1. 2006 Biodiversity Education and Conservation Colloquium - Summary

An interesting and lively group of 42 educators, botanical garden professionals and conservation biologists from Canadian botanical gardens, and interested organisations gathered together April 12th, 13th and 14th in Vancouver, British Columbia.

During these three extremely full days we exchanged experiences and innovative ideas for engaging the public in conservation. Keynote presentations provided insight and inspiration related to plant conservation and biodiversity education (see detailed summaries below). A number of network representatives shared their original and effective conservation and biodiversity education programming efforts. In addition, daily discussions allowed for participants to share teaching experiences and ideas about the importance of biological and plant diversity to audiences of all ages.

In wrapping up the colloquium, participants not only shared what they felt the highlights had been, but made suggestions for similar meetings in the future and offered concrete individual commitments towards meeting targets identified in the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (Colloquium Wrap-up, April 14, 2006). The true value of the event was demonstrated by representatives from Columbia Valley Botanical Garden and Centre for Sustainable Living who offered to host another colloquium within the next two years. An enthusiastic group of volunteers immediately joined forces to form a planning committee.

We gratefully acknowledge assistance, invaluable logistical support, and the fantastic venues provided by our hosts: VanDusen Botanical Garden and  UBC Botanical Garden & Centre for Plant Research.

2. Plant Conservation, Sustainable Development and Grand Strategies: Is Canada up to the Challenge of Global Targets for 2010? Keynote Presentation April 12th, by Dr. David Galbraith (Executive Director, Canadian Botanical Conservation Network)

As the effects of global climate change become ever more obvious, as global economic growth continues, and as the ecological footprint of our own species grows ever larger, calls for organized efforts to conserve plant diversity have been growing louder. Botanical gardens in particular have been in the forefront of responding to international plant conservation initiatives, in particular to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. While positive in outlook, the targets of this strategy have a 2010 deadline and no dedicated funding.

At this half-way point to 2010, Dr. Galbraith presented an encouraging mid-term report card showing the steady progress in that has been made in Canada by botanical gardens towards plant conservation. He suggested that we continue to expand and improve plant conservation efforts and education for sustainable development at our institutions over the next five years. He introduced “Conserving Plant Diversity: The 2010 Challenge for Canadian Botanical Gardens” and its use as an action plan and to help lever funding opportunities/ applications for our important work.

For a pdf copy of this presentation, please contact: laurelmcivor@bgci.org

3. Adaptation and Conservation of Conifers in the Face of Climate Change, Keynote presentation April 13th, by Dr Sally Aitken, Professor in Forestry at UBC and Director of the Centre for Forest Gene Conservation.

Populations of conifers are adapted to their local climates and will be disrupted by rapid climate change. Restoration and reforestation practices will need to change in order to help populations migrate. Mature trees may be able to persist changes for a long period, but may become more vulnerable to some insects and diseases, particularly those that are non-native. Large populations need to be conserved in protected areas to maintain the evolutionary potential of these species. Isolated populations on the edge of species ranges may contain genetically unique individuals and therefore deserve particular attention for conservation.

Dr. Aitken provided an excellent description of the research, predictions and models of the effects of climate change on BC forests. Her concrete and demonstrative examples helped to illustrate the importance of conserving large tracts of forest ecosystems as well as peripheral plant populations. While the research has focused on trees, she felt strongly that similar conclusions would also be reached if plant communities were examined in similar ways. She also pointed out the value of seed and ex-situ collections as conservation backup and stressed the importance of public education.

For a pdf copy of this presentation, please contact: laurelmcivor@bgci.org

4. Innovation is not for Sissies, Keynote presentation April 14th by Dr. Elin Kelsey, adjunct professor at Royal Roads University and Monterey Institute of International Studies

An "innovative" program, facility or idea is seen as progressive, cutting edge, something that is leading the way for others.  The rhetoric of botanical gardens, interpretive centres, museums, zoos and aquariums reflects a high value for innovation, yet, for many of these facilities, innovation remains an elusive goal.  If innovation is "good", why is it so difficult to achieve? Drawing on examples of innovations within public education and conservation settings, this presentation explored underlying factors that tend to reinforce the status quo, and the "innovative" means various individuals and organizations use to overcome them in their efforts to engage the public in conservation.

