2017 was a significant year for CUBG. On January 12, top ten XTBG news events were selected, and the event that CUBG and BGCI signed the MOU was on the list.

The MoU was signed during the sidelines of the XIX International Botanical Congress – Botanical Garden Directors' Forum, whose theme is "New missions for botanical gardens in Anthropocene". As representatives of the two sides, Prof. CHEN Jin, chairman of CUBG and director of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), and Prof. Paul Smith, secretary general of BGCI signed the MoU.

In support of the objectives of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, CUBG and BGCI will work together to assess the conservation status of known plant species to guide conservation action. Plant diversity is declining globally and its effective conservation is urgently needed. BGCI and CUBG will link botanic gardens worldwide, particularly in countries listed on the Belt and Road Initiative, to protect threatened plant species via in situ and ex situ collections. The two sides will also share data and protocols to support the implementation and monitoring of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and help ensure improved conservation outcomes, e.g. botanic gardens accessions data, wild plant species data, germination protocols, etc.

Chosen from the news reported on XTBG’s website, 36 candidate news events were selected to vote on the internet or Wechat. The result was published on XTBG’s website and WeChat Official Account. Or clink the link to glance over: Top ten XTBG news events in 2017.