It is only in exceptional cases that there is a direct link between cultivation (our main activity) and conservation.  These are cases where plants cultivated from seeds collected from threatened plant colonies or rescued from building sites, are re-introduced to the wild.  Our other cultivation activities contribute indirectly to conservation in the following ways:

• If all conservation efforts have failed, then at least species will be preserved in collections.

• Studying the plants we grow helps us to understand the conservation issues associated with some of these endangered species (e.g. growth and flowering requirements, pollinators, ecology).

• By displaying endangered species in flower, we can raise the profile of these plants, which could help in the conservation of these threatened species.

• By increasing the availability of endangered species, plants in the wild may once again be safe from poaching.