Botanical Gardens: Conservation of Terminological Diversity

Based on examples from articles published over more than two centuries in Russian dictionaries and encyclopedias, as well as in documents of a number of international organizations, the gradual evolution of the concept of "botanical garden" (BS) is discussed. The analysis showed that initially the commonly used ("everyday") phrase "botanical garden" entered the circulation and only later it was transformed into the corresponding term, which over time underwent inevitable changes. In contrast to biological diversity, “terminological diversity” significantly slows down the solution of a number of problems, whether it is writing scientific publications, developing international programs or improving environmental legislation. In order to streamline the noted diversity, to identify and clearly outline the distinctive features of seemingly similar objects, we have compiled a classification of gardens and given definitions for each of their groups. So, for BG, the following definition is proposed: Scientific and educational / botanical garden is a land plot used for long-term cultivation (mainly for scientific and / or educational purposes) of documented plant samples placed taking into account their systematic position, geographical origin and / or participation in a particular phytocenosis. Since, however, the ideas about the tasks of the BG in the historical perspective continue to change, the task of improving the terminological "baggage", apparently, will never lose its relevance.