The Arnold Arboretum’s Campaign for the Living Collections: A Case Study in Living Collection Development

Abstract

In 2015, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University began an ambitious plant acquisition program: The Campaign for the Living Collections. Prior to the initiative’s launch, the Arboretum underwent several years of strategic planning to assess the values, strengths, and gaps within its renowned living collection of temperate woody plants and then set goals that would profoundly shape the collection and its research and conservation potential for decades if not for centuries. Core genera, conservation value, phylogenetic breadth, biogeography, and climate change responses were among the priority themes used to generate a targeted list of 395 desiderata to acquire from wild populations. In only a few years, the Campaign’s 26 formal expeditions and other acquisition efforts have yielded 631 accessions of 263 highest-priority desiderata, representing 66.6% of the overall goal. This venture represents one of the most transformative and deliberate collection development activities at the Arnold Arboretum and among botanical gardens in the current era. These successes are due to a combination of factors that include visionary yet realistic strategic planning and goal setting, adherence to high standards of documentation and reporting, and authentic relationship building among collaborators.