Education E-update

Botanic Gardens on the Global Stage

Botanic gardens have been making news around the world this month as centres of conservation, education and research. As you will read in this issue of Education E-update, gardens are taking the lead on international environmental awareness events, conservation strategies and education about climate change. We'd love to include news about how your botanic garden or education site is taking a leadership role in conservation issues locally, regionally or internationally. Send us your news and achievements, and we'll include them in the next issue.

Best wishes,
The BGCI Education Team
education@bgci.org (for general education enquiries to BGCI)
e-update@bgci.org (for Education E-update enquiries)

Education News from Around the World

BGCI celebrates Plant Conservation Day with Bristol Zoo Gardens: The UK's Bristol Zoo Gardens (BZG) joined with botanic gardens and zoos across the world to celebrate Plant Conservation Day (PCD) on May 18. The event was originally created in the USA by the Association of Zoological Horticulture (AZH). In 2006, BGCI joined with AZH to expand the event's reach. This year BGCI joined the celebrations at Bristol, where plant conservation was highlighted through a range of interactive and informative displays. BZG  highlighted their work on the re-introduction of the greater water parsnip to the Somerset Levels, a project carried out in collaboration with Natural England. Eddie Mole, BZG's Curator of Horticulture, said, "Plant Conservation Day works on many levels. It contributes to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, especially Target 14, which is concerned with communication, education and public awareness. It has also strengthened and enlarged BZG's conservation network and enabled us to get plant conservation messages to the public". He added that the day was a powerful team-building exercise, enabling other zoos and gardens to realise the positive actions of the GSPC. BGCI and AZH are encouraging botanic gardens and zoos throughout the world to celebrate the next Plant Conservation Day on May 18, 2009.

Chicago BG hosts World Environment Day: Chicago Botanic Garden recently hosted the United Nations Environment Programme's North American World Environment Day celebrations. The daylong celebration, with the theme of 'CO2-Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy', featured ideas and activities to lower your carbon footprint. Topics included energy efficiency, alternative energy, plant conservation, and consumer tips. Presentations by international experts on global warming and a children's painting competition were also featured.

BGCI receives climate change education grant: BGCI is delighted to announce that it has received a grant from the Ernest Cook Trust to develop a range of high-quality climate change resources that can be accessed as downloads by botanic gardens, related institutions and teachers via BGCI's online education portal. BGCI will work in close collaboration with Botanic Garden Education Network (UK) to produce the resources and make them available in early 2009. If your botanic garden is interested in being involved in this project, please email Julia Willison.

'Wake Up Call' is flowering throughout Europe: Enhancing public awareness about plant conservation is one of the main objectives of the new European Plant Conservation Strategy. The 'Wake Up Call' initiative, based on the UK's successful 'County Flowers' campaign, is now being undertaken in 12 European countries. Online voting sites are available in native languages for the general public to choose their most significant 'missing' plants. Botanic gardens and arboreta are playing a leading role in the Wake-Up Call in several countries, including Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Ukraine. For further information and to participate in voting, visit http://www.plantaeuropa.org

CBD considers future of Global Strategy for Plant Conservation: The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) underwent an in-depth review at the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held 19-31 May in Bonn, Germany. Progress to date on the GSPC's goals was outlined in a new Plant Conservation Report, prepared by the CBD Secretariat in collaboration with the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC), UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre and others. The report urges all countries to nominate GSPC focal points (if they have not already done so) and to develop national and/or regional plant conservation strategies. It also encourages reaching out to other sectors to better implement the lagging targets and to provide information for further reviews. For more information, download a summary of the COP9 discussions.

BGCI to evaluate Quaranic Botanic Garden Network: BGCI has been awarded a contract to evaluate a UNESCO initiative to establish a Quaranic Botanic Garden Network. The idea was first proposed by UNESCO in 2005, with the aim of establishing a network of botanic gardens as centres of excellence for botanic education, research and conservation. The network would address the Quaranic call to respect trees, shrubs, grasses and all plants in general, while at the same time ensuring ex situ conservation of the indigenous plants of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as those plants that are specifically mentioned in the holy book. BGCI's evaluation will provide a detailed assessment of the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the project interventions thus far at local, regional and global levels. It will also identify opportunities for replication of the pilot projects in Sharjah and Qatar.

What's going on at your botanic garden? Send us news from your botanic garden or education site, and we'll include it in the next issue of Education E-update.

PlantEd Poll

It's easy and fun! Read this month's poll question and click on your response. We'll publish the results in the next Education E-update!

This month's poll: What is the largest audience for your plant-based education programs? Click on a response below to cast your vote!

Schools

Families

General public

Last month, we asked if your botanic garden or education site offers an email newsletter to keep visitors up to date on news and events. Here's what you said!

Tools You Can Use

'My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant': A new web-based tool to assist environmental educators in conducting programme evaluations has been created by Dr. Michaela Zint of the University of Michigan (USA). The 'My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant' provides guidance on all aspects of evaluating an education programme.

Fruitipedia: This website is a comprehensive encyclopedia of the world's edible fruits. You can search for fruits by both common and botanical names. Additionally, you'll find interesting facts about edible fruits and relevant articles.

Have you got a teaching resource that you can't do without? Send us your most valuable tools or resources, and we'll include them in an upcoming issue of Education E-update.

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