Nanjing Botanical Garden: 70+ years of pioneering plant conservation and resource development in China
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Date: May 15, 2026
Nanjing, China: Against the backdrop of accelerating climate change and global biodiversity loss, China has announced plans to establish a national botanical garden system within the next decade. As one of China’s most historically significant botanical institutions, Nanjing Botanical Garden shares its decades of practical experience to guide the development of this critical national initiative.
Over its long history, the garden has amassed an impressive collection of over 12,000 plant species, including 106 gymnosperms and 7,718 angiosperms. Notably, it conserves 267 species listed in China’s National Key Protected Wild Plants and 319 species on the Red List of China’s Biodiversity, making it a critical repository for threatened plant genetic resources.
The garden has achieved remarkable success in translating plant resources into tangible economic and social benefits. In medicinal plants, it pioneered research on Dioscorea zingiberensis (the highest diosgenin-containing species), preserved all known Lycoris species, and developed stevia varieties that cover over 95% of China’s production bases. For economic fruit trees, it has bred 9 blueberry and 16 blackberry varieties, cultivated on over 200,000 mu each, generating billions in economic value and supporting rural poverty alleviation. It also leads China’s research on thin-shelled pecans, chestnuts, and oil olives.
In conservation and ecological restoration, the garden has successfully reintroduced endangered species like Parrotia subaequalis and expanded Taxus chinensis populations from 11 individuals to nearly 800. Its hybrid Taxodium varieties (“Zhongshan Shan”) have been widely used in the ecological restoration of the Three Gorges Reservoir’s water-level fluctuation zone. Additionally, it developed innovative turfgrass cultivation techniques for tropical coral reef islands, addressing extreme environmental challenges.
This study demonstrates that botanical gardens play an irreplaceable role in integrating scientific research, conservation, and sustainable development. Nanjing Botanical Garden’s experience provides a practical model for other institutions joining China’s national botanical garden system, contributing to global plant biodiversity conservation efforts.
Original Source
Yao, Dongrui, Yanwei Zhou, Yuming Sun, Maolin Geng, and Naiwei Li. 2025. “Exploration and Practice of Botanical Gardens in the Collection, Conservation, and Development of Plant Resources: A Case Study of Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-sen.” Biological Diversity 2(1): 39–43.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bod2.70002
About the Author
Dongrui Yao (First author), Professor Level II Researcher and PhD Supervisor at the Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-sen). A member of the Expert Committee for the Construction of China’s National Botanical Garden System and head of the National Innovation Team for Aquatic Plant Resource Utilization, he also serves as President of the Botanical Society of Jiangsu Province and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Plant Resources and Environment. His research focuses on plant protection, weed science, and marine bioresource utilization, and he has led over 80 national and provincial key research projects and published more than 100 peer-reviewed academic papers.
Naiwei Li (Corresponding author), Senior Experimentalist and Master’s Supervisor at the Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-sen). He serves as Secretary of the Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Plant Resource Research and Utilization, a Jiangsu Provincial Wildlife Conservation Expert, and Vice Chairman of the Academic Committee of the Jiangsu Forestry Society. Focusing on plant resource conservation, utilization, breeding and cultivation, he has led 11 projects including sub-projects of the National Key R&D Program, won 5 awards (e.g., Second Prize of Jiangsu Science and Technology Progress Award), published 28 papers, bred 15 new forest tree varieties, and authored 2 monographs.
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.