Encouraging and Enabling a Science-Based Approach to Ecological Restoration: an Introduction to the Work of the Ecological Restoration Alliance of Botanic Gardens (ERA)

Botanic gardens harbour many of the skills necessary for undertaking ecological restoration. This includes strong horticultural and taxonomic expertise, seed collection, conservation and propagation skills, the ability to design and lead monitoring programmes, as well as providing training and outreach to the public. This unique set of skills is rarely found within other institutions. Many of the world’s botanic gardens share a common mission: to secure plant diversity, working within the framework of national and international policies. Botanic gardens are therefore not only well-placed to lead ecological restoration initiatives, but it is their goal and responsibility to apply their knowledge, expertise and skills to addressing ecological degradation. In recognition of this, the Ecological Restoration Alliance of Botanic Gardens (ERA) was formed in 2011, a consortium of botanic gardens applying their skills to lead successful ecological restoration initiatives in diverse habitat and cultural contexts across six continents. The ERA is coordinated by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). This article summarises ERA progress to date, and provides a case study from Kenya, which demonstrates botanic gardens’ ability to undertake ecological restoration and highlights the value of the ERA.