November deadline for Asia Pacific Botanic Garden Course applications

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19th November 2009

International Certificate in Botanic Garden Management in the Asia Pacific Region

5 - 20th March 2010, Singapore Botanic Gardens

Botanic gardens play a vitally important role in conserving the world’s imperilled flora and provide places of solace and respite, recreation, education and research.

Working individually and collectively botanic gardens are in a strong position to help address the primary conservation and development challenges of our time: biodiversity loss and climate change.

This new two-week training course covers major present-day themes of practical conservation work at botanic gardens. It is designed to help representatives from the Asia Pacific region involved in botanic garden and arboretum management (in particular horticultural staff and mid-level managers) refresh their existing skills, understand global environmental policy, explore new ideas and engage with botanic garden experts from around the world.

The course is run by BGCI and Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand (BGANZ) and Singapore Botanic Gardens. These organisations collaborate with many institutions in the Asia Pacific region and collectively provide global expertise. The course will help build local and regional capacity and expertise in both the management of living plant collections and the conservation of plant diversity at a time of rapid global change. It is designed to support the Targets of the GSPC.

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Course objectives

• To provide context for the work of botanic gardens that will help in priority setting, planning and management decision making

• To enhance practical skills in horticulture and ex situ conservation and integrated approaches linking ex and in situ conservation

• To share the latest ideas in botanic garden education, interpretation and public awareness

• To strengthen botanic garden networking in the Asia Pacific region and promote exchange of professional skills and ideas

Course content

The course will consist of lectures, discussion, individual study, teamwork, practical training and visits to sites of plant diversity interest. The course will be delivered in English. Suggested reading will be recommended in advance of the course. The main topics to be covered will be:

• Botanic garden roles – the historical and international policy context
• Developing and implementing collection policies
• Botanic garden horticulture
• Ex situ conservation tools and approaches and links to in situ conservation in times of global change
• Managing education and public awareness
• Effective interpretation
• Partnerships for multi-stakeholder engagement in conservation
• Masterplanning

Applying for the course

The course is designed for people who are educated to tertiary level or equivalent and who are working as horticultural staff and mid-level managers within a botanic garden or arboretum. Good written and conversational English is a course requirement.

Download application form here

The costs of delivering the course are supported by BGCI, BGANZ, Singapore Botanic Gardens, HSBC Bank Australia (Principal Conservation Partner of the Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney), the Dennis Curry Trust and other generous donors. A course fee of USD 500 applies; applicants are expected to secure funding for travel and accommodation.

All participants will be booked into the YMCA, the cost of which is USD 75-85 per day including breakfast. If you wish to stay somewhere else, you will need to make your own arrangements. Daily subsistence is in the order of USD 10 per day (lunch and dinner at Singapore Botanic Gardens).

Competitive scholarships are available to cover the costs of attending the course for a limited number of applicants.