Recently, the "Guangdong Province Ex-Situ Plant Conservation System Plan (2024-2035)" was released, aiming to create an ex-situ plant conservation system with three core levels: national botanical gardens, regional botanical gardens, and local botanical gardens. This innovative plan is the first of its kind in China.

The Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration, where Shenzhen is located, is the primary engine of provincial development and a central force in both provincial and national ex-situ plant conservation. The plan highlights Shenzhen's exemplary role and advantages in technological innovation, industrial integration, societal involvement, and nature education.

As a key ex-situ plant conservation institution in Guangdong Province, Shenzhen's Fairy Lake Botanical Garden features specialized gardens such as the Cycad Garden, Fern Garden, Gesneriad Garden, Begonia Garden, and Vine Garden. The Shenzhen Orchid Conservation Center (National Orchid Germplasm Resource Protection Center) has established the Orchid Garden, Fern Garden, and Guangdong Endemic Plant Garden. These centers form a technological innovation model integrating basic research, key technology development, product R&D, and the promotion of achievements, effectively linking local industrial development through key technologies such as seedling cultivation.

The plan sets forth that by 2035, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden aims to become a world-class, uniquely Bay Area botanical garden. It will focus on enhancing the National Cycad Germplasm Resource Protection Center, establishing a global ex-situ conservation center for tropical and subtropical plant resources, and promoting the construction of the world's first comprehensive genomic database for all plant species and a national strategic plant genomic database. The garden will prioritize the collection of cycads, orchids, ferns, bryophytes, gesneriads, begonias, and mangroves.

The Shenzhen Orchid Conservation Center will aim to meet the standards of a national flagship species protection research center, creating top-tier specialized gardens for orchids and ferns in China. The center will also plan and build a specialized garden for Guangdong endemic plants, establishing a new model for ex-situ conservation and utilization of specialized plants.

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