• International programme - Investing in
  Nature......................................3

• Investing in Nature in India...................3

• National Conservation Programme
  Invitation of small grant programme...............5

• Indian Botanic Garden Network......................6

• Profile of Indian Botanic Gardens
  The National Botanical Research Institute......7

• International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in
  Conservation.....................9

• First National Conference on Botanic Garden in India.......................10

• Forthcoming events...........11

One of the world's largest financial services organizations, HSBC, has created a US$50 million ecopartnership, entitled "Investing in Nature" to fund conservation projects around the world. It has made the largest ever single donation to several conservation organizations, namely, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, the World Wide Fund for Nature and Earthwatch.

As part of the Investing in Nature partnership, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) has launched an international programme. The programme operates at the global level, implementing the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation as well as specific national programmes in Argentina, Brazil, China including Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan the Middle East, North America (including Canada and the USA) and South-East Asia.

BGCI is an international organization originally established in 1987, by IUCN - (the International Union for the Conservation of Nature). BGCI has been instrumental in promoting and coordinating botanic garden-based conservation and eco-education activities at a global level. It is actively involved with other organizations including UNEP, UNESCO, IUCN and FAO in the formulation and implementation of several international agreements, conventions, treaties and action plans such as the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in 2002.