UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University are merging their plant specimen collections under the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, consolidating the Duke Herbarium with UNC’s collection.

Construction and facility upgrades are underway, with the Duke collection slated to move in June 2027, and initial housing on two floors of a former Duke site in Chapel Hill while a dedicated Plant Biodiversity Research Center is developed.

The move follows Duke’s decision in 2024 to relocate due to outdated facilities, and the merged effort will preserve both collections for researchers, curators, students, and the public.

Access to the merged collections will remain available to scientists, curators, students, and residents, though some visits may require appointments or established procedures.

Duke officials stress that the Duke Herbarium is a valuable resource to be preserved and made accessible alongside UNC’s collection.

Herbaria are vital archives for studying biodiversity, climate shifts, invasive species, and plant life changes, now enhanced by digitization, AI, and DNA sequencing.

The collaboration aims to strengthen resources for studying plant biodiversity and climate-related changes using modern tools, including AI and genomic approaches.

The merger signals collaboration over rivalry, leveraging shared interests in plant science and biodiversity research.

Key figures emphasize the strategic value of the merged collections, with supporters highlighting the research benefits and critics noting past funding delays.

The consolidation requires careful curation, labeling, sequencing, and long-term maintenance, with increased investments in curators and faculty to prevent the collection from becoming dormant.

The merged collection will support research on climate shifts, invasive species, land-use changes, evolution, and conservation, and will be accessible to North Carolina residents by appointment.

The effort preserves a scientific legacy dating back to 1802, ensuring the collection remains a vital resource for Southeast plant research as technologies evolve.