Arqus Verde new series of webinars kicks off with the Botanical Garden of Padua: Managing the value of living collections

Today, Arqus launches a new edition of Arqus Verde webinars: “Connecting botanical gardens for Europe’s biodiversity and cultural heritage”, bringing together expertise from across Europe to reflect on the future of sustainability, biodiversity and environmental responsibility within our university communities.

At 10:30 (CET) on 4 March 2026, Arqus Verde kicks off with a session titled “Managing the value of living collections” by our Italian colleagues from the Botanical Garden of Padua, one of the world’s most historic and renowned botanical institutions.

The webinar will be delivered by Dr Francesco Petruzzellis and Prof Francesco Dal Grande, who will share insights into innovative approaches to conservation, research and strategic management of living plant collections.

Strategic management of living collections

The first part of the webinar will focus on defining strategies for the management of present and future living collections. Participants will explore potential frameworks to classify living collections according to their value in terms of heritage, conservation relevance, scientific potential, educational impact, as well as management costs and sustainability.

In the face of major environmental challenges and the urgent need to safeguard plant diversity, the strategic management of living collections is more important than ever. The session will address key questions: What should we plant? What should we cultivate? What challenges do we face? What are our priorities and why?

Integrating germplasm banks into conservation

The second topic will introduce the structure of the newly developed germplasm bank at the Botanical Garden of Padua and outline its planned activities.

The integration of living collections with germplasm banking represents a significant shift, from display-based conservation models to evidence-based, multi-layered conservation strategies. This approach strengthens long-term biodiversity preservation and enhances resilience in the context of climate change and environmental pressures.

Expanding research beyond species conservation

Finally, the speakers will present the growing research dimension of the Botanical Garden of Padua. Over the past few years, its laboratory activities have expanded rapidly, leading to the development of a new three-year strategic research plan, which will be briefly introduced during the webinar.

The aim is to broaden the role of botanical gardens, positioning them not only as conservation sites, but as living research platforms that actively contribute to scientific innovation and sustainability transitions.

Future webinars

The other webinars in this Arqus Green series will be held on the following dates (the times are still to be confirmed):

• Ethnobotany as a teaching resource in the botanical gardens – University of Granada – 28.04.2026
• Climate change and species conservation: Scenarios for collections and reintroductions – University of Graz – 26.05.2026
• From seed to reintroduction: Ex situ best practices for threatened plant species – University of Wrocław – date TBC
• Linking in situ and ex situ: Cooperation between botanical gardens and Natura 2000 – 16.06.2026