Botanic Gardens and the 2010 Challenge
Date posted: 18 September 2006 - Permalink / Shortlink
Fourth European Botanic Garden Congress – EuroGard IV
18–22 September 2006
Pruhonice, Czech Republic
The theme ‘Botanic Gardens and the 2010 Challenge’ considered the roles and priorities of botanic gardens in Europe. Amongst the many interesting papers, were reports on ex situ conservation in Hungarian botanic gardens, applied research at the Botanic Garden of Delft University of Technology, conservation actions of the Balkan Botanic Garden of Kroussia, making the most of glasshouse displays, information technology for botanic gardens in Russia, the charter of the Jardins Botaniques de France et des Pays Francophones, evaluating the living wealth of a botanic garden by analysis of the collections’ database, African violets as a case study for ex situ conservation through living collections in botanic gardens, and conservation beyond 2010
Posters of particular interest were on the development of a geographic information system for the Botanic Garden of Ajuda in Lisbon, a collection of aquatic and wetland plants for research and rescue in the Czech Republic, the collection of magnolia species in Arboretum Mlynany, as well as those on conservation activities in botanic gardens in Vilnius, Latvia, Padua, Portugal, Poland, Oslo, Slovenia, Hungary, Belgium and many other countries.
Visits were greatly enjoyed to the gardens of Prague Castle; Prague Botanic Garden at Troja, including the amazing Fata Morgana Tropical Greenhouse, built against the hillside; the old Botanical Garden of Charles University in Prague; the Dendrological Garden at the Silva Tarouca Research Institute, with a superb range of conifers; and Pruhonice Park founded in 1885 in the grounds of a fairytale mediaeval castle.
Resolutions carried at the Congress focused on the fair sharing of genetic and biological resources; use of electronic communications and the importance of network organisations in Europe (see www.bgci.org/worldwide/europe); the need to respond to climate change; and the role of botanic gardens in preventing the spread of invasive alien species.
Evaluating the living wealth of botanic gardens: a necessity for maintaining our own ideals
Dave Aplin, National Botanic Garden of Belgium (NBGB)