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
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