roots - Botanic Gardens Conservation International

Biodiversity, Human Rightsand Sustainability

Environmental Ethics in theWest: An Overview

Exploring Ethical Issues inBotanic Gardens

Desert Detectives and a NewWildlife Trail

People and Plants – Training Darwin Mentors

Botanic Gardens EducationForum

BOTANICGARDENSEducation forSustainability

June 2001

EnvironmentalEthics

roots

Botanic

Gardens

Conservation

International

Education

Review 22

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SubscriptionsRoots is published twice a year as a service to the BGCI education network. It is sent to member gardens as part of theirannual subscription. For information on how to become a member please contact BGCI or refer to the back cover of thisedition of Roots.

Forthcoming IssuesRoots 23 - General Theme Last submission dates: Articles - July 13, 2001, News - August 10, 2001Roots 24 – Environmental Interpretation Last Submission dates: Articles - February 15, 2002 News – March 15, 2002

INTROIntroductionGuest Editor: Dr Angela Leiva Sánchez, Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba, Cuba 2

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UPDATENewsBotanic garden education news from around the world

ARTICLEFIVEExploring Ethical Issues in Botanic GardensSue Baughan, Leicester University Botanic Garden, U.K. and Peter Batty, Consultant U.K.

ARTICLETWOTowards a Community Environmental EthicAbel Atiti, National Museums of Kenya, Kenya

ARTICLETHREE

Ethics A Voice of CultureJohn Lennis and Janelle Hatherly Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, Australia and Lucy Sutherland, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, U.K.

ARTICLEFOUREnvironmental Ethics in the West: An OverviewMarisa Cohen, Assisi Nature Council, Italy

ARTICLEONEBiodiversity, Human Rights and SustainabilityTim Hayward, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

ARTICLESIXSowing and HarvestingEnvironmental Education Activity, Oxfam U.K.

42RESOURCESResourcesEducational resources for botanic gardens

CONTENTS

Contents

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news up date…dernières nouvelles…últimas noticias…

Hoy en día somos más de seis mil millonesde habitantes en el planeta, de los cualesdos terceras partes viven en insoportableatraso y pobreza. No menos de milochocientos millones son niños y jóvenes.Y en los próximos 50 años, unostrescientos mil millones de nuevosciudadanos vendrán a compartir nuestroya muy contaminado y crítico mundo.

En los últimos años, las palabras desarrollosostenible se han convertido en elparadigma de lo que necesitamos parasobrevivir como civilización, y al mismotiempo, en el sueño que nadie haalcanzado porque, entre otras causas,implica un giro radical en las actitudes ypatrones de producción y consumo tantopersonales como de la sociedad. En otraspalabras, se trata de adoptar una nuevaética para vivir de modo sostenible.

A este crucial tema dedica ROOTS elpresente número. Es tarea urgente einmediata preservar el mínimo decondiciones de vida necesarias para todosesos seres humanos que habitarán laTierra en las próximas décadas. De ahíque el enfoque del problema no puedaquedar en el plano de lo pragmático y losuperficial. Hay que ir a la raíz delproblema. Y en esa raíz estáprecisamente la ética de la sostenibilidad ,de cuyo enfoque en el mundo occidentaldesarrollado nos habla María Luisa Cohenen un bien documentado artículo que noshace meditar en los aspectos teóricos yprácticos del tema, cuando se requierecon urgencia cambiar patrones de vida yde pensamiento, cuando resultaimperativo alcanzar el desarrollo sostenibley la justicia social imprescindible, sincometer nuevos errores ecológicos ennombre del ‘desarrollo’. Cohen coloca enel centro del problema la necesidad decorregir la actual cosmovisión de laresponsabilidad humana para con el

Today there are over six billion people onthe planet, of which two thirds live inunbearable poverty. No fewer than 1.8billion are children and young peopleand, in the next 50 years, some 300billion new citizens will enter and shareour already contaminated and criticalworld.

In the last few years, the wordssustainable development have beenconverted into a paradigm that we needto adopt in order to survive as acivilisation. It implies a radical shift inthe attitudes and patterns of productionand consumerism within society; in otherwords, we need to adopt a new ethic ofliving sustainably.

This issue of Roots is dedicated to thiscrucial theme. This work is urgent andaims to create the minimum conditionsnecessary for all human beings thatinhabitat the Earth in the comingdecades. The focus of the problemcannot just continue on a pragmatic andsuperficial level. We have to get to theroot of the problem - the ethics ofsustainability. Marisa Luisa Cohen in herarticle challenges us to think about thetheoretical and practical aspects ofenvironmental ethics in the Westerndeveloped world. To achieve sustainabledevelopment and social justice, withoutcommitting new ecological errors in thename of ‘development’, she argues thatthere is an urgent requirement to changepatterns of living and thinking. Cohenviews the nub of the problem as thenecessity for us to correct our worldvision of human responsibility towardsthe natural world, without merelyreducing it to scientific and technologicalaspects.

The role of indigenous communities inestablishing ethical patterns in plant

Il y a aujourd’hui six milliards d’habitantssur la planète et les deux tiers d’entre euxvivent dans un état de pauvretéinsupportable. Parmi-eux, 1,8 milliardsont des enfants ou des jeunes et dansles 50 prochaines années, près de 300millions de citoyens vont naître et partagerce monde pourtant déjà si pollué et dansun état critique.

Depuis quelque temps, la philosophie dudéveloppement durable est devenue unparadigme qui doit être adopté si notrecivilisation veut survivre. Ceci impliqueune modification radicale de nosattitudes, modes de production et deconsommation pour notre société, end’autres termes, nous devons appliquerune nouvelle éthique garantissant lemaintien de la vie.

Ce numéro de Roots est consacré à cethème crucial. Cette prise de conscienceest vitale pour permettre aux êtreshumains qui vont partager notre planètedans les décennies à venir de vivredécemment. Les solutions à ce problèmene peuvent être seulement envisagéesd’un point de vue pragmatique ousuperficiel. Nous devons toucher aucœur du problème: l’étique de la gestiondurable. Marisa Luisa Cohen, dans sonarticle, nous incite à envisager les aspectsthéoriques et pratiques de l’éthiqueenvironnementale dans le mondeoccidental. Pour atteindre à undéveloppement durable et à une justicesociale, sans commettre de nouvelleserreurs écologiques au nom dudéveloppement, elle démontre qu’il esturgent de changer les modes de vie et depensée. Cohen pense que la solution duproblème réside dans la nécessité demodifier notre vision de la responsabilitéhumaine envers la nature, et de ne pas laréduire simplement à ses aspectsscientifiques et technologiques.

SustainabilityThe ethics of

INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION


mundo natural, sin reducirla a aspectosmeramente científicos y tecnológicos.

