Entwisle Timothy J, Cole Chris, Symes Peter
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Private Bag 2000, South Yarra, Victoria 3141, Australia.
Plant Divers. 2017 Nov 11;39(6):338-347. doi: 10.1016/j.pld.2017.11.001. eCollection 2017 Dec.
Botanic gardens around the world maintain collections of living plants for science, conservation, education, beauty and more. These collections change over time - in scope and content - but the predicted impacts of climate change will require a more strategic approach to the succession of plant species and their landscapes. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria has recently published a 'Landscape Succession Strategy' for its Melbourne Gardens, a spectacular botanical landscape established in 1846. The strategy recognizes that with 1.6 million visitors each year, responsibility for a heritage-listed landscape and the need to care for a collection of 8500 plant species of conservation and scientific importance, planting and planning must take into account anticipated changes to rainfall and temperature. The trees we plant today must be suitable for the climate of the twenty-second century. Specifically, the Strategy sets out the steps needed over the next twenty years to transition the botanic garden to one resilient to the climate modelled for 2090. The document includes a range of practical measures and achievable (and at times somewhat aspirational) targets. Climate analogues will be used to identify places in Australia and elsewhere with conditions today similar to those predicted for Melbourne in 2090, to help select new species for the collection. Modelling of the natural and cultivated distribution of species will be used to help select suitable growth forms to replace existing species of high value or interest. Improved understanding of temperature gradients within the botanic garden, water holding capacity of soils and plant water use behaviour is already resulting in better targeted planting and irrigation. The goal is to retain a similar diversity of species but transition the collection so that by 2036 at least 75% of the species are suitable for the climate in 2090. Over the next few years we hope to provide 100% of irrigation water from sustainable water sources, and infrastructure will be improved to adapt to predicted higher temperatures and more climatic extremes. At all times there will be a strong focus on assisting the broader community in their response to climate change.
世界各地的植物园都保存着活植物的 collection，用于科学、保护、教育、美化等目的。这些 collection 会随着时间推移在范围和内容上发生变化，但气候变化的预测影响将需要对植物物种及其景观的演替采取更具战略性的方法。维多利亚皇家植物园最近为其墨尔本花园发布了一项“景观演替策略”，墨尔本花园是一个建于 1846 年的壮观植物园景观。该策略认识到，每年有 160 万游客，对列入遗产名录的景观负有责任，且需要照料 8500 种具有保护和科学重要性的植物 collection，种植和规划必须考虑到降雨和温度的预期变化。我们今天种植的树木必须适合 22 世纪的气候。具体而言，该策略列出了未来 20 年将植物园转变为能适应 2090 年模拟气候的植物园所需的步骤。该文件包括一系列实际措施和可实现的（有时有些理想的）目标。气候类似物将用于确定澳大利亚和其他地方目前条件与 2090 年预测的墨尔本条件相似的地点，以帮助为 collection 选择新物种。对物种自然和栽培分布的建模将用于帮助选择合适的生长形式来取代现有高价值或受关注的物种。对植物园内温度梯度、土壤持水能力和植物用水行为的更好理解已经导致更有针对性的种植和灌溉。目标是保持类似的物种多样性，但转变 collection，以便到 2036 年至少 75%的物种适合 2090 年的气候。在未来几年，我们希望 100%的灌溉用水来自可持续水源，并且基础设施将得到改善，以适应预测的更高温度和更多气候极端情况。在任何时候，都将高度重视协助更广泛的社区应对气候变化。
