An association supporting collections
The Botalista association promotes and manages botanical gardens’ heritage, educational and scientific plant collections at national and international levels, supporting their work in education, research and conservation.
The City of Geneva, which initiated Botalista.software, granted the association the right to use the software while retaining intellectual property rights. In accordance with its statutes, the association is responsible for maintaining and developing the software’s source code.
Rooted in botanical gardens
The founding members represent the Jardin Botanique de Genève, the Botanical Garden of the City of Bordeaux, the Botanical Garden of the City of Paris and the Botanical Garden of the University of Bern.
The statutes were adopted on 30 September 2020. Article 7 was amended on 15 October 2021 to include the City of Paris as a founding member. The statutes and founding meeting minutes are available in the resources.
Governance shaped by practical needs
Member gardens participate directly in governance. Each member is entitled to a representative on the technical committee, which brings together user needs, advises on priorities and participates in testing before releases.
The association works to:
- Bring members together and promote the project.
- Develop and maintain the software.
- Share computing resources.
- Provide IT services, support and training.
- Sustain the project economically and seek funding.
- Establish agreements that support its aims.
Join the association
Membership is open to botanical gardens with legal personality, or the legal entity to which they belong, recognised through a certification system specified in the statutes, and using or committing to use Botalista.software.
The conditions cover public administrations and public foundations. Other organisations may be admitted exceptionally by the general assembly on the committee’s recommendation, in accordance with the statutes.
- Contact the association to introduce your institution and project.
- Read the statutes and bilingual membership form.
- Complete and return the form following the document’s instructions.