El papel de las comunidades autóctonasen el establecimiento de patrones éticosen la conservación de los recursosvegetales de Kenya es tratado por AbelAtiti, relatándonos cómo las diferentescomunidades de este país, portadoras dediversas concepciones culturales ycreencias, manifiestan asímismodiferencias en su relación con lanaturaleza. De ahí que este autor asigne ala cultura un papel fundamental en la éticaambiental. La modernidad y la erosióncultural que conlleva la occidentalizaciónhacen que, actualmente, en las jóvenesgeneraciones se manifieste un procesorápido de pérdida del conocimientoacumulado por las comunidades acercade la naturaleza, al perderse también lastradiciones, creencias y costumbreslocales. Atiti propone una novedosa ideapara detener esta pérdida de la memoriahistórico-cultural en las comunidades deKenya: crear en los sitios naturalesvenerados tradicionalmente por lospobladores (cuya biodiversidad hanconservado), jardines comunitarios en losque se mantengan las tradiciones en larelación hombre-sociedad-naturaleza y almismo tiempo se incorporen a losprogramas de educación y concientizaciónambiental dichas tradiciones yconocimientos que aportan tanto a laexistencia de una ética ambientalcomunitaria.

Sue Baughan y Peter Batty enfocan uncrucial problema: ¿ es la educación queofrecemos relevante para la vida real delos niños y jóvenes? Alrededor de unpastel de chocolate, se teje unainteresante secuencia de nuevosconocimientos que no se reducen a lopuramente botánico, sino que incursionanen lo social, en lo ético del procesoproductivo desde el árbol de cacao hastala barra de chocolate y sus principalesactores, entre ellos el pequeño Ricardo, dela comunidad Ladakhi, que no puede ir ala escuela porque tiene que trabajar paraayudar a su familia pobre. O el proyectoen el cual el jardín botánico de Leicesterse transforma en el país Botánica, y seasignan a los niños papeles diversos, dedirigentes gubernamentales, científicos,obreros, curanderos tradicionales, etc.

conservation in Kenya is addressed byAbel Atiti. Through introducing us todifferent communities in Kenya, Atitiexplains how these communities areholders of diverse cultural conceptionsand beliefs, and that this manifests itselfin their relationship with nature. Assuch, Atiti sees the role of culture asfundamental to environmental ethics.Modernity and the erosion of culture thatWesternisation conveys, appears tomanifest itself particularly in the youngergenerations. Knowledge accumulatedby communities living close to nature israpidly lost as are the traditions, beliefsand local customs. Atiti proposes a newidea to halt this loss of historicalmemory: the creation in natural areas(where biodiversity is conserved) oftraditional sites of worship for thepopulation, such as communal gardensin which communities maintain theirtraditions in relation to human-society-nature while, at the same time,incorporating education andenvironmental awareness raisingprogrammes that support the existenceof a communal environmental ethic.

Sue Baughan and Peter Batty highlight a crucial problem. Is the education thatwe offer relevant to the real life ofchildren and young people? Using acake, they weave an interestingsequence of new knowledge that cannotbe reduced purely to botany. Thisknowledge penetrates the social aspectsof life: the ethics of the productiveprocess. From the cocoa tree to the barof chocolate the programme looks at theprinciple actors. Among them youngRicardo, from a community in Ladak,who is unable to go to school becausehe has to work to help his poor family.In another project, Leicester UniversityBotanic Garden, UK, becomes thecountry Botanica and assigns differentroles to children, government officials,scientists, workers, traditional healers,etc. Together they have to discussenvironmental problems about whichthey must make important decisions.This educational activity facilitates theintroduction of ethical principles while atthe same time supports thedevelopment of knowledge thatstrengthens these principles.

Le rôle des communautés indigènes dansl’établissement de nouveaux modèleséthiques pour la conservation des espècesvégétales au Kenya est présenté par AbelAtiti. En décrivant différentescommunautés, Atiti explique comment cescommunautés détiennent des croyanceset des conceptions culturelles différenteset comment celles-ci se manifestent dansleur relation avec la nature. Ainsi, Atiticonsidère que la culture est aussifondamentale que l’éthiqueenvironnementale. La modernité etl’érosion de la culture que le mondeoccidental véhicule semblent semanifester plus particulièrement auprèsdes jeunes générations. Lesconnaissances accumulées par lescommunautés vivant près de la nature seperdent très vite de même que lestraditions, les croyances et les coutumeslocales. Atiti propose d’aider à renoueravec la mémoire historique par la création,dans des zones naturelles où labiodiversité est préservée, de sanctuairespour la population. Il suggère la créationde jardins communaux dans lesquels lescommunautés maintiendraient leurscoutumes environnementales et socialeset propose d’y intégrer des programmeséducatifs visant à accroître la prise deconscience environnementale.

Sue Baugham et Peter Batty mettent enévidence un problème crucial: l’éducationque nous offrons aujourd’hui est-elleadaptée à la vie des enfants et desadolescents? En prenant comme prétextela fabrication d’un gâteau, ils imaginentune séquence qui fait appel nonseulement aux connaissances botaniquesmais aussi aux aspect sociaux et àl’éthique des schémas de production. Du cacaoyer à la barre de chocolat, leprogramme examine les divers acteurs.Parmi eux, Ricardo, un jeune d’unecommunauté du Ladak est dansl’impossibilité de se rendre à l’école car ildoit aider sa famille trop pauvre. Dans unautre projet, le jardin botanique del’Université de Leicester devient le paysBotanica et différents rôles sont attribuésaux enfants: responsables politiques,scientifiques, ouvriers, médecinstraditionnels…Ensemble, ils doiventdébattre de problèmes environnementauxafin de prendre des décisions importantes.Cette activité aide à faire passer des

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INTRODUCTION


y juntos tienen que discutir problemasambientales que les son consultados,sobre los cuales deben tomar decisionesde trascendencia. Este ejercicio educativofacilita la introducción de principios éticosy a su vez les aporta conocimientos quedesarrollan y fortalecen dichos principios.

A la conexión que existe entre losderechos humanos y la conservación de labiodiversidad en el planeta, dedica TimHayward, un interesante artículo. En elmundo económicamente globalizado dehoy en día, donde cada vez los ricos sonmás ricos y los pobres son más pobres(no solo las personas sino también lospaíses), tiene lugar la más grandeextinción masiva de especies que hayaexistido nunca y la desaparición deecosistemas sustentadores de la vidasobre el planeta. Esta situación lejos dedisminuirse, se ha agudizado con el augedel neoliberalismo en el último deceniopese al incremento del grado deconciencia ambiental y compromiso, tantode personas como de gobiernos. Lacausa fundamental de tal ecocidio es laactividad irracional de la humanidad bajoun sistema que sólo busca el beneficioeconómico. El autor nos propone elsiguiente ejemplo para ilustrar: las ricasindustrias occidentales toman de lospueblos indígenas y de las comunidadesbiológicas lo que les puede redituarutilidades, patentando, declarando suyoslos derechos de la propiedad intelectual, y vendiendo luego sus productos al paísde origen a precios que los pobres nopueden pagar. El elemental derechohumano a una vida digna y segura sólopuede ejercerse en armonía con el medionatural, conservando la diversidadbiológica del planeta en todos sus niveles(ecosistemas, poblaciones, especies ydiversidad genética). ¿Qué se puede ydebe hacer para detener y revertir lapérdida de diversidad biológica? es lapregunta que se hace el autor, quienconcluye diciendo que la conservación dela biodiversidad no sólo está ligada a losderechos humanos sino también a lasresponsabilidades humanas, y que paraello es necesario entender a cuálesintereses se sirve, con cuál enfoque delproblema, y cuáles intereses tienen lamayor justicia de su parte.

