Transcript How botanic gardens changed the world

How botanic gardens changed
the world
Stephen Forbes
Director, Botanic Gardens of Adelaide
Director, Science & Conservation
Department for Environment & Heritage
South Australia
2nd World Botanic Gardens Congress
Heritage Round Table: Environmental
reconciliation: a vision for botanic gardens
How botanic gardens changed
the world
Drivers for change,
HISTORICAL
• describing biodiversity – Linnaean ‘natural’ system
• ‘planting’ colonies – plant diaspora
• ‘… glorifying the works of God’ – commodification?
CONTEMPORARY
• conserving biodiversity
Opening Pandora’s Box
• ‘natural’ taxonomic systems
– loss of specialised linguistic resources &
environmental specificity
– relationship with loss of biodiversity
• Harmless, Useful, Interesting & Ornamental
– ‘planting’ colonies
– plant diaspora within a monocultural framework
Pandora’s Box & Hope
• relationship between environmental & cultural
reconciliation
• intellectual investment in development &
environmental exploitation cf environmental
reconciliation
– ‘The kind of thinking that has gotten us into
this situation is not the kind of thinking that will
get us out of it.’ Albert Einstein
Strategies for environmental
reconciliation
Botanic garden policy & strategy to incorporate,
• two-way partnerships with the main currents of
communities
• multiculturalism (- beyond exhibitory
multiculturalism)
• prudence with cultural heritage
• acknowledgement of privilege as cultural &
scientific institution
Plants, people, culture
• cultural & scientific institutions
• IDEAS cf PLANTS
Oxford Botanic Gardens mission
- To promote learning and glorify the works of God
How botanic gardens changed
the world
Stephen Forbes
Director, Botanic Gardens of Adelaide
Director, Science & Conservation
Department for Environment & Heritage
South Australia