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Plant Conservation
Science and ActionPreventing Extinctions
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Plant Conservation
Science and ActionSupporting Resilient Landscapes
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Plant Conservation
Science and ActionUnderstanding Plant Relationships
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Plant Conservation
Science and ActionTraining the Next Generation
of Conservation Leaders
Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action
The Negaunee Institute is confronting our most urgent environmental challenges.
In the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, our dedicated team—nearly 100 scientists, 50 graduate students, and 400 volunteers—is turning plant science into action.
Preventing Extinctions
Plants provide us with food, medicine, and clean air and water, but as species disappear, so do the resources we depend on. To prevent extinctions, our scientists co-developed the plant studbook—a tool that tracks information about rare plants in collections around the world. When botanic gardens use studbooks to share data, they can maintain healthy collections and save the world’s rarest species.
Our Seed Bank and Pollen Bank protect the plant diversity of the Midwest, preserving millions of seeds and pollen grains for conservation, habitat restoration, and research. Locally, our Plants of Concern program protects rare plants and their habitats in Illinois.
Supporting Resilient Landscapes
Our scientists work to heal habitats so native plants, animals, and people thrive together. We’re helping increase the supply of native seed at the local, regional, and national levels to ensure natural areas can recover from wildfires and invasive species.
Through our Rethinking Lawns project, we’re demonstrating how changes to traditional lawns can support pollinators and reduce stormwater runoff. We’re helping the New Roots for Restoration partnership understand how to restore natural and agricultural systems.
Understanding Plant
Relationships
Plants have vital relationships with pollinators, wildlife, other plants, and people—and understanding these connections is key to their protection. From studying how urban gardens can help pollinators thrive to engaging community scientists in climate change research through our Budburst Program, we’re exploring the relationships that sustain our planet.
Training the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders
A sustainable future demands thousands of new plant scientists and habitat restoration experts. We’re sparking a passion for plants in middle and high school students, engaging college students in real-world research, offering hands-on training for conservation careers, and partnering with Northwestern University on an innovative graduate program.
