Australian National Botanic Gardens

What Australian National Botanic Gardens does

Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) is an Australian Government national collecting institution located on the lower slopes of Black Mountain in Canberra, ACT, founded in 1970 and formally gazetted as the national botanic garden in 1991. It holds the world's most comprehensive living collection of Australian native plants, alongside the Australian National Herbarium (1.2 million+ specimens) and is jointly managed with CSIRO through the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR). The Gardens serves general public visitors (350,000+ physical visits and 500,000+ virtual visits annually), the scientific and academic community, schools, and professional plant surveyors, offering recreation, education, research support, plant identification, and conservation services.

The Gardens' core technology platform is the Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS), a single in-house database linking plant names, photographs, herbarium specimens and living plant records. This powers public-facing products including the Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), Australian Plant Census (APC), the Australian Plant Image Index (APII, 48,000+ photos, 28,000+ digitised), the Living Plants Collection records, and the Seed Bank, plus electronic identification keys (Euclid for eucalypts, Wattle for Acacia, and other taxonomic keys). Distribution combines a free physical destination with global online database access and integration with Australia's Virtual Herbarium and the Atlas of Living Australia.

The business model is government-funded: the Australian Government (Director of National Parks / Department of the Environment) provides operational appropriations, supplemented by modest commercial streams — Pollen Cafe, Botanical Bookshop, Jindii Eco Spa and venue hire as on-site concessions; image licensing for commercial use of APII photographs; and donations through the Friends of the ANBG support organisation. General admission is free; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Australian National Botanic Gardens

Legal name

Australian National Botanic Gardens

Website

https://anbg.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Australian National Botanic Gardens is a federally funded national institution in Canberra operating the world's most comprehensive living collection of Australian native plants and a 1.2 million-specimen herbarium jointly managed with CSIRO, serving the public, scientific researchers, and schools through free on-site visits, online botanical databases, and plant identification services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Botanical Garden & Research Services

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH), Protected Cultivation of Specialty Crops (Orchids, Bonsai, Exotics) (AFAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Botanical garden services
• Plant conservation research
• Biodiversity research databases
• Environmental education programs
• Herbarium specimen management

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As an Australian Government institution under the Director of National Parks and CSIRO, the Gardens receives operational funding from federal government预算.
2. Visitor Services Revenue: Revenue generated from on-site facilities including the Pollen Cafe, Botanical Bookshop, venue hire, and related commercial operations.
3. Image Licensing: Commercial licensing fees for use of images from the Australian Plant Image Index for publications and commercial purposes.
4. Donations and Support: Public donations through the Friends of the ANBG organization, bequests, and public fund contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Australian National Botanic Gardens operates the world's most comprehensive display of living Australian native plants across 35+ hectares on the lower slopes of Black Mountain in Canberra, with free public admission. The institution maintains a scientific herbarium of over 1.2 million specimens and provides access to integrated botanical databases including the Australian Plant Name Index, Australian Plant Census, and Australian Plant Image Index. It delivers public education programs, school learning programs, research facilities, a Seed Bank for conservation, and a Botanical Resource Centre for plant identification and reference.

Product overview

The Australian National Botanic Gardens operates a comprehensive botanical information service centered on the Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS), which links plant names, photographs, herbarium specimens, and living plants. The core offerings include the Australian Plant Image Index (APII) with over 48,000 plant photographs, the Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) documenting all Australian plant names, and the Australian Plant Census (APC) providing accepted names. Additional products include the Living Plants Collection with searchable garden records, a Seed Bank, and the Botanical Resource Centre offering public access to reference specimens and identification tools. The Gardens also maintain the Australian National Herbarium (1.2+ million specimens) and the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR) as part of their scientific infrastructure. Electronic identification keys support plant identification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR): Scientific research division jointly managed with CSIRO, including the Australian National Herbarium
• Australian National Herbarium
• Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS)
• Australian Plant Image Index (APII)