Angela Leiva Sánchez

Looking at the connection betweenhuman rights and the conservation ofbiodiversity, Tim Hayward offers us aninteresting perspective. In aneconomically globalized world today,where the rich are becoming richer andthe poor poorer (not only people but alsocountries), the greatest extinction ofspecies and the disapperance ofecosystems that sustains life on planet iscurrently taking place. This situation farfrom diminishing, has become moreacute with the rise of neoliberalismduring the last decade, despite anincremental step in environmentalconciousness and commitment bypeople, including those in government.The fundamental cause of such ecocideis the irrational activity of humanity undera system that only seeks economicbenefit. Hayward uses the followingexample to illustrate his point: richWestern industrial societies take from theindigenous communities biodiversity thatthey usefully produce, patent it, declare ittheir intellectual property right, and thenlater sell their products to the country oforigin at prices the people cannot afford.The fundamental right of a dignified andsecure life can only be brought about inharmony with the natural environment,conserving the planet’s biodiversity at alllevels (ecosystems, populations, speciesand genetic diversity). What can we doto halt and reverse the loss of biologicaldiversity? This is the question thatHayward poses and concludes by sayingthat biodiversity conservation is not onlybound to human rights but it is also theresponsibility of humans. For this, it isnecessary to understand whose interestsit serves and whose interests are seen tohave greater justice on their side.

principes éthiques tout en consolidant lesconnaissances qui, à leur tour, viendrontétayer ces principes.

En considérant les liens entre les droitsde l’homme et la conservation de labiodiversité, Tim Hayward nous offre uneapproche intéressante. Dans un mondeoù l’économie est devenue globale, oùles riches deviennent plus riches et lespauvres plus pauvres ( non seulement leshommes mais aussi les Etats), on assisteaujourd’hui à l’extinction de plus en plusrapide d’espèces et à la disparition desécosystèmes qui sont les supports de viesur la planète. La situation, loin des’améliorer, est de plus en plus critiqueen raison de l’expansion dunéolibéralisme de la dernière décennie etce, en dépit d’une prise de conscienceenvironnementale et de l’implicationgrandissante des hommes et de certainsgouvernements. La cause fondamentaled’un tel écocide reste l’irrationalité desactivités humaines dans un système quine vise qu’au bénéfice économique.Hayward utilise l’exemple suivant pourillustrer ce propos: les sociétésoccidentales industrialisées prélèvent auxcommunautés indigènes des ressources,déposent un brevet, en font leur propriétéintellectuelle et ensuite revendent lesproduits manufacturés aux pays d’origineà un prix inaccessible aux populations.Le droit fondamental pour une vie digneet sûre est indissociable du respect dumilieu naturel, en conservant labiodiversité à tous les niveaux(écosystèmes, populations, espèces etdiversité génétique). Que pouvons nousfaire pour stopper l’érosion de la diversitégénétique? C’est la question qu’Haywardpose et il conclue en disant que laconservation de la biodiversité est nonseulement liée aux droits de l’hommemais est aussi de la responsabilité dechacun. Pour cela, il est nécessaire decomprendre quels intérêts on sert et ceuxqui servent une plus grande justice.

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Interpreting PeruBGCI’s Education Officer, LucySutherland, recently visited Lima inPeru to lecture for one week onenvironmental interpretation tostudents undertaking a Masters inEcotourism. This was a joint projectwith Universidad Nacional Agraria LaMolina, Botanic Gardens ConservationInternational and the University ofGreenwich, Chatham UK and wasfunded by The British Council in Peru.The Masters students were from avariety of professional backgroundsand the course provided them with theopportunity to undertake several groupprojects that helped them to developinterpretive ideas for self guided trails,conducting guided tours andbrochures, as well as being morestrategic in their approach tointerpretation.

Botanic Gardens EducationForumWould you like to discuss educationalissues with like-minded people? Areyou developing a new programme thatyou’d like advice on? Do you have asuccess story (or not!) to share? Thenbg-ed is for you!

Yahoo! bg-ed is an internationaldiscussion forum for educatorsworking in botanic gardens andarboreta. With over 100 members youcan be assured of stimulatingdiscussions and good advice oneducation in botanic gardens.

Initiated by the Education Committeeof the American Association ofBotanical Gardens and Arboreta(AABGA), the forum has joined forceswith BGCI to promote a more

Interprétation au PérouLucy Sutherland, chargée d’éducationau BGCI, a récemment visité le Péroupour organiser durant une semainedes conférences sur l’interprétation enenvironnement auprès d’étudiantspréparant une maîtrise en éco-tourisme. Ce projet est organisé encommun avec l’Universidad NacionalAgaria la Molina, le Botanic GardensConservation International etl’University of Greenwich, Chatham enAngleterre, et la été financé par leBritish Council au Pérou. Lesétudiants de maîtrise proviennent dediverses origines professionnelles. Lescours leur ont donné l’opportunité dedévelopper des idées dans lesdomaines de l’interprétation, de lacréation de sentiers d’interprétation,de la conduite de visites guidées oude visites autonomes à l’aide debrochures, et d’adopter une démarcheplus stratégique dans leur approchede l’interprétation.

Forum de Discussion surL’Éducation dans les JardinsBotaniquesVoulez-vous discuter des questionsd’éducation avec des personnesintéressées par ces même

Interpretando PerúLa directora de Educación de BGCILucy Sutherland, recientemente estuvoen Lima, Perú, impartiendo unseminario de una semana sobreinterpretación ambiental, a estudiantesde Maestría en Ecoturismo. Dichoseminario fue en colaboración con laUniversidad Nacional Agraria LaMolina, Conservación Internacional enJardines Botánicos y la Universidad deGreenwich, Chatham Reino Unido, yfue auspiciado por el Consejo Británicoen Perú. La formación académica delos estudiantes de la maestría era muydiversa, lo que les permitió emprenderuna serie de proyectos de grupo queles ayudó a desarrollar ideas parasenderos interpretativos deautorrecorrido, visitas guiadas yfolletos, así como para realizar unaplaneación más estratégica en su laborde interpretación.

Foro de Educación en JardinesBotánicos¿Te gustaría discutir de asuntoseducativos con gente que concuerdecon tus ideas? ¿Estás desarrollandoun nuevo proyecto del cual quisierascomentarios o sugerencias? ¿Tieneslogros (u obstáculos!) que quisierascompartir? Entonces bg-ed es para ti.

Yahoo!bg-ed es un foro internacionalde discusión para educadores quetrabajan el jardines botánicos yarboreta. Con más de 100 miembrosseguramente encontrarás motivantesdiscusiones y consejos sobreeducación en jardines botánicos.

