The Botanical Garden of the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus was founded in 1931 by Professor Otto Warburg, founder of the Hebrew University Department of Botany, and Dr. Alexander Eig, a leading researcher in the fields of botany and phytogeography in Israel. The university-based botanical garden, the first of its kind in Israel, is recognized under the Botanical Gardens Law of 2006. The Garden covers over 25 dunams (6 acres) and houses more than 950 plant species, representing over 40% of the wild plant species of Israel.