Ex Situ Collection of Threatened Native Flora Species at the Joaquín Antonio Uribe Botanical Garden of Medellín

Abstract

Written by a forestry engineer consulting for the Medellín Botanical Garden, this article presents the ex situ conservation program for threatened native species developed by this institution, under the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation of botanical gardens. The author explains the differences between in situ and ex situ conservation, and traces a brief history of the Botanical Garden's living collections from 1913 to its formal establishment in 1972. The text documents projects carried out with Corantioquia and the DAMA, and presents a detailed list of approximately 87 species from the living collections classified under some level of risk, highlighting vulnerable groups such as zamias, tree ferns, palms, and heliconias.