Iniciado por el Comité de educaciónde la Asociación Americana deJardines Botánicos y Arboreta

Newsup date

NEWS

Left: Students

undertaking a

Masters in

Ecotourism at

la Molina

University visit

a wetland area

outside Lima in

Peru to discuss

environmental

interpretation

with BGCI’s

Education

Officer, Lucy

Sutherland (4th

left, back row)

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international debate. How active bg-ed is, will depend on you! Thelanguage of the forum is in English butif you need help with translation, youcan contact BGCI.

To subscribe visit the website:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bg-ed.Scroll down and on the right hand sideof the screen click on ‘subscribe’.Follow the instructions on screen.Submit your form and within 24 hoursyou will receive an email confirmingyour acceptance to the group. It couldn’t be simpler!

We look forward to your participationin future discussions.

People and Plants – TrainingDarwin MentorsThe Darwin Initiative for the Survival ofSpecies has recently given a grant toBGCI and the Kodaikanal BotanicGarden in Tamil Nadu, India. Thisgrant is to enable to the organisationsto develop the capacity of teachers ina remote biodiversity rich part of India,to raise awareness among primaryschool children and their parents,about the importance of native floraand forests, and the need to useplants sustainably. A series ofenvironmental education trainingworkshops will be run to equipteachers with a range of techniquesand methods they can use in theirschool or in the botanic garden. Newresources will be produced to supportteachers in developing environmentaleducation programmes. Julia Willison,BGCI’s Head of Education, will bemanaging this project in partnershipwith Dr V.S. Manickam, the Director ofKodaikanal Botanic Garden.

AUSTRALIA

Children’s Garden at the Royal Botanic GardensMelbourneA garden specially created for childrenis the latest development to emergefrom the Royal Botanic GardensMelbourne, Australia. The Ian PotterFoundation Children’s Garden isdesigned to introduce children to thewonderful world of plants in a fun way.

préoccupations ? Etes-vous en trainde mettre au point un nouveauprogramme et vous aimeriez avoir unavis dessus ? Avez-vous connu uneexpérience positive (ou négative !) etdésirez-vous en faire part ? Alors bg-ed est pour vous !

Yahoo ! bg-ed est un forum dediscussion international destiné auxéducateurs qui travaillent dans lesjardins botaniques et les arboretums.Avec plus de 100 membres, vouspouvez être sûr d’échanger desdiscussions stimulantes et d’avoir debons avis sur l’éducation dans lesJardins Botaniques. Initié par lecomité d’éducation de l’AmericanAssociation of Botanical Gardens andArborea (AABGA), ce forum joint sesforces à celles du BGCI pourpromouvoir un débat plus large auniveau international.

Comment rendre actif ce forum bg-ed ?Cela dépend de vous! La langue duforum est l’anglais, mais si vous avezbesoin d’aide pour les traductions,vous pouvez prendre contact avec leBGCI. Pour souscrire à ce forum,effectuez une visite sur le site web :<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bg-ed>. Faites défiler vers le bas, et surle côté droit de l’écran, cliquer sur‘souscrire’. Puis suivez les indicationssur l’écran. Renvoyez votre formulaire,et sous 24h, vous recevrez un e-mailconfirmant votre acceptation augroupe. Cela ne peut pas être plussimple! Nous attendons avecimpatience votre participation auxfutures discussions.

‘Hommes et Plantes’, uneFormation de ProfesseursRelais par la Fondation DarwinL’Initiative Darwin pour la Survie desEspèces a récemment remis unesubvention au BGCI et au KodaikamalBotanic Garden dans le Tamil Nadu,en Inde. Cette subvention doitpermettre à ces organisationsd’améliorer les capacités desprofesseurs, installés dans une partiereculée de l’Inde et riche enbiodiversité, à sensibiliser les enfantsd’écoles primaires et leurs parents de

(AABGA), el foro ha unido fuerzas con BGCI para promover un debatemás internacional. ¡Qué tan activo sea bg-ed dependerá de ti!. El idiomadel foro es el inglés, aunque sinecesitas traducción puedes contactara BGCI.

Para suscribirte visita el sitio web:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bg-ed,despliega y al lado derecho de lapantalla haz ‘click’ en suscribir. Siguelas instrucciones de la pantalla. Envíael formato y en 24 horas recibirás unemail confirmando tu ingreso. ¡Nopodría ser más simple!

Esperamos tu participación en laspróximas discusiones.

Gente y plantas- Entrenamiento Darwin paraMentoresLa Iniciativa Darwin para laSobrevivencia de Especiesrecientemente otorgó una beca paraBGCI y el Jardín Botánico Kodaikanalen Tamil Nadu, India. Esta becapermitirá a ambas organizacionescapacitar a maestros de una lejanaparte de gran biodiversidad en India,para concientizar a maestros deprimaria y padres de familia, sobre laimportancia de la flora nativa y lasselvas, y la necesidad de utilizarlassustentablemente. Diversos talleresde educación ambiental brindarán alos maestros una gama demetodologías y técnicas que podránusar en la escuela y en el jardínbotánico. Se producirá nuevo materialimpreso para apoyar a los maestrosen el desarrollo de sus programas deeducación ambiental. Julia Willison,Jefa de Educación coordinará esteproyecto junto con el Dr. V.S.Manickam, Director del JardínBotánico Kodaikanal.

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NEWS UP DATE


The centrepiece of the new venture isThe Magic Pudding sculpture, which isproving to be a natural drawcard forchildren and adults alike. SculptorLouis Laumen has translated authorand illustrator Sir Norman Lindsay’sdrawings into bronze. The fourcharacters have a definite Australianflavour – the larrikin tradition (a larrikinis someone that disregardsconvention, a type of maverick).

Set to become Australia’s majorenvironmental education garden forchildren, it will be a captivating placefor children to climb, hide, dream andlearn; a place where play is the key todiscovery and learning about naturebecomes an adventure. The Ian PotterFoundation Children’s Garden will becompleted by the end of 2003. Forfurther information contact: CarmenGreenway, Marketing Assistant, RoyalBotanic Gardens, Private Bag 2000,South Yarra Vic 3141, Australia. Tel: (61) 3 9252 2375 Fax: (61) 3 9252 2476 Email:[email protected]

CHINA

‘Crystal Palace’ of the FarEastThe new conservatory at the ShanghaiBotanical Garden will be inauguratedthis year on the National Day of China,October 1. A tropical rainforest andindoor gardens will be created anddisplayed with more than 3000varieties of plants. An exhibition ofinteresting plants and an educationprogramme for children will take placeduring the opening ceremony. Formore information contact: Dr HuYonghong, Shanghai BotanicalGarden, 1100 Longwu Road, Shanghai200231, People’s Republic of China.Email [email protected] [email protected]

ITALY

Regular VisitorsSchool visits do not necessarily haveto be a ‘one off’. Children from a localschool visited the Assisi NatureCouncil gardens weekly during theSpring term to take lessons in botany

l’importance que représentent la floreet les forêts natives, et les enjeux queconstituent l’utilisation durable desressources végétales.

