On January 1, 2023, the cantonal botanical gardens and museum merged to become a department of the Naturéum, Switzerland's natural science museum located in Lausanne, Vaud. The botanical department includes the museum and botanical garden in Lausanne, as well as the botanical garden, La Thomasia, in the Alps near the town of Bex. Administered under the Service of cultural affairs of Vaud, the botanic department engage in the study and protection of local flora, as well as in promoting public awareness in biodiversity and nature education in general.