Lack of adequate fundings, manpower & proper management and lack of awareness amongst some of the visitors are the major causes for deterioration of the existing historical botanical gardens.

They must collect seeds and create voucher specimens before they lose species :)

Lack of adequate fundings, manpower & proper management and lack of awareness amongst some of the visitors are the major causes for deterioration of the existing historical botanical gardens.

ya seriously, I agree with Subir Bandyopadhyay. lack of adequate funding, proper management, lack of awareness among society.

Actually experts, educational institute as well as gov has to take initiative and have to explore students as well as society as much as possible.

Inadequate funding and negligence by the government and public are the basic problems....  Botanical gardens should have the capacity and resources required to introduce new species, conduct more researches on endangered species and find a way of mass propagation, domestication of endangered wild species, advanced taxonomic studies - molecular techniques etc. but unfortunately poor funding and negligence by the government haven't made it possible

1. Lack of free space because historical gardens are now located within great cities.

2. Traditional botany (including herbarium, floristics = field botany and garden collections) is mocked as a "soft science". That's the reason of inadequate funding.

The structure and texture of soil is important for its suitablity for the species grown in the botanical garden. Also some precautions can be taken for sustainability of species for example; to improve the soil structure in there, to expand the area. In adition, plants should be reproduce  by taking shoots or collecting seeds from plants in the botanical garden for the sustainability of the botanical garden.

Besides, new and else  species should be produced in such gardens (certanily accordingly climatical conditions ), taxonomic clasification, herbarium of species and also many other studies should be done..

Best regards...

Many historical botanical gardens lacks adequate funding, interested or unique manpower in the field of conservation & lack of proper management coupled with the fact that most botanical gardens  are located within great cities.close to industrial areas congested with air pollution. The experience of a very expert curator would help new botanical gardens to survive if he/she has passion to nurture and conserved the botanical.

Loss of legacy experts at historical botanic gardens due to lack of funding and restructuring is a major problem. Generally, there is not adequate documentation of years of experience by staff and their knowledge is lost due to casualisation of the workforce.

In the Netherlands most universities have or had a botanical garden.

Lack of interest is causing this number to fall.

Mainenance is very costly in these often old buildings.

Botanical gardens are still of unimaginable value.

The TU Delft has several project with their botanical garden and because of that funding is not a big issue.

The university of Leiden has a very old and very precious garden, which it maintains because it has a lot of value to the university and to the city.

There should be a lot more awareness for the value of these botanical gardens

Visite el Jardín Botánico de  Palermo- Italia, y aunque es muy antiguo han priorizado la  conservación de especies  relacionadas al estudio de la medicina y seguridad alimentaria.  Tienen diversidad de Cactaceas y suculentas de América, plantas medicinales y diversidad de frutales especialmente del Genero Citrus. 

El Jardín Botánico de Rhur en Bochum, y Bonn en Alemania, también tiene prioridades en la conservación de las especies tropicales,  endémismos y especies amenazadas de muchos paises de Europa. Tuvieron mucho exito en la presentacion de la especie endemica traida de sumatra- Indonesia  como es Amorphophallus titanum,  de la familia Araceae, que floreo  en el invernadero. 

Greenhouses not tall enough. No understanding when authorities are asked for more fundings to make greenhouses taller and bigger. Tropical trees as they reach the ceiling, will die, especially palms. Tropical trees are also usually grown in the ground beneath the greenhouse so their roots suffer from cold. No understanding for funding ground heating systems. 

I agree with most of concerns learned respondents have placed. My long years' understanding particularly dealing with mountain plants strongly suggests: (i) insufficient understanding on adaptive mechanism of various accessions (that is equally imperative) of a particular species in the given growing environments of specified botanical gardens and/or a herbal garden or the arboretum.  Often, long term phenology data are lacking or completely ignored for even the most threatened or rare or micro-habitat specific taxa; that is vital not only for the survival of that a targeted species in botanical garden but for its in-situ conservation, as the ex-situ conditions are very important and feasible observatory for the scientists.  There are however, several issues of management, lack of funding and passion of associated managers/scientists and appropriate awareness packages, which can lure to wider audiences and specially the young researchers, students and teachers. I am sure this debate is on and needs forum where interested experts and experienced scientist can develop better and practically feasible strategies for management people, funders and policy makers.

All the above and a lack of biosecurity. We import plants willy-nilly without proper regard to what diseases they bring with them, not so in Australia I am told.