Une série d’ateliers de formation surl’éducation à l’environnement seraeffectuée pour doter les professeursd’un éventail de techniques et deméthodes qu’ils pourront utiliser dansleurs écoles ou dans un JardinBotanique.

De nouveaux outils seront réaliséspour aider les professeurs àdévelopper des programmesd’éducation. Julia Willison,responsable du service éducation auBGCI, conduira ce projet enpartenariat avec le Dr V.S. Manickam,Directeur du Kodaikanal BotanicGarden.

AUSTRALIE

Le Jardin des Enfants auRoyal Botanic Garden deMelbourneLa dernière réalisation du RoyalBotanic Garden de Melbourne enAustralie, est un jardin spécialementdestiné aux enfants. Le Jardin desEnfants de la fondation Jan Potter àpour vocation d’introduire les enfantsdans le monde merveilleux des plantesd’une façon ludique.

AUSTRALIA

Jardín Infantil en los RealesJardines Botánicos deMelbourneUn jardín especialmente para niños esel último desarrollo de los RealesJardines Botánicos de Melbourne,Australia. El Jardín de la Fundaciónpara Niños Ian Potter se ha diseñadopara introducir a los niños almaravilloso mundo de las plantas deuna manera divertida.

La pieza central de la nueva aventuraes la escultura El Budín Mágico que esuna representación muy natural delparecido de niños y adultos. Elescultor Louis Laumen plasmó losdibujos del ilustrador y autor SirNorman Lindsay en bronce. Loscuatro personajes tienen todo el saboraustraliano – la tradición larrikin (paraaquéllos no australianos oneozelandeses un larrikin es aquél queno concuerda con lo convencional, untipo de maverick).

Diseñado como el principal jardín paraeducación ambiental para niños, seráun sitio cautivante para que los niñostrepen, se escondan, sueñen yaprendan; un lugar donde el juego esla clave para que el descubrimiento yaprendizaje de la naturaleza sea todauna aventura. El Jardín de la

Left: Norman

Lindsey’s

characters from

the Australian

children’s story

The Magic

Pudding, have

been turned to

bronze by

Sculptor Louis

Laumen and

placed in

the new

children’s

garden at the

Royal Botanic

Gardens

Melbourne,

Australia


NEWS UP DATE


and medieval history as well as takinga role in maintaining the garden byremoving flower heads, weeding,airing the ground and using thecompost bin. For further informationcontact: Marisa Cohen, Assisi NatureCouncil, Casella Postale 107, 06081Assisi (Pe), Italy. Tel: 39 (075) 813521Fax: 39 (075) 813521.

KENYA

Further studiesAbel Atiti has been awarded aMacArthur Foundation Scholarship topursue a Masters degree inEnvironmental Education studies atRhodes University in South Africa forthe next two years. Abel’s study willfocus on the development of materialsfor interpretive environmentaleducation processes in two Kenyanschools. He has already startedworking with teachers from the twoschools to develop through aparticipatory approach, materials thatengage learners in interpretiveenvironmental education processeswithin their school grounds. Forfurther information contact: Abel Atiti,National Museums of Kenya, NairobiBotanic Garden, PO Box 40658,Nairobi, Kenya. Fax: (254) 2 741424Email: [email protected]

MOROCCO

Producing Education ResourceMaterialsThe Botanic Garden of the InstitutAgronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan IIrecently organised a three dayworkshop (19 – 21 March 2001) incollaboration with SPANA (Society forthe Protection of Animals Abroad) andthe Association of Teachers of Life and

Le point central de ce projet en coursde réalisation sera une sculpture duPudding Magique. Le sculpteur LouisLaumen a su traduire, dans le bronze,les dessins de l’auteur et illustrateurSir Norman Lindsay. Les quatrepersonnages ont un goût certain ettout à fait australien pour la traditiondu larrikin (pour les non Australiens ouNéo-zélandais, un larrikin est unepersonne qui transgresse lesconventions, une sorte de non-conformiste). Appeler à devenir lejardin éducatif le plus importantd’Australie, il sera un endroitenchanteur pour inviter les enfants àescalader, se cacher, rêver etapprendre. Un lieu où jouer est la clefpour apprendre, et où découvrir lanature devient une aventure. Le Jardindes Enfants de la fondation Jan Pottersera achevé avant la fin 2003. Pourplus d’informations, prendre contactavec : Carmen Greenway, MarketingAssistant, Royal Botanic Gardens,Private Bag 2000, South Yarra Vic3141, Australie. Tel: 61 (39) 252 2375 Fax: 61 (39) 252 2476 Email:[email protected]

CHINE

Le ‘Cristal Palace’ du GrandEstLa nouvelle serre du ShanghaiBotanical Garden sera inaugurée cetteannée le 1er octobre, qui estégalement le jour de la Fête Nationaleen Chine. Des jardins d’intérieur etune forêt tropicale seront recréés, etprésenteront une collection de plus de3000 espèces végétales. Uneexposition de plantes de collection etdes programmes éducatifs pour lesenfants seront organisés lors de lacérémonie d’ouverture. Pour plusd’informations, prendre contact avec:Dr Hu Yonghong, Shanghai BotanicalGarden, 1100 Longwu Road, Shanghai200231, People’s Republic of China.Email [email protected] [email protected]

ITALIE

Les Visiteurs RéguliersLa découverte d’un jardin par ungroupe scolaire ne doit pas forcément

fundación para Niños Ian Potter seconcluirá a fines del 2003. Paramayor información contactar a:Carmen Greenway, Asistente dePromoción, Royal Botanic Gardens,Private Bag 2000, South Yarra Vic3141, Australia. Tel: 61 (39) 2522375 Fax: 61 (39) 252 2476 Email:[email protected]

CHINA

El ‘Palacio de Cristal’ delLejano OrienteEl nuevo invernadero del JardínBotánico de Shangai será inauguradoeste año, en el Día Nacional de China,1 de octubre. Se representará unaselva alta y jardines interiores dondese exhibirán más de 3000 variedadesde plantas. Durante la ceremoniainaugural se exhibirán plantasinteresantes y se realizaránactividades educativas para niños.Para mayor información contactar a:Dr. Hu Yonghomg, Shangai BotanicalGarden, 1100 Longwu Road, Shangai200231, People’s Republic of China.Email [email protected] [email protected]

ITALIA

Los Visitantes RegularesLas visitas escolares no sonnecesariamente un día de asueto.Niños de escuelas de la localidadvisitaron semanalmente durante eltrimestre de primavera el Jardín delConsejo de la Naturaleza de Asístomando lecciones de botánica ehistoria medieval y ayudando en laslabores de mantenimiento del jardíneliminando las flores secas,desyerbando, removiendo la tierra yutilizando la composta. Para mayorinformación contactar a Marisa Cohen,Assisi Nature Council, Casella Postale107 06081 Assisi (Pe), Italy. Tel: 39(075)813521 Fax: 39(075)813521.

