Current Events
Garden Named an Official Red List Partner
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has named the Garden an official partner presiding over the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™—the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. The Garden’s involvement with the Red List dates back more than 30 years, with Garden scientists regularly contributing to the collection of data used by the IUCN to assess the risk of extinction for every plant species in the world and prioritize conservation efforts accordingly.
Children’s Garden Named a Certified Wildlife Habitat®
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has recognized the Doris I. Schnuck Children’s Garden as a Certified Wildlife Habitat® through its Garden for Wildlife program. The certification acknowledges the Garden’s efforts to make the Children’s Garden a sustainable haven for local and migratory wildlife. NWF leadership presented the Garden with its certification during a visit in June of 2019.
Garden Scientists Honored
National Tropical Botanical Garden has awarded Dr. Jan Salick, Senior Curator Emerita with the William L. Brown Center, its 2020 David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration. Prior to retiring earlier this year, Dr. Salick spent more than 15 years traveling between St. Louis and Tibet studying plant use among indigenous people and the impact of climate change on plants and people.
The Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) has awarded Matthew Albrecht, Associate Scientist at the Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, the 2019 Star Award. Albrecht received the honor in recognition of his dedication to conserving the flora of the United States and for his outstanding scientific paper published this year in Conservation Biology.
Rare Species Rediscovered by Garden Graduate Student
Dr. Alex Linan, a student working in the Garden’s Mauritius program, has rediscovered a species of Diospyros on the island nation long thought to be extinct. Diospyros are ebonies and persimmons that include 800 species worldwide. The last known individual of D. angulata died in 2000. Through the use of genomic analyses, Linan and Dr. Christy Edwards of the Garden’s Conservation and Sustainability guided a collaborator to a locality where one individual was found in fruit. Linan is currently working to confirm the genetic identity of this individual through additional analysis.
Cassidy Moody
Senior Digital Media Specialist