Roots 17.2: Education and technology: Responding to a global pandemic

The latest issue of BGCI’s education journal Roots is now available. The October issue focuses on technology and the creative and innovative ways in which botanic gardens have engaged with their audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a response to the pandemic, in 2020 many gardens had to temporarily close their doors and/or restrict access to their gardens for visitors. This has posed a number of interesting questions for those in education and engagement roles – how do we maintain the interest and enthusiasm of our visitors if they cannot visit the garden? Can planned activities and events be delivered virtually? How do we support families, schools, and interested individuals through virtual education? And as gardens re-open – how can we welcome visitors back to the garden in a safe and socially distanced environment? This issue looks at some of the ways that botanic gardens have addressed these questions.

You also find back issues of Roots in our resources section.

Contribute to the next issue of Roots

The next issue of Roots is about climate change. Time is of the essence. The latest IPCC report predicts that we have less than 10 years to significantly reduce carbon emissions if we are to avoid the worse consequences of climate change. Consequences that would have a devastating impact on both humans and biodiversity. This means that we must engage as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, worldwide to address this effort. Botanic gardens as centres of plant conservation and public engagement have a key role to play in this effort. How are you incorporating climate change engagement into your education programmes? Have you developed a new and innovative way of engaging your visitors with climate change? Are you using climate change to engage a wider audience with the work of your garden? Are you supporting your visitors to contribute to climate change action?
We are currently looking for a variety of contributions including articles and education resources.

To contribute, please send a 100 word abstract to Helen Miller by 15th January 2021.