Products and services

• Australian Plant Image Index (APII)
• Australian Plant Name Index (APNI)
• Australian Plant Census (APC)
• Living Plants Collection
• Seed Bank
• Botanical Resource Centre
• Australian National Herbarium
• School Learning Programs
• Image Licensing Service
• Electronic Identification Keys
• Venue Hire

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 350,000 physical visitors and 500,000+ virtual visits annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CSIROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint management of the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR) including the Australian National Herbarium. CSIRO provides research infrastructure and scientific expertise for national biodiversity research programs.
• Director of National ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency responsible for national parks and wildlife, jointly managing the Australian National Botanic Gardens and CANBR as part of the Australian Government's environmental mandate.
• Friends of the ANBGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity support organization providing volunteers, fundraising, and community engagement for the Gardens. Jointly manages the Botanical Resource Centre with the Gardens and Herbarium.
• Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens (CHABG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeak body coordinating activities and standards across Australian botanic gardens, including shared databases and plant census initiatives.
• Australian Cultivar Registration Authority (ACRA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthority responsible for registering and maintaining records of Australian plant cultivars, housed within the Gardens' herbarium collections.
• Australian Network for Plant Conservation (ANPC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network supporting plant conservation efforts, with collaborative relationships in conservation research and seed banking.
• Australian Seed Partnership (Seed Partnership)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational seed banking initiative for conservation of Australian plant species, supporting seed storage and exchange programs.
• Department of the EnvironmentminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFederal government department overseeing national parks and environmental policy, within whose portfolio the Gardens operates.
• Pollen CafeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCafé operating on Gardens premises providing refreshments to visitors, contact (02) 6247 7321.
• The Botanical BookshopminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBookshop located at the Gardens selling botanical and horticultural publications, contact (02) 6257 3302.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• New York Botanical Garden: Major U.S. botanical garden with one of the world's largest herbaria, extensive living collections, and active research and education programs. Comparable in scale of scientific assets (herbarium specimens, digital databases) and public programming.
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World-leading national botanical garden and herbarium complex. Kew is directly comparable as a heritage-listed scientific institution maintaining living plant collections, a multi-million specimen herbarium, and global botanical databases for research, education, and conservation.
• Missouri Botanical Garden: U.S.-based botanical garden operating a major herbarium, living plant collections, and digital botanical resources (e.g., Tropicos). Directly comparable in combining research, conservation, and digital information services.
• Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh: Scotland's national botanic garden with a substantial herbarium and international plant diversity research programs. Comparable as a publicly funded scientific botanical institution with living collections and education missions.
• Singapore Botanic Gardens: UNESCO World Heritage-listed tropical botanical garden operating living collections, an herbarium, and major research and education programs. Highly comparable as a national botanic institution combining heritage, science, and public visitation.
• Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens: Another major Australian botanic garden with extensive living collections, herbarium (via the State Herbarium of Victoria), and research programs. Closest domestic peer to ANBG in mission, scale, and visitor base.
• Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: Australia's oldest scientific botanical institution with extensive living plant collections and the National Herbarium of New South Wales. It mirrors ANBG's combination of public garden, herbarium, research, and education programs within an Australian context.
• Booderee Botanic Gardens: Former Jervis Bay Annexe of ANBG, now managed jointly with the Wreck Bay Aboriginal community. Operates as a smaller Australian native plant botanic garden with conservation and visitor functions, closely linked historically to ANBG.

Broad incumbents

• Atlanta Botanical Garden: Large U.S. botanical garden with significant living collections, conservation programs, and visitor amenities. Comparable as a regional incumbent operating a mature botanic garden experience, though more commercially oriented than ANBG.

Others

• Atlas of Living Australia: Australia's national biodiversity data aggregation platform co-funded by government. ANBG contributes to and relies on this network for sharing occurrence data and digital herbarium access, making it a key ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australian-national-botanic-gardens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian National Botanic Gardens