KENYA

Continuará sus EstudiosAbel Atiti obtuvo una beca de laFundación MacArthur para estudiaruna Maestría en Educación Ambiental

Right: The first

botanic garden

in Morocco is

taking its

role in

environmental

education

seriously as it

works in

partnership

with other

environmental

organisations

and teachers

to develop

educational

resources


NEWS UP DATE


Earth Sciences, with financial supportof the British Council. This workshopinvolved 30 school teachers andeducation inspectors from a range ofschools from the Rabat region.

Following the opening of the workshopby the British Ambassador inMorocco, Sir Antony Layden, theparticipants reviewed a number ofdocuments addressing seven principlethemes:1 What is the environment ?2 The forest ecosystem3 The agricultural environment4 The desert environment5 Coastal and marine ecosystems6 The urban environment7 The biodiversity protection and

conservation

The participants also analysed A3format posters and accompanyingcard activities looking at ways ofimproving them and exploringappropriate ways to incorporate theminto the school curricula.

The remarks and recommendationsput forward by the participants will beincorporated into the review of theinitial resource material and a finaldocument will be produced anddistributed on a large scale by theMinistry of National Education. Thiseducation material will also serve as abasis for the environmental educationprogrammes of the three partners.The Botanic Gardens of the InstitutAgronomique et Vétérinaire (IAV)Hassan II, SPANA and the Associationof Teachers of Life and Earth Scienceshave established, in collaboration withthe British Council, a partnership withthe principal purpose of developingeducational resource material forschool children. For furtherinformation contact: Professor MohRejdali, Département de Botanique,Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II, B.P. 6202 Rabat – Instituts Rabat, Morocco. Tel: 212 (7) 774093 Fax: 212 (7) 78110.

être unique. Chaque semaine duranttout le printemps les enfants d’uneécole de la ville ont visité les jardins duNature Concil d’Assise. Ils sont venusapprendre sur la botanique, l’histoiremédiévale ou encore entretenir lejardin en enlevant les capitules desfleurs fanées et les adventices, aérer lesol, et utiliser le bac à compost. Pourplus d’informations, prendre contactavec Marisa Cohen, Assisi NatureCouncil, Casella Postale 107, 06081Assisi (Pe), Italy. Tel: 39 (075) 813521 Fax: 39 (075) 813521.

KENYA

Plusieurs Études en CoursAbel Atiti a été récompensé par la MacArthur Fondation Scholarship afin depoursuivre une maîtrise en éducation àl’environnement à la Rhodes Universityen Afrique du Sud pour les deuxprochaines années. Les études d’Abelseront centrées sur la création dematériels pédagogiques afin dedévelopper l’interprétation àl’environnement dans 2 écoles duKenya. Abel a déjà entamé un travailavec les professeurs des outilsinteractifs qui engagent celui quil’utilise dans un processus d’éducationà l’environnement. Pour plusd’informations, prendre contact avec :Abel Atiti, National Museums of KenyaNairobi Botanic Garden, PO Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya. Fax: 254 (2) 741424 Email: [email protected]

MAROC

Production de MatériauxÉducatifs Pour ÉcoliersLe Jardin Botanique de l’InstitutAgronomique et Vétérinaire (IAV)Hassan II, la SPANA (SociétéProtectrice des Animaux et de laNature) et l’AESVT (Association desEnseignants des Sciences de la Vie etde la Terre) ont établi, en collaborationavec le British Council à Rabat, unpartenariat pour l’élaboration dedocuments éducatifs destinés auxélèves.

en la Universidad de Rhodes enSudáfrica los próximos dos años. Latesis de Abel se centrará en el procesode desarrollo de materiales deinterpretación en dos escuelas deKenya. Ya ha iniciado el trabajo conmaestros a través de la acciónparticipativa para elaborar materialespara involucrar a los estudiantes en elaprendizaje en los patios escolares deestas dos escuelas. Para mayorinformación contactar a: Abel Atiti,Museos Nacionales del JardínBotánico de Kenya, PO Box 40658,Nairobi, Kenya. Fax: (254) 2 741424Email: [email protected]

MARRUECOS

Elaborando MaterialesEducativosEl Jardín Botánico del InstitutoAgronómico y Veterinario Hassan IIorganizaron una importante actividadeducativa a través de un taller de tresdías (19-21 de marzo, 2001) encolaboración con SPANA (SociedadProtectora de Animales del Extranjero)y la Asociación de Maestros deCiencias de la Vida y la Tierra,auspiciado por el Consejo Británico.Este taller se ofreció a 30 maestros einspectores de diversas escuelas de laregión de Rabat.

Después de la inauguración del tallerpor el Embajador Británico enMarruecos, Sir Antony Layden, losparticipantes revisaron con grandetalle alrededor de 20 documentosde siete temas principales:1 ¿Qué es el medio ambiente?2 La selva3 El ambiente agrícola4 El desierto

Left: Abel Atiti,

seen here

presenting at

the BGCI

International

Education

Congress in

India, is using

his MacArthur

Foundation

Scholarship to

further his

skills and

knowledge in

environmental

education and

interpretation


NEWS UP DATE


RUSSIA

Developing Education with theSupport of SponsorsIt is getting increasingly difficult forbotanic gardens to provide theireducational services without thesupport of sponsoring organisations.This is certainly the case at theMoscow University Botanic Gardens(Apothecary Garden). The oldestbotanic garden in Russia has justproduced a new leaflet for the generalpublic providing information on thegarden’s history, collections,reconstruction project and educationalactivities. Initially produced inRussian, it was then translated intoEnglish and released in the sameformat. These publications, as well asseveral others have been sponsoredby BP who has been supporting thedevelopment and implementation ofthe garden’s education programmesfor the past three years.

For further information contact: Alla Andreeva and Artyom Parshin,Moscow University Botanic Garden(Apothecary Garden) 129090 Moscow,Prospect Mira 26, Russia. Tel: 7 (095) 280 5880, 280 6765 Fax: 7 (095) 937-63-14 Web site: www.hortus.ru Email: [email protected]

Sous le thème pédagogie, ouverture etenvironnement et après uneinauguration par l’Ambassadeurbritannique au Maroc, des ateliers ontété organisés en faveur d’un échantillonde professeurs de l’enseignementfondamental pour la présentation et ladiscussion des matériaux produits et dela possibilité de leur intégration dansles programmes scolaires.

Durant 3 jours (du 19 au 21 mars 2001),les participants ont revu en détail unevingtaine de documents répartis sursept principaux thèmes:1 Qu’est ce que c’est l’environnement2 Le milieu forestier3 Le milieu agricole4 Le milieu désertique5 Le milieu côtier et marin6 Le milieu urbain7 Protection et conservation.