Dr. Kelsey stressed that innovation and effective education involves risk, continued assessment and ongoing modification. She emphasised the power of public engagement in achieving our conservation and stewardship goals and reminded us that developing new and different ways to reach these goals was worth the effort and the "risk".

For a pdf copy of this presentation and/or a copy of a presentation on "Conversations about Conservation" (example from Monteray Bay Aquarium), contact: laurelmcivor@bgci.org

5. Conserving Plant Diversity: the 2010 Challenge for Canadian Botanical Gardens, David Galbraith, Canadian Botanical Conservation Network

Efforts to celebrate the successes of botanical gardens in promoting conservation and in making recommendations for new projects and initiatives, have led to such major developments as the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation, published by BGCI in 2001. That same year, Royal Botanical Gardens and Environment Canada, with CBCN, released A Biodiversity Action Plan for Botanical Gardens and Arboreta in Canada.

Now, five years on, BGCI has supported the development of an update to the 2001 Canadian action plan, which links its recommendations into the developing North American Strategy for Botanic Gardens in Conservation. The title of the update, Conserving Plant Diversity: the 2010 Challenge for Canadian Botanical Gardens, refers to the pending deadlines of 2010: the date for significant targets to reduce the loss of global biodiversity under the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity, and targets established in the Convention for Biological Diversity's Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

The 2010 Challenge includes profiles of many projects and developments over the past five years and background information on some programs of interest. The document is available in both English and French; pdf copies are also available on-line: www.bgci.org/canada

6. 200 Million Year Wait is Over! Maureen McIlwain, Kingsbrae Garden

Kingsbrae Garden has recently acquired one of the world's oldest and rarest trees, Wollemia nobilis — the only one in Canada. This has been an epic journey for the historic Wollemi pine, spanning 200 million years and 16,500 km from Australia’s Blue Mountains to the tiny resort town of St Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick.

Wollemi pines are no mere tree, but ‘living fossils’ that have outlived their Jurassic ancestors for millions of years. The species was presumed extinct until the 1994 discovery of a remote rainforest grove of 36 trees; previously only fossils of wollemi were known, dating back to the Jurassic Age. Scientists estimate that the oldest wollemi in the grove, first began poking its head above the canopy about the time of the Norman conquest in 1066.

Kingsbrae Garden’s Wollemi was purchased at one of several auctions held in 2005 by Wollemi Pine International as a fund-raiser for on-going conservation efforts. It is a first-generation tree, propagated by Sydney’s Royal Botanical Garden from one in the original grove. The Garden plans to use this captivating story to develop interpretive displays and educational programmes to highlight global plant conservation issues.

For more information: www.kingsbraegarden.com and www.wollemipine.com

7. Botany Behind the Scenes, Deb Metsger, Royal Ontario Museum

Visitors to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) see an exceptional array of themed galleries throughout the Museum, spanning both world cultures and natural history. While the public displays include an interactive Biodiversity Gallery with an important botanical focus, the Department of Natural History, Botany and Mycology remains extremely busy behind the scenes. They maintain two herbaria: The Green Plant Herbarium with holdings of Vascular Plants and Bryophytes; and the Mycological Herbarium.

The collections support active research into plant and fungal evolution and phylogeny, and are each involved in initiatives to document the biodiversity of Ontario and elsewhere. For example, the Green Plant Herbarium is a partner in the Northern Ontario Plant Database project, www.northernontarioflora.ca, making plant information and specimens from Northern Ontario available on the world wide web.

ROM botanists are committed to education and to making information on Ontario plants accessible to the public. In 2004 the ROM botanists produced The ROM Fieldguide to Wildflowers of Ontario (T.A. Dickinson, D.A. Metsger, J. Bull and R. Dickinson, ROM and McLelland and Stewart, 2004) This book includes 550 common Ontario species and features 1000 full-colour wildflower collections, most of which are from the ROM’s collections.

For more information: www.rom.on.ca

Volume 3, Issue 3
June 2006
bulletin français

In this issue :

1.

2006 Biodiversity Education and Conservation Colloquium - Summary

2.

Plant Conservation, Sustainable Development and Grand Strategies: Is Canada up to the Challenge of Global Targets for 2010?

