The Botanic Garden at Madras Christian College, Chennai has established an Arboretum and a Greenhouse with support from the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), Government of India. The BG now plans to improve and expand these by introducing representative RET species of Eastern/Western Ghats for ex situ conservation through practical methods of conservation including seed banks, nursery propagation and reintroduction into other localities. The facilities will be further expanded by introducing more plants of medicinal/botanical importance. Conservation education will be a major aim where students of this and other institutions will be given field training and provided facilities for carrying out ecological and conservation related independent research projects.

1. To introduce in the Arboretum RET species of Eastern/Western Ghats
2. To introduce native trees of dry deciduous & tropical dry evergreen forests
3. To introduce ethnobotanically important trees of Eastern Ghats.
4. To focus on ex situ conservation of RET species
5. To develop a Seed Bank and Nursery for propagation of RET and economically and medicinally important species
6. To develop the Arboretum as a Tree Gene-Park for germplasm conservation
7. To use the facilities for research and teaching Conservation Biology/ Environmental education to college/school students in institutions around Chennai
8. To provide appropriate plants for growing in the city and barren areas
9. To grow Food Plants for Butterfly larvae and to provide an opportunity to observe and learn the plant-Insect interaction
10. To conserve medicinal plants and important pteridophytes/gymnosperms

The project aims to upgrade the infrastructure at the garden’s nursery to increase capacity of seedling production both for use in the gardens and in conservation projects associated with the gardens. The species targeted for conservation are those of the TDEF of which 223 have been identified as perennial species that have an integral role to play in this particular forest type. Of these 223 species 45 have been identified as under threat in the natural environment, some are only known from one location. Particular attention is being paid to the reintroduction of orchids and other bulbous species, as they are the most vulnerable element of this forest type.

Development of the nursery area of the botanical gardens will enable production of plants for the gardens and also outreach projects that the gardens are currently involved with. The development project will run for one year at the end of which the nursery’s production potential will have been quadrupled and its actual output doubled.

The plant species for propagation will be drawn from the TDEF, which has about 250 woody species, of which 20% are rare and threatened in the wild due to habitat fragmentation and extensive degradation of remaining forest areas.