Chaque document a été élaboré sousforme d’un poster (format A3)accompagné d’une ou plusieurs fichesd’activités pédagogiques. La versionpréliminaire qui a été présenté lors deces ateliers sera modifiée et amélioréeselon les remarques et lesrecommandations des participants. En version finale, les documents serontrassemblés en classeur qui serareproduit et distribué à plus grandeéchelle. Les différents partenairesespèrent mener à travers de ce projetune expérience pilote dans le domainede l’éducation environnementaledestinée aux écoliers. Pour de plusamples informations contacter leProfesseur Moh Rejdali, Départementde Botanique, Institut Agronomique etVétérinaire Hassan II, B.P. 6202 Rabat Maroc. Tél: 212 (7) 774093 Fax: 212 (7) 78110.

RUSSIE

Développer L’Éducation avecL’Aide des SponsorsIl devient de plus en plus difficile pourles Jardins Botaniques de financer leurservice d’éducation sans l’aide desponsors. C’est le cas pour le jardindes apothicaires au Jardin Botaniquede l’Université de Moscou. Le plusvieux Jardin Botanique de Russie vientd’éditer une nouvelle plaquette destinée

5 Ecosistemas costeros y marinos6 El ambiente urbano7 Protección y conservación de la

biodiversidad

Los participantes se centraron en elanálisis de los carteles del formato A3y sus correspondientes tarjetas deactividades analizando cómomejorarlas y explorando la manera deincorporarlas a la curricula escolar.

Las observaciones y recomendacionesrealizadas por los participantes seconsiderarán en la revisión del losmateriales originales. Se publicará undocumento final el cual serádistribuido por la Secretaría Nacionalde Educación. Este materia educativotambién servirá de base para losprogramas de educación ambiental delos tres colaboradores. Los JardinesBotánicos del Instituto Agronómico yVeterinario de Hassan II (IAV), SPANAy la Asociación de Maestros de deCiencias de la Vida y de la Tierra hanestablecido junto con el ConsejoBritánico una colaboración cuyoobjetivo principal es desarrollarmateriales educativos para niños.Para mayor información contactar a:Profesor Moh Rejdali, Departamentode Botánica, Instituto Agronómico yVeterinario Hassan II, B. P. 6202 Rabat – Institutos Rabat,Marruecos. Tel: 212 (7) 774093 Fax: 212 (7) 78110.

RUSIA

Desarrollo de la EducaciónCon el Apoyo dePatrocinadoresCada vez es más difícil para losjardines botánicos proporcionar susservicios educativos sin el apoyo deinstituciones patrocinadoras. Este esel caso de los jardines botánicos de laUniversidad de Moscú (JardinesApotecarios). El jardín botánico másantiguo de Rusia recientementeprodujo un nuevo folleto para elpúblico en general que brindainformación sobre la historia del jardín,colecciones, proyecto dereconstrucción y actividadeseducativas. Inicialmente impreso enruso, se tradujo al inglés y se imprimió

Right:

Sponsorship

helps the

Moscow

University

Apothecary

Garden, Russia

to interpret the

garden by

supporting the

production of

visitor

brochures


NEWS UP DATE


SOUTH AFRICA

A New Teachers ResourceA teachers handbook entitled Plants inour Environment was recentlylaunched by the Botanical andEnvironmental Education Project(BEEP) in George. The project wascoordinated by Ally Ashwell ofEnviroeds, and Yvette van Wijk fromthe Southern Cape Herbarium andGarden Route Botanical Garden, andfollows on from the series ofenvironmental education workshopsfor teachers that were held last year(see Roots 20, p.10). For furtherinformation contact: Yvette van Wijk,Southern Cape Herbarium and GardenRoute Botanical Garden, PO Box 564,George 6530, South Africa. Email: [email protected]

UNITED KINGDOM

Trees of Time and PlaceTrees of Time and Place is aprogramme to encourage everyone inthe United Kingdom to grow at leastone tree from seed in their lifetime.The simplicity of the core idea behindTrees of Time and Place is its strength:choose a tree that has been importantto you in your life, gather some seedsfrom it, sow and care for it, then plantyour own personal Tree of Time andPlace in the year 2000. By usinglocally collected seeds and plantingthem locally it is hoped that thisprogramme will encourage a sense ofplace.

This is a major initiative involvingamong others, the Wildlife Trust,National Trust, Groundwork andEnglish Nature who are providingexpertise and organising events topromote the scheme. It has beenbacked by Esso and supported by awide range of other companiesincluding Marks and Spencer andTarmac.

One of the main aims of Trees of Timeand Place is to engage urbancommunities who do not usuallybecome involved in environmentalaction. The Birmingham BotanicalGardens Study Centre was able to

au grand public qui apporte desinformations sur l’historique du Jardin,les collections, les projets derestauration, et les activités éducatives.Initialement édité en russe, cedocument est maintenant disponible enanglais, et imprimé dans le mêmeformat. Ces plaquettes, commed’autres documents réalisésprécédemment, ont été sponsoriséespar B.P. qui avait participé audéveloppement et à la mise en œuvredes programmes éducatifs du Jardin aucours des 3 dernières années. Pourplus d’informations, prendre contactavec : Alla Andreeva and ArtyomParshin, Moscow University BotanicGarden (Apothecary Garden) 129090Moscow, Prospect Mira 26, Russia.Tel: 7 (095) 280 5880, 280 6765 Fax: 7 (095) 937-63-14 Web site: www.hortus.ru Email: [email protected]

AFRIQUE DU SUD

Une Nouvelle Ressource pourLes ProfesseursUn livre de poche pour les enseignantsintitulé Les plantes dans leurenvironnement a été récemment lancépar le Botanical and EnvironmentalEducation Project (BEEP) à George. Ceprojet a été conduit par Ally Ashwell deEnviroeds, et Yvette van Wijk duSouthern Cape Herbarium and GardenRoute Botanical Garden, et prolongeune série d’ateliers qui s’était dérouléel’année dernière sur l’éducation àl’environnement destinées auxenseignants (voir Roots no. 20, page10). Pour plus d’informations, prendrecontact avec: Yvette van Wijk, SouthernCape Herbarium and Garden RouteBotanical Garden, PO Box 564, George6530, South Africa. Email: [email protected]

ROYAUME UNI

Trees of Time and PlaceTrees of Time and Place est unprogramme qui encourage chacundans le Royaume Uni à faire pousser aumoins un arbre à partir de la grainedurant sa vie. L’idée de base est forte:choisir un arbre qui a été importantpour vous dans votre vie, en récolter

en el mismo formato. Estaspublicaciones, al igual que otras máshan sido auspiciadas por BP quien haestado financiando el desarrollo eimplementación de los programaseducativos de los jardines durante losúltimos tres años.

