Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association

About Us

The Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (VBGA), a CRA registered charity, and the City of Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation jointly operate VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory. Both organisations share responsibility for the day to day running of the Gardens in a close and long-standing relationship, since the 1970’s.

VBGA Mission

The VBGA’s mission is to engage people of all ages and walks of life in the importance of biodiversity to our lives, and to foster a lifelong love of plants and gardens by virtue of their participation in our programs and services.

At VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory the VBGA is responsible for:

  • Education programing and research
  • VanDusen’s Botanical Library
  • Membership
  • Volunteer programs
  • Fundraising to support programming and Garden and Conservatory projects

VBGA Initiatives:

  1. We educate and connect families, adults, youth, and children to plants, nature and sustainability through hands-on and online classes and programs.
  2. We champion learning about and honouring Indigenous Nations’ relationship and knowledge of the natural world. VBGA has a full-time Indigenous Initiatives Coordinator (and member of Wet’su’wet’en Nation). This role helps us better connect with the land, waters, and world around us in a culturally sensitive and appropriate way.
  3. We offer bursaries to schools, teachers, children and families who otherwise could not attend our programing.
  4. We provide professional development that empowers teachers to educate their students on the importance of nature and sustainability and Indigenous programing, leading to a ripple effect in our school communities.
  5. We provide volunteer-lead guided tours and interactive and interpretive experiences connecting visitors of all ages to nature, enhancing understanding of the natural world and the role we play in it.