Education E-update

Plant-based Education: Now More Than Ever

BGCI's recent publication, The Red List of Oaks, highlights the threats being faced by oak trees around the world. Seventy-eight oak species are threatened with extinction, and so little information is known about more than half of oak species worldwide that it is impossible to know what level of threat they may be facing. While this is sobering news, it is also a reminder of the importance of plant-based education. Your efforts to educate about the importance of plants and the need for their conservation are critical to saving imperilled species around the globe.

Best wishes,
The BGCI Education Team
education@bgci.org (for general education enquiries to BGCI)
e-update@bgci.org (for Education E-update enquiries)

Education News from Around the World

Mark your calendars for BGCI's next Education Congress: Join BGCI in South Africa in 2009 for the 7th International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens, 'Action Learning: Places, Spaces and Partnerships for Biodiversity and Human Well-being'. Durban Botanic Garden will host the event from Nov. 1-6, 2009. Congress themes include achieving the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and Millennium Development Goals through education; ways of learning towards environmental justice; climate change and botanic gardens: interpretation for action; and the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development: plants, sustainability, education and culture. To register your interest, visit the Congress website.

Other upcoming conferences of note: The IUCN World Conservation Congress takes place 5-14 October in Barcelona, Spain. More than 8,000 attendees are expected to address the Congress' overall theme: ideas, action and solutions for a diverse and sustainable world. Also, the Second World Botanic Gardens Scientific Congress, 'Challenges in Botanical Research and Climate Change', will convene 29 June-4 July in Delft, the Netherlands.

Free back issues of Roots: BGCI is giving away back copies of Roots free of charge to members. Although some are out of stock, we still have a wide range of issues available. The BGCI website has full details of which issues are available. You may request as many copies of each issue as you would like. However, postage will need to be paid! Please contact Sue Malin to arrange charges and shipping.

'A Stitch in Vine' opens at USBG: The United States Botanic Garden is currently displaying its first-ever textile exhibit, 'A Stitch in Vine'. Botanically themed quilts made by artists from the Chesapeake Potomac Appliqué Guild include images of grapevines, tomatoes, lemons, pokeweed and other plants. The exhibit focuses on the cultural uses of plants and the many ways plants provide inspiration for our lives. The quilts will remain on display until April 27.

Call for botanic garden videos: The 10th 'Vedere la Scienza' film festival, in association with the Museo Astronomico-Orto Botanico di Brera (Milan, Italy), is seeking films and videos related to botanic gardens for a special garden-themed session. Contact Professor Pasquale Tucci, the festival director, for more information.

Share your news with plant-based educators around the world! Send us news from your botanic garden or education site, and we'll include it in the next issue of Education E-update.

PlantEd Poll

It's easy and fun! Read this month's poll question and click on your response. We'll publish the results in the next Education E-update!

This month's poll: Does your botanic garden or education site highlight the endangered species of plants in your collection? Click on a response below to cast your vote!

Yes, we highlight endangered plants.

No, we don't highlight endangered plants at this time.

Last month, we asked what was the one most significant thing your garden or education site is doing to address global climate change. Here's what you said!

Tools You Can Use

Celebrate Plant Conservation Day and Endangered Species Day: Two important days for botanic gardens are coming up in May. Plant Conservation Day, sponsored by BGCI and the Association for Zoological Horticulture, takes place May 18 at botanic gardens and zoos throughout the United States and around the world. The Plant Conservation Day website contains helpful planning tips and celebration activities. On May 16, sites around the U.S. will also celebrate Endangered Species Day.

New Giant Sequoia poster unveiled: Good Nature Publishing has released its latest educational poster, the Giant Sequoia. The beautiful artwork is accompanied by interpretative information provided by research scientists from the United States Geological Survey and the U.S. Forest Service.

'Banana' travelling exhibit available for loan: Produced by Bioversity, 'No End to the Banana' is a travelling exhibition that looks at the diversity of bananas, who uses them and for what. It also highlights how research can help us use this diversity to increase options for both small-scale farmers in the developing world and consumers in industrialiszed countries. The exhibition concludes by challenging people to reflect on the types of bananas they are eating and the ones they could eat. The exhibit is available for loan. Visit the Bioversity website for more information (including text and images) and for details on how to bring the exhibit to your site.

International Year of the Potato: 2008 has been designated by the UN as the International Year of the Potato in order to raise awareness of how the potato has helped the agri-economy of developing countries to meet the challenges of malnourishment, land shortage, rising population and inhospitable growth climates. The official website is a useful education and information tool, featuring a kids section with basic potato facts, a quiz, details on growing your own potatoes, easy-to-use graphs on global production and consumption, and a video of a potato harvest.

BGEN announces next training day: The Botanic Gardens Education Network (BGEN) will host its next training day May 6 at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK). The session will focus on learning strategies, policies and initiatives, with special emphasis on opportunities for botanic garden involvement. The BGEN website has full registration details.

What's in your toolbox? Send us your most valuable tools or resources, and we'll include them in an upcoming issue of Education E-update.

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