate change.
Through their partnership, the Arboretum and its collaborators in Mexico and Costa Rica are closing critical knowledge gaps for these species, developing conservation action plans and propagating and planting thousands of seedlings to reinforce native populations. They continue to raise awareness locally and globally about the importance of these trees and their ecosystem.
“Reversing species decline is a difficult endeavor, but with science-informed, coordinated and cross-disciplinary actions that provide sustainable livelihood alternatives to local communities, we can secure the future of threatened tree species,” said the Arboretum’s Global Tree Conservation Program Director Silvia Alvarez-Clare, Ph.D. “We look forward to expanding our work on these big issues with the international plant community at the 9th Global Botanic Gardens Congress in Chicago in 2027.”
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About Chicago Botanic Garden
The Chicago Botanic Garden is a world-renowned living museum and so much more. Its roots grow throughout greater Chicago and beyond, inspiring all people to connect with plants. The Garden helps build healthier communities through urban agriculture, offers lifelong learning opportunities, leads pioneering plant conservation research, and showcases the beauty of horticulture. The Garden is a nonprofit organization run as a public/private partnership with the Forest Preserves of Cook County. For more information, visit chicagobotanic.org and follow on Facebook (@chicagobotanicgarden) and Instagram (@chicagobotanic).
About The Morton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum is a globally recognized leader in tree research and education. Its 1,700 acre site cares for 106,714 specimens representing 4,067 different kinds of plants. The Arboretum’s Center for Tree Science, Global Tree Conservation Program, Chicago Region Trees Initiative, and Center for Species Survival: Trees are contributing scientific knowledge and technical experience to secure the future of trees locally, nationally, and worldwide. Information about the Arboretum’s scientific work and how it contributes to a greener, healthier world where people and trees thrive together can be found at mortonarb.org.
About Reverse the Red
Reverse the Red is a coalition supporting countries and partners delivering on global biodiversity goals focused on accelerating strategic, recovery-focused action to reverse the negative trends of the IUCN Red List. Reverse the Red brings together a diverse coalition of leading scientists, advocates and partners committed to using a data-driven and science-based approach to assess, plan and act for species conservation. Reverse the Red provides the tools and expertise to empower governments, partners and local communities to set and reach species conservation targets and celebrates and amplifies successful achievements for species. www.reversethered.org
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