Co-operative Agreement between Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI ) and Verband Botanischer Gärten e.V. (Association of Botanic Gardens , ABG)

The aim of this agreement is to develop close co-operative links between Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the Verband Botanischer Gärten e.V. (Association of Botanic Gardens of Germany, ABGG) for the purposes of fostering the development of the world network of botanic gardens and arboreta towards researching, documenting, conserving and utilizing the plant diversity of the world, educating the public about the importance of plants, botany and horticulture and developing the capacity of botanic gardens and their staff in every country in the world for this task.
This agreement will take effect on 01.03.1997, initially for one year from that date but may subsequently be reviewed and renewed for a further period after that time by agreement between the Board of Trustees of Botanic Gardens Conservation International and the Board of the Verband Botanischer Gärten e.V. (Association of Botanic Gardens of Germany).

As part of this agreement Botanic Gardens Conservation International will

• Recognize ABGG as its leading botanic garden organization partner in the Germany.
• Acknowledge the project "Contribution of the German Botanic Gardens to the Conservation of Biodiversity and Genetic Resources" run for the ABGG by the Botanic Garden Bonn as main mechanism for evaluating the potential and the structure of a future cooperation between BGCI and ABGG. This evaluation is done to make possible in a near future joint projects, particularly in the fields of plant conservation, collection management, environmental education or training, for which joint funding applications may be made to German institutions or international agencies.
• Ensure that an appropriate work plan and schedule for its implementation for each year is agreed between the staff of BGCI and ABGG.
• Encourage its members to become members of ABGG.
• Include the ABGG headquarters in BGCI mailings to keep the ABGG staff informed on current activities.
• Make available as required its data on the botanic gardens of the world to the ABGG headquarters, including address lists.
• Not to disseminate data obtained from the ABGG without having received prior permissions form the ABGG.
• Contribute regular news items to the ABGG newsletter.
• Include ABGG as a joint sponsor of future botanic garden meetings and conferences, as appropriate.
• Attend and participate in the annual ABGG meeting whenever possible.
• Co-operate with ABGG, particularly with its specialist committees, in the development of plant conservation policies and programmes for German botanic gardens.
• Act as international adviser to ABGG and help respond to requests and queries made to ABGG of an international nature by botanic gardens world-wide.
• Consider the development of an international exchange or co-operative programme between botanic garden members of ABGG and institutions in many countries.
• Involve the ABGG as fully as possible in the work of the joint BGCI/ABGG European Gardens Consortium.
• Assist ABGG in promoting the documentation of ABGG member plant collections and provide access, where possible, to suitable computer software programmes, advice or technical manuals.
• Provide information to ABGG members, in the form of direct mailings, about relevant forthcoming international Botanic garden events, especially the Botanic Gardens Conservation Congresses.

As part of this agreement the Verband Botanischer Gärten e.V., Germany (Association of Botanic Gardens of Germany, ABGG) will

• Recognize BGCI as its leading international botanic garden organization partner.
• Ensure that an appropriate work plan and schedule for its implementation for each year is agreed between the staff of BGCI and ABGG.
• Designate the project "Contribution of the German Botanic Gardens to the Conservation of Biodiversity and Genetic Resources" run for the ABGG by the Botanic Garden Bonn as main mechanism for evaluating the potential and the structure of a future cooperation between BGCI and ABGG.
• Encourage its members to become members of BGCI.
• Include the BGCI Secretariat in ABGG mailings to keep them informed of current activities.
• Make available its data on the botanic gardens of the Germany to the BGCI secretariat, as appropriate.
• Not to disseminate data obtained from the BGCI without having received prior permissions form the BGCI.
• Allow the reprinting of news items of international interest from ABGG publications in the BGCI newsletters.
• Include BGCI as a joint sponsor of future botanic garden meetings and conferences, as appropriate.
• Ensure that one or more representatives of ABGG attend and participate in the International Botanic Gardens Conservation Congresses.
• Co-operate with BGCI in the development of plant conservation policies and programmes for German botanic gardens.
• Act as German adviser to BGCI and help respond to requests and queries made to BGCI concerning German botanic gardens by its member botanic gardens world-wide.
• Assist BGCI in promoting the documentation of ABGG member plant collections, especially those plants of conservation concern.
• Provide address labels of its members to BGCI to allow the direct mailings of information about relevant forthcoming international botanic garden events, especially the International Botanic Gardens Conservation Congresses.

Signed on behalf of:
 

Edinburgh, April 1997

G. Rauer, letzte Änderung 18.11.1997