Hefei Botanical Garden: A model for biodiversity conservation, resource utilization and public education in urban areas
Date: March 19, 2026
Hefei, China: Located in the subtropical-temperate climate transition zone, Hefei Botanical Garden has emerged as a key biodiversity research institution in East China, with its innovative practices in plant germplasm conservation, sustainable resource utilization, and public ecological education featured in a new Biological Diversity commentary. The garden houses over 5000 plant species, including 200 rare and endangered species, creating a comprehensive system for regional biodiversity protection and urban ecological development.
Multi-Dimensional Plant Conservation Efforts
By 2024, the garden has collected and preserved 4012 plant species across 187 families and 815 genera, with a well-established specialized garden system focusing on Armeniaca mume and Nelumbo nucifera. It has achieved remarkable results in ex situ conservation of 73 nationally protected tree species, successfully propagating over 1000 individuals of the second-class protected Sinojackia xylocarpa. The garden also restored 200 ha of degraded wetlands around Chaohu Lake and upgraded 33 ha of its southern zone, improving water quality from substandard Class V to Class II–III.
Sustainable Resource Utilization for Rural Revitalization
Adopting a "Botanical Garden + Agriculture" model, the garden established a research base in Changzhuang Village in 2019, building specialized gardens and trialing plants such as Nymphaea rubra that support natural overwintering. It promotes ecological planting of medicinal and ornamental plants under forest canopies, boosting rural tourism and farmers' income while protecting agricultural biodiversity. In 2021, it introduced rare medicinal and economic plants from East China, enriching the landscape and enhancing the value of resource utilization.
Integrated Public Education and Cultural Inheritance
As a national-level science education base, the garden operates a Science Museum with AR interactive systems and a Nature Education Center, training nearly 1000 environmental volunteers and hosting over 10,000 participants in science activities. Honored as a National Key Flower Culture Base, it holds national-level floral exhibitions and attracts over one million annual visitors. It also promotes public participation via projects like Plant Adoption, engaging over 5000 people in biodiversity conservation.
Global Cooperation and Future Development
The garden participates in global networks such as BGCI and cooperates with domestic and international institutions, including Japan's Makino Botanical Garden. Facing gaps in germplasm coverage and research output, its future development will focus on systematic germplasm conservation, molecular breeding, smart garden construction via AI and big data, and deeper integration of biodiversity conservation with rural revitalization, striving to become a benchmark for urban comprehensive botanical gardens in China.
Original Source:
Zhang, Jimei, Xu Li, Yuhua Ma, Fasih U. Haider, and Yunfeng Zhou. 2026. "Exploration and Practice of Hefei Botanical Garden in Biodiversity Conservation, Resource Utilization, and Public Education," Biological Diversity: 1-6.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bod2.70014
About the Author:
Jimei Zhang: Hefei Botanical Garden, Hefei Institute of Landscape Architecture, engaged in the cultivation, management, and application research of landscape plants as the main research direction.
Xu Li: South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, focuses on ecosystem ecology, forest carbon sink, and landscape ecology.
Yunfeng Zhou (Correspondence): Hefei Botanical Garden, Hefei Institute of Landscape Architecture, specializes in the construction and management of botanical gardens.
About the Journal:
Biological Diversity (ISSN: 2994-4139) is a new open-access, high-impact, English-language journal devoted to advancing biodiversity conservation, enhancing ecosystem services, and promoting the sustainable use of resources under global change. It features innovative research addressing the global biodiversity crisis.
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Hefei, China: Located in the subtropical-temperate climate transition zone, Hefei Botanical Garden has emerged as a key biodiversity research institution in East China, with its innovative practices in plant germplasm conservation, sustainable resource utilization, and public ecological education featured in a new Biological Diversity commentary. The garden houses over 5000 plant species, including 200 rare and endangered species, creating a comprehensive system for regional biodiversity protection and urban ecological development.
Multi-Dimensional Plant Conservation Efforts
By 2024, the garden has collected and preserved 4012 plant species across 187 families and 815 genera, with a well-established specialized garden system focusing on Armeniaca mume and Nelumbo nucifera. It has achieved remarkable results in ex situ conservation of 73 nationally protected tree species, successfully propagating over 1000 individuals of the second-class protected Sinojackia xylocarpa. The garden also restored 200 ha of degraded wetlands around Chaohu Lake and upgraded 33 ha of its southern zone, improving water quality from substandard Class V to Class II–III.
Sustainable Resource Utilization for Rural Revitalization
Adopting a "Botanical Garden + Agriculture" model, the garden established a research base in Changzhuang Village in 2019, building specialized gardens and trialing plants such as Nymphaea rubra that support natural overwintering. It promotes ecological planting of medicinal and ornamental plants under forest canopies, boosting rural tourism and farmers' income while protecting agricultural biodiversity. In 2021, it introduced rare medicinal and economic plants from East China, enriching the landscape and enhancing the value of resource utilization.
Integrated Public Education and Cultural Inheritance
As a national-level science education base, the garden operates a Science Museum with AR interactive systems and a Nature Education Center, training nearly 1000 environmental volunteers and hosting over 10,000 participants in science activities. Honored as a National Key Flower Culture Base, it holds national-level floral exhibitions and attracts over one million annual visitors. It also promotes public participation via projects like Plant Adoption, engaging over 5000 people in biodiversity conservation.
Global Cooperation and Future Development
The garden participates in global networks such as BGCI and cooperates with domestic and international institutions, including Japan's Makino Botanical Garden. Facing gaps in germplasm coverage and research output, its future development will focus on systematic germplasm conservation, molecular breeding, smart garden construction via AI and big data, and deeper integration of biodiversity conservation with rural revitalization, striving to become a benchmark for urban comprehensive botanical gardens in China.
Original Source:
Zhang, Jimei, Xu Li, Yuhua Ma, Fasih U. Haider, and Yunfeng Zhou. 2026. "Exploration and Practice of Hefei Botanical Garden in Biodiversity Conservation, Resource Utilization, and Public Education," Biological Diversity: 1-6.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bod2.70014
About the Author:
Jimei Zhang: Hefei Botanical Garden, Hefei Institute of Landscape Architecture, engaged in the cultivation, management, and application research of landscape plants as the main research direction.
Xu Li: South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, focuses on ecosystem ecology, forest carbon sink, and landscape ecology.
Yunfeng Zhou (Correspondence): Hefei Botanical Garden, Hefei Institute of Landscape Architecture, specializes in the construction and management of botanical gardens.
About the Journal:
Biological Diversity (ISSN: 2994-4139) is a new open-access, high-impact, English-language journal devoted to advancing biodiversity conservation, enhancing ecosystem services, and promoting the sustainable use of resources under global change. It features innovative research addressing the global biodiversity crisis.
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