Today, the Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a treasured part of the St. Louis community. We are also a critical partner in plant conservation throughout the world. Our mission is to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life. Today, our mission has never been more relevant or important. Plant diversity, the world’s greatest renewable natural resource, is being lost at an alarming rate, and we must act with the greatest urgency to document and conserve it before it is too late. The Missouri Botanical Garden has recognized and accepted its responsibility to be an effective leader, mentor, advocate, and practitioner of environmental protection at home and throughout the world.