OBGA scientists have a broad portfolio of collections-based and interdisciplinary research, informed by botanical surveys conducted in remote locations around the world. In collaboration with the University of Oxford’s Department of Biology, other botanic gardens, and institutions further afield, this research informs subjects such as evolutionary genetics, speciation and ex situ conservation. This work also examines potential applications of plants in technology, such as translating the mechanics of giant waterlilies into the design of floating, offshore solar panels.
With two in five plant species threatened with extinction globally, conservation of the world’s flora has never been more important. Our research supports conservation in biodiversity hotspots (areas rich in plant species), with a specific focus on the Mediterranean Basin, the Canary Islands, Ethiopia and Japan. As part of our commitment to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, we conserve rare plants (some of which can be found nowhere else in the world).
