China is home to an astounding number of species, 31,500, and 12 percent of these species
can be found only in China. The Missouri Botanical Garden, working with an international
team and the Chinese government for 25 years, is on track to complete the Flora of China, a
12-volume record of wild plant species within the country. Challenges such as climate change
make it imperative to bring our countries’ resources together to protect the biodiversity of plants. This collaborative work was the primary step in an ongoing relationship with China to protect its native plant species.
The Missouri Botanical Garden’s China Educator’s Guide encourages your students, who will become the decision makers of the future, to consider issues that botanists and agricultural experts from China and the U.S. will be solving, such as, “What plants are best for feeding the world’s growing populations?” and “How do we conserve soil for the highest plant productivity and the least erosion?”
