University botanic gardens: timeless hubs of education, research, and biodiversity stewardship
image: University botanic gardens, rooted in Renaissance humanism and medicinal teaching, have evolved into dynamic hubs for education, research, conservation, and well-being. Tracing global histories and modern roles, this study urges renewed attention to their strategic potential in higher education and sustainability amid planetary challenges in the Anthropocene.
Credit: M. Alejandra Jaramillo, Pedro Jimenez, and Kevin Frediani
Date: May 20, 2026
Cajicá, Colombia: University botanic gardens, iconic living institutions with a 600-year legacy, have evolved from medieval medicinal plant gardens into global hubs for education, research, conservation, and public engagement, according to a new global study published in Biological Diversity. Conducted by an international team of researchers, the research draws on surveys of 141 university botanic gardens across 40 countries and semi-structured interviews with global stakeholders, mapping their historical trajectories and contemporary roles amid global biodiversity decline.
Rooted in the Renaissance humanist movement, the world’s first university botanic garden—the University of Padua Botanic Garden—was founded in 1545, dedicated to teaching medicinal plants (horti simplicium). Early gardens, including those at Pisa and Florence, merged medical education with botanical observation, laying the groundwork for empirical scientific inquiry. Shaped by colonial expansion and shifting academic paradigms, these gardens evolved beyond medicinal cultivation, integrating exotic species and emerging botanical research.
Today, education remains the cornerstone: over 60% of surveyed gardens were established for teaching, and nearly all rank education as a core mission. Research has grown in prominence, with 40% of gardens identifying it as their primary focus, spanning plant systematics, ecology, and conservation. A striking shift is the rise of public well-being: 76% now prioritize visitor enjoyment and mental restoration, up from just 20% at founding.
Plant collection designs vary widely, from classical taxonomic layouts to community-focused and discipline-based arrangements, reflecting diverse institutional goals. The study also highlights ethical tensions: balancing revenue generation (events, tourism) with academic integrity, a critical challenge for financial sustainability.
Looking ahead, university botanic gardens are redefining themselves as “living laboratories,” embedding biodiversity monitoring in curricula, co-creating nature-based solutions, and piloting ethical tourism. As bridges between academia, society, and ecological action, they hold immense potential to address planetary health challenges while preserving centuries of botanical heritage.
Original Source
Jaramillo, M. A., Pedro Jimenez, and Kevin Frediani. 2025. “The Educational Garden: Exploring the Multifaceted Roles of University Botanic Gardens Through History.” Biological Diversity 2(2-3): 85–94.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bod2.70006
Keywords
garden history, plant conservation, plant research, renaissance, university roles
About the Author
M. Alejandra Jaramillo (First author), PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Biology at the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia. Her research focuses on the evolution and morphological diversity of tropical plants, as well as plant diversity in agricultural and urban landscapes. She has published 49 papers, with a total of 3,251 citations and an H-index of 22.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6539-4149
Kevin Frediani (Corresponding author), Curator of the University of Dundee Botanic Garden and Grounds, UK. His research advances sustainable tourism and community development through botanic gardens and living heritage sites. His work also includes assessing ecosystem services using i-Tree Eco, optimizing drought- and stress-tolerant tree selection via remote sensing, and increasingly exploring environmental biophysics to understand energy and matter exchange between plants and urban environments. He has published over 50 papers, with 91 total citations.
https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/persons/kevin-frediani
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.