For the maintenance and expansion of their collections, botanical gardens can rely on various means of acquisition, one of which is through the Indices Seminum. These are catalogs of spores and seeds, either of wild or cultivated origin, offered free of charge by different botanical gardens based on the principle of reciprocity. This tradition, dating back to the 18th century, allows gardens worldwide to exchange their catalogs annually and access a vast resource of plant genetic material.
This practice is regulated, and access to this material is exclusively reserved for botanical gardens or research institutions. In addition to the existing laws governing the import of seeds (the Ordinance on the Protection of Plants from Particularly Dangerous Harmful Organisms and the Ordinance on the Trade of Protected Species of Fauna and Flora), botanical gardens adhere to a strict code of conduct. This code aligns with the Convention on Biological Diversity and complies with the Nagoya Protocol through the International Plant Exchange Network (IPEN). The Cantonal Botanical Garden of the Brissago Islands has been affiliated with IPEN since 2006 and is a signatory of the corresponding code of conduct.
The preparation, management, and distribution of spores and seeds from the Cantonal Botanical Garden of the Brissago Islands are carried out in collaboration with the Botanical Garden of the University of Zurich and are included in its respective Index Seminum.
Only requests from botanical gardens or research institutions will be accepted.