Botaanikas

Botaanikas is an international collaborative project and network focused on plants, integrating botanical science with plant-inspired art and design. It operates as a platform for documenting plant diversity, promoting ecological literacy, and fostering collaboration among scientists, artists, educators, and citizen scientists.

Since its informal beginnings in the early 2010s, Botaanikas has grown into a decentralized global network with regional hubs in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania. Its members contribute field observations, herbarium data, illustrations, and educational resources, aiming to bridge scientific research and public engagement.

Its main activities include field expeditions and herbarium collaborations, an open-access digital Plant Atlas that maps species distributions, seed exchange initiatives, and rotating exhibitions and workshops. The project also publishes educational materials and a peer-reviewed or open-access journal, Botaanikas Review, along with citizen-science tools and APIs for researchers and educators.

Governance is decentralized, with regional hubs coordinating activities through a global council and issue-specific working groups on taxonomy, illustration, software, and outreach. Partnerships with botanical gardens, universities, museums, and community organizations support data curation, conservation projects, and public programs.

Botaanikas has been cited for increasing public engagement with plant biodiversity and providing a cross-disciplinary model for science communication. Critics note challenges in maintaining data quality given diverse contributors and the need for robust verification and governance. Overall, Botaanikas is presented as a flexible framework for combining science, art, and education around plant life.