The History, Conservation Challenges and Future Tasks of the Botanical Garden at National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung

Volume 3 Number 2 - July 2006

The Botanical Garden associated with the National Museum of Natural Science was planned and designed in March, 1994, established by January and opened to public in July, 1999. The main objective of the museum’s garden is to provide a 4.5-ha “green space” for city dwellers to experience Taiwan’s native plants at close quarters. It also provides a landmark, a towering greenhouse with a diverse collection of rain forest species from all over the world.

The themes of the exhibits in the Garden reflect the museum’s scientific collections and research, in particular Taiwan’s lowland ecology.

Northern Lowlands: this vegetation is influenced by the northeastern monsoon and these exhibits represent a humid environment with tree ferns and Machilus-Quercus broad-leaved forest species.
Central Lowland: this vegetation has the mildest and most favourable climate for plants and represents a deciduous as well as a broad-leaved mixed forest.
Southern Lowlands: this is one of the most important agricultural regions and the destruction of native vegetation has resulted in the emergence of wasteland and areas of secondary growth.
Monsoon Rain Forest: this is an environment in which the northeastern monsoons alternate with southwestern monsoons and the vegetation is characterized by dense thickets and highly branching trees with coarse and dry leaves.
Littoral Forest: this forest include species possessing buoyant fruits for sea dispersal.
Coral Atoll: trees grow in the cracks in the porous coral and are characterized by thorny forests along the ridges, aerial roots in the valleys (Ficus sp.) and buttresses on mountain slopes.
Eastern Lowlands: this area is confined to alluvial cliffs and steep terraces. This area has a collection of 50 species including the relic and endangered Taitung Cycad (Cycas taitungensis).
Orchid Island: a tropical volcanic island off the southeastern coast of Taiwan which possesses a vegetation with a closer phytogeographical affinity with the Philippines than Taiwan.

The giant glass greenhouse simulates the complex rain forest with towering trees, epiphytic bromeliads, orchids and wetland as well as fish from the Amazon River.

The collection of living plants is currently about 200 families with 2000 species and varieties. It includes an orchid collection (over 200 taxa), a palm collection (over 157 taxa) and Begonia collection (nearly 100 taxa).

The Botanical Garden also holds a series of special exhibitions and events such as a ‘feast of mushrooms’, invasive plants which was associated with a symposium and work shops, events such as Daylilies and Carnations for Mother’s day, Water Lilies and Lotus for summer festivals, Chrysanthmum/Helianthus for autumn festivals, and Poinsettia for winter holidays. These exhibitions increased the collections of living plants and informed people about plants in relation to their lives. Further, all the related educational activities and demonstrations for the exhibitions were fully-booked shortly after the announcement. During the museum’s 20th anniversary, on a very cold new year’s day, the garden visitors even exceed two thousand. The Orchid Association in Taiwan also holds its exhibitions in the Garden which encourages interest and research.

The Garden is supported by the Naturalist Center which was opened in 1995. Visitors can bring their own herbarium specimens for identification and use the microscopes and reference guides or seek assistance. There is also another prominent plant-based display at the museum called the ‘Made in Taiwan Project’. This exhibition uses over 130 different plants of Taiwan collected from the 13 different areas to make hand-made paper to create artworks reflecting the different areas.

The second stage of development is to increase and strengthen the living collections and expand the attractions. This will include the introduction of more seasonal attractions such as blossom announcements, special exhibitions on conservation research and the development of souvenirs.

Currently, there are plans to design a palm garden and Australia garden. The Australian government presented two Wollemi Pines (Wollemia nobilis) to commemorate the Museum’s anniversary in 2005. A press conference and special exhibition was held which introduced the concept of conservation to the public.

Cooperative projects are already in place with the National Taiwan University Experimental Forest in Sitou for the cultivation of bamboo, fern medicinal plant species as well as National Taiwan University Highland Experimental Farm in Meifong to cultivate ferns. The Garden is also working with the Seed Improvement and Propagation Station in Sinshe on Arisaema species, ferns and medicinal plants. It also plans to collaborate with the National Taichung Agricultural Senior High School to expand the nursery station. In the next ten years, it is expected that the Garden will achieve a collection of 10,000 species, become a major tourist destination at Taichung, an important venue for scientific research a large outdoor classroom for school groups and an internationally recognized botanic garden.

In the future, the role of botanic gardens in education and conservation, particularly relating to the sustainable use of plant resources and achievement of local and global sustainability will increase in importance, and gardens should work collectively to focus the message and thus increase the efficiency of such a programme.

About the Authors

S. Chiu and T. Yang are at the Department of Botany and Botanical Garden, National Museum of Natural Science
in Taiwan
Internet: www.nmns.edu.tw

The History, Conservation Challenges and Future Tasks of the Botanical Garden at National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung

About the Authors

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