Auroville Botanical Gardens
Institution Code: AUROV
BGCI Member: Yes
About the Auroville Botanical Gardens
The Auroville Botanical Garden has been established in response to the disappearing Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest of the Coromandel Coast, south India, and to the global need for the conservation of genetic diversity in the plant kingdom in a wide range of climatic conditions.
The Auroville Botanical Garden was started in August 2000 on 50 acres of old cashew land rescued from the threat of real estate development. The Gardens have seen a remarkable growth since then. The site has been transformed into a luxuriant landscape that serves as an area for research into environmentally sustainable approaches to land management, as well as a location for environmental education. More than 250 tree species have been planted in the 25-acre arboretum, 5,500 specimens have been planted in the 10-acre conservation forest, and a TDEF plant nursery has been created, capable of producing 50,000 seedlings per year to promote the re-introduction of the indigenous flora of the region.
Conservation and preservation of the Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest (TDEF) is the Botanical Garden’s special mission. Since Auroville’s inception, teams of green workers involved in the reforestation work of Auroville have been making trips to sacred groves to collect seeds of the native TDEF species. Despite this, a recent survey done by the Botanical Garden has shown that sacred groves are still rapidly shrinking in size. Encroachment is rampant. Fortunately, with Auroville now having all the native TDEF species, seed collection happens within Auroville itself.
Main Address:
Auroville Botanical Gardens
Edayanchavadi Airport Road
Auroville
Tamil Nadu 605 101 India
Telephone: +914132623498
Fax:
URL: http://www.auroville-botanical-gardens.org
Primary Email: botanical@auroville.org.in