Traditionally, western scientific practice has sought to separate People from Country for the purpose of environmental conservation – an approach which has caused significant harm for First Nations Peoples globally. Efforts to change these practices in fields of western science, including ex-situ plant conservation, are still in their infancy. The National Seed Bank at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, is seeking to help address this issue by exploring the following questions:

1. What are the key issues of social justice in ex-situ plant conservation?
2. How do Botanic Gardens move towards addressing these issues?

Here, we examine the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). We highlight articles of significance to Botanic Gardens and use these to outline a set of minimum standards for socially responsible ex-situ conservation. We present recent collaborations between the NSB and two Aboriginal Communities (Ngunnawal and Aṉangu), and discuss outcomes, lessons learnt to date, and general implications for attempts to address issues of social justice across our activities. We conclude that attempts to implement UNDRIP in the activities of Botanic Gardens will need to be case-specific, requiring the development of strong relationships and significant and sustained investment of time and resources. Adopting UNDRIP into the work of Botanic Gardens is vital to bringing our ex-situ conservation practices in line with international minimum standards for the recognition, protection and promotion of the rights of First Nations Peoples.