Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden Receives Conservation Honor

KEY WEST, Florida Keys, FL, October, 2021 – The Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden has received Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s (BGCI) Accreditation Certificate recognizing that the Key West Botanical Garden holds to the highest international arboretum standards, noted achievements in plant conservation, leadership, collections management, horticulture, public education, community/cultural activities, conservation actions, scientific research, staff, networking and sustainability.

In September 2020, the organization received Arboretum Accreditation at Level II from ArbNet, the interactive, collaborative, international community of arboreta and tree-focused professionals that serves to recognize a set of industry standards for the purpose of unifying the arboretum community. No other international program of accreditation exists that is specific to arboreta. With the Garden’s substantial focus on woody plants, the certification was awarded for its listing of over 210 woody species within its collection.

ArbNet is an interactive, collaborative, international community of arboreta.  ArbNet facilitates the sharing of knowledge, experience and other resources to help arboreta meet their institutional goals.  The accreditation program, sponsored and coordinated by The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois in cooperation with American Public Gardens Association (APG) and BGCI, is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta based on a set of professional standards.

With Key West City and Monroe County support the Garden will continue its mission to preserve, develop, expand and maintain the historic Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden as an arboretum, botanical garden, cultural heritage museum, wildlife refuge and educational center.  It will showcase the historical significance of flora that are native to South Florida, Cuba and the Caribbean and emphasize cultivation of threatened and endangered species of the Florida Keys and also continue to encourage study of this collection and promote the benefits of native vegetation worldwide.

The Garden, located at 5210 College Road, showcases over 529 species of native plants representing the Florida Keys, Cuba and the Caribbean.  The Garden wishes to thank both ArbNet and the BGCI for their continued conservation efforts internationally and for the recognition of the City of Key West’s Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden.

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