3.

Adaptation and Conservation of Conifers in the Face of Climate Change

4.

Innovation is not for Sissies

5.

Conserving Plant Diversity: the 2010 Challenge for Canadian Botanical Gardens

6.

200 Million Year Wait is Over!

7.

Botany Behind the Scenes

Kaleidoscope Forest, Musée de la nature et des sciences, Sherbrooke QC

Thanks to the wealth of its many ecosystems, the forest provides a living space for thousands of animal and plant species. Nearly one million Canadians depend on forests for their livelihood, and they extract some 10,000 different products from its bounty. But are we really taking care of our forests? Who should be in charge of managing them? An entire section of this temporary exhibition is devoted to children, so that they may discover the true nature of trees and the abundant life hidden beneath and within them

The exhibit is co-produced with the Musée régional de Rimouski and will be on display until September 5th, 2006: come visit!

For more information: www.mnes.qc.ca

 

International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education, BGCI and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

In order to build capacity of botanic garden educators around the world, BGCI and RBG, Kew have developed an international diploma course in education for botanic garden staff. The course will run from Sept. 18-Oct. 20, 2006, in London, England.

Course content includes an overview of teaching and learning in botanic gardens; sustainable development education; the principles and practice of interpretation; lifelong learning; marketing; fundraising; and evaluation. By the end of the course, participants will have an understanding of all the aspects required to create an education master plan for their site. Guest speakers and visits to museums and gardens are also included. Visit the RBG Kew website for full details.

 

BGCI Report on Human Well-being, April 2006

There is an ever greater realisation that poverty and environmental degradation go hand-in-hand. BGCI's recent Report on Well-being and Biodiversity showcases how botanic gardens can and are helping to address both problems. The report features case studies from botanic gardens around the world and is available to all in PDF format.

 

Pack Your Bags for "Planet Plant"

A new plant conservation website from BGCI (U.S.) for kids ages 9-12 has launched! Visit Planet Plant (www.planetplant.org) and check out the online and offline art, science, outdoor and botanic garden activities that will get kids excited about the importance of plants and the need for their conservation. Every month features a new plant with a great conservation story to tell.

 

Upcoming educational events:

(Events are posted in the language(s) in which they are presented):

July 27-29, 2006
"Cultivating a Sense of Place: A Youth Gardening Adventure":
National Youth Gardening Symposium
The American Horticultural Society & Missouri Botanical Garden
WEBSITE
St. Louis, Missouri

Sept. 10-14th, 2006
"The Nature of Success, Success for Nature":
Education in Botanic Gardens,
BGCI’s 6th International Congress
WEBSITE
Oxford, U.K.

Sept. 18th to Oct. 20th, 2006
"International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education",
Royal Botanic Garden, Kew & Botanic Gardens Conservation International,
WEBSITE
Richmond U.K.

Oct. 10-14th, 2006
"Gathering at the Headwaters: Building EE in Society"
North American Association for Environmental Education’s 35th Annual Conference
WEBSITE
St. Paul, Minnesota

Oct. 19-22, 2005/ du 19 au 2 octobre, 2005
"Salt of the Earth: Creating a Culture of Environmental Respect and Sustainability"
(EECOM, IC & NSEN Annual Conference)
« Le sel de la Terre: Vers une culture axée sur le respect et la durabilité de l’environnement »
(Congrès de l’EECOM, IC, et NSEN)
WEBSITE
White Point, Nova Scotia/ Nouvelle Écosse

More botanical & environmental education events/conferences www.bgci.org/canda/edu_events

Plant conservation events/ conferences
www.rbg.ca/cbcn/en/news/coming

 

Subscription information:

If you would like to subscribe, have any questions or if would like to contribute a news item,
please contact Laurel McIvor, newsletter editor and writer (unless otherwise indicated):

laurel.mcivor@bgci.org,
902-585-1891.

 

Acknowledgements:

We would like thank the following for their contributions and support:

Translation: Catherine Gouillard
Design & Layout: Cheryl Fraser
Sponsors: HSBC Holdings plc
Partners: Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Canadian Botanical Conservation Network, and Montreal Botanical Garden

 

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Botanic Gardens Conservation International-Canada
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www.bgci.org/canada