• Establishing an Indian botanic gardens network and national action plan
• Developing a botanic gardens website as well as databases of both gardens details and collections
• Providing a training programme for Indian botanic gardens
• Developing a national botanic gardens conservation programme supported by a small grants programme
• Developing an eco-education handbook for use by botanic gardens in India

The Lucknow meeting was attended by delegates from a range of botanic gardens around the country representing researchers, managers and educators from government, university and NGO gardens (Fig. 1 & Appendix 2).

The First National Conference on Botanic Gardens of India adopted the “Lucknow Statement on Botanic Gardens in India” (Appendix I), which provides a brief manifesto for the development of a botanic garden network and to establish its priority activities in support of plant conservation, environmental education and sustainable development.

At present there may be over 150 botanic gardens in India (see Appendix 2). The size and activity of the gardens varies greatly. Many of the early botanic gardens in India, such as the Howrah Garden in Kolkata, were established for the purpose of introducing and acclimatizing economically important plants. Up to the early part of the 20th century, these gardens also played an important role in the exploration and descriptions of India’s flora.

All of these early botanic gardens now serve to provide recreation to the local communities and visitors and are valued more for their aesthetic qualities than for the role that they play in botany in India. The collections that they hold are largely exotic and it is only recently that more emphasis has been placed on the cultivation of indigenous plants. It is also now being recognized that Indian botanic gardens are potentially excellent sites for the conservation of indigenous plants, including threatened flora and wild species of actual and potential economic importance (e.g. medicinal). Botanic gardens are especially relevant to the delivery of ex situ conservation programmes but also potentially major players in the reintroduction and rehabilitation of these plants in the wild. Botanic gardens also combine diverse roles in horticulture, public education and awareness raising, botanical research, policy development and other disciplines.

The definition of a botanic garden as presented in the International Agenda for Botanic Garden Conservation is an institution “holding documented collections of plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and education” (Wyse Jackson, 1999).

As noted in the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens Conservation and as applies in India, many gardens have retained the title of ‘botanic garden’ for historical reasons and do not currently meet the definition as given above. However, the possibility of re-activating their role as botanic gardens means that they should not be disregarded in relation to the proposed Indian Botanic Garden Network at this stage.
 

• Establish a network of botanic gardens in India effectively representing the breadth of gardens both geographically and administratively;
• Encourage a greater collaboration and sharing of resources (database) and knowledge among the botanic gardens in India;
• Encourage Indian botanic gardens to work cooperatively to conserve the flora of India;
• Assist in the development of the role, facilities and activities of botanic gardens in India;
• Provide a forum for policy development amongst botanic gardens in India;
• Assist in the preparation and dissemination of guidelines and advice on best practice and information, and;
• Represent the botanic garden community as appropriate amongst other communities nationally and internationally.
• Facilitate exchange of information in India through website, Newsletter, etc.
• Create awareness among public to adopt better garden management practices.

• facilitate the preparation of an Action Plan for Botanic Gardens in India, to guide the work of the Network and to assist in highlighting priority tasks for individual institutions and for the Network itself. This Action Plan will include measurable targets to provide a focus for the work and achievements of botanic gardens over the coming years.
• develop the means to ensure that data and information in support of the implementation of the Action Plan should be widely accessible in electronic and other published forms (website, database, newsletters, technical manuals and other publications) while at the same time safeguarding the intellectual property rights of data providers.
• be assisted by the establishment of a national programme on the conservation of indigenous plants using all appropriate methodologies including the integration of in situ and ex situ techniques and the recovery of threatened plants.
• play an active role in promoting and representing the interests of botanic gardens in India to the broader environmental community. It should also support the commitment of botanic gardens in India to supporting sustainable livelihoods in their local regions by implementing appropriate community-based programmes.
• serve as an advocate for members, but not as a campaigning organization. It is important that the Network is not weakened by being too political.

• An increased interaction and awareness within the Indian botanic gardens community of their colleagues;
• An improved standard throughout the botanic gardens of India;
• An increased level of conservation for India’s flora, and;
• An improved profile for India’s botanic gardens in the international community
• Regular communications between gardens via electronic means (email/ website/ web enabled database) exchange of publications (Newsletter) and regional and national meetings.