Para mayor información contactar a:Alla Adreeva y Artyom Parshin, JardínBotánico (Jardín Apotecario) de laUniversidad Moscú 129090 Moscow,Prosoect Mira 26, Rusia. Tel: 7 (095) 937 63 14 Web site: www.hortus.ru Email: [email protected]

SUDÁFRICA

Nuevo Recurso Para MaestrosUn manual para maestros llamado LasPlantas en Nuestro Ambiente sepublicó recientemente por el Proyectode Educación Ambiental y Botánica(BEEP) en George. El proyecto fuecoordinado por Ally Ashwell deEnviroeds, e Yvette van Wijk delHerbario del Cabo Sur y el JardínBotánico Route, y es parte de la seriede talleres de educación ambientalpara maestros que se llevaron a caboel año pasado (véase ROOTS 20,p.10). Para mayor informacióncontactar a: Yvette van Wijk, SouthernCape Hewrbarium and Garden RouteBotanical Garden, PO Box 564,George 6530, South Africa. Email: [email protected]

REINO UNIDO

Árboles del Tiempo y LugarÁrboles del Tiempo y del Lugar es unprograma para promover a loshabitantes del Reino Unido a crecer almenos un árbol proveniente de semilla,

Left: Teachers

and facilitators

involved in

developing

‘Plants in Our

Environment’,

with the Garden

Route Botanical

Garden in South

Africa, attend

the launch of

the book (see

page 44)


NEWS UP DATE


contribute towards the initiativethrough its work with ethnic groups tocelebrate the cultural links with trees.Plants that ethnic groups they wouldbe familiar with were used as an initialway of engaging interest. This wasshared at a Conference of Providersheld at the gardens in June of lastyear.

To celebrate the success of Trees ofTime and Place in the millennium year,four large wooden time capsules in theshape of acorns were made; onerepresenting each country in the U.K.Throughout the year 2000 thesculptures toured various high profilegardens and galleries includingBirmingham Botanical Gardens andGlasshouses during the 1st EuropeanBotanical Gardens EducationCongress in October, before arriving attheir final resting place. For England,it was returned to BirminghamBotanical Gardens and Glasshouseswhere the time capsule was filled withelements that reflected the impact ofthe campaign along with pledges. The acorn was buried during a specialevent attended by environmentalistsand members of the local community.On the day, a wide range of activitiesraising awareness of the environmenttook place.

quelques graines, les semer et enprendre soin, et alors vous aurez plantévotre propre arbre pour l’an 2000.L’usage de graines collectéeslocalement et leur plantation dans lesmêmes lieux mettra en avant l’idée deterroir. Ce simple geste peut conforterune idée d’immortalité, induire uneculture de soin et rendre une tangiblecontribution au futur.

Cette initiative importante impliqueentre autre le Wildlife Trust, le NationalTrust, Groundwork and English Naturequi ont étudié et organisé desévènements pour promouvoir cetteaction. Elle a été financée par Esso etde nombreuses autres sociétés commeMarks & Spencer et Tarmac.

Un des principaux buts de Trees ofTime and Place est d’engager lescommunautés urbaines qui ne sontpas habituellement impliquées dansdes actions environnementales. LeCentre d’Etudes des JardinsBotaniques de Birmingham agrandement contribué à cette initiativeà travers le travail fait avec desgroupes ethniques pour célébrer lesliens culturaux avec les arbres. Lacollection des jardins a été utiliséecomme un lien entre les groupesethniques et les plantes qui leur sontfamilières et comme un chemininitiatique pour engager l’intérêt. Toutceci a été développé à la Conférencedes Supporters tenue dans les jardinsen juin l’année dernière.

Pour fêter la réussite du projet Trees ofTime and Place dans cette année dumillénaire, on a fait quatre grandescapsules du futur en bois en forme degland, chacune représentant lesrégions du Royaume Uni. Tout au longde l’année 2000 les sculptures ontvoyagé dans des jardins différents etdes galeries renommés incluant leJardin Botanique et les serres deBirmingham (pendant le 1er CongrèsEuropéen de l’Education dans lesjardins botaniques, en octobre) avantd’arriver à leur destination finale. Lacapsule pour l’Angleterre est retournéeaux serres et jardin de Birmingham oùelle a été remplie d’élémentssymbolisant la campagne et les gages.

en su vida. Lo simple de la idea centraldel Tiempo y Lugar es su fuerza:escoge un árbol que haya sidoimportante para ti en tu vida, colectaalgunas de sus semillas, siémbralas ycuídalas, luego trasplanta tu propioárbol del Tiempo y Lugar en el año2000. Utilizando semillas colectadaslocalmente esperamos fomentar elsentido de pertenencia a un lugar. Estesimple acto transmite algo deinmortalidad, fomenta el cuidado y haceuna contribución real para el futuro.

Esta es una gran iniciativa que involucraentre otros, el Fideicomiso de VidaSilvestre, el Fideicomiso Nacional,Groundwork y Naturaleza Inglesa,quienes están aportando experiencia yestán organizando eventos parapromover este esquema. Ha sidorespaldado por Esso y apoyado por unaamplia gama de compañías incluyendoMarks and Spencer y Tarmac.

Una de las principales metas deárboles en Tiempo y Lugar esinvolucrar a la comunidad urbanaquien no siempre se involucra enacciones ambientales. El Centro deEstudios de los Jardines Botánicos deBirmingham contribuyó a estainiciativa a través de su trabajo congrupos étnicos, el cual incluye lazosculturales con los árboles. Lacolección de los jardines se utilizópara despertar el interés ligando losgrupos étnicos con las plantas que lesson familiares. Esto se compartió enun Foro de proveedores realizado enlos jardines en junio del año pasado.

Para celebrar el éxito de Árboles enTiempo y Lugar en el año del milenio,cuatro grandes cápsulas del tiempo enforma de bellotas, cada unarepresentando un país del ReinoUnido. A lo largo del año 2000 lasesculturas se exhibieron en endiversos jardines y galerías,incluyendo los Jardines Botánicos eInvernaderos de Birmingham duranteel 1 Congreso Europeo de Educaciónen Jardines Botánicos en octubre,antes de llegar a su destino final. Para Inglaterra la cápsula del tiemporegresó al Jardín Botánico deBirmingham donde se rellenó con

Right: Maria

Jose Carrau

(left) and

Gert Ausloos,

attending the

1st European

Botanic Garden

Educators

Congress, take

a close look at

the large acorn

shaped time

capsule that is

being used to

celebrate the

success of the

Trees of Time

and Place

programme at

the Birmingham

Botanical

Gardens and

Glasshouses,

U.K.


NEWS UP DATE


The decision to bury these large seedsnot only reinforces the sustainabilitymessage but is also expected tocreate a great deal of interest,provoking debate from both theenvironmental and arts camps. For further information visit the Treesof Time and Place web sitewww.totap.org.uk or contact: Bill Graham, Birmingham BotanicalGardens and Glasshouses,Westbourne Road, EdgbastonBirmingham B15 3TR U.K. Tel: 44 (0121) 454 0784 Fax: 44 (0121) 454 7835 Email: [email protected]

Celebrating Year of the ArtistThe internationally known artists, MaryButcher and Tim Johnson, have beenin residence at Cambridge UniversityBotanic Garden as part of the Year ofthe Artist. The artists have been usingbasketmaking, weaving and stitchingtechniques to create living sculpturesout of bamboo, twigs, grasses andfallen flowers, all of which have beenfound throughout the grounds. Forfurther information contact: ChristinePreston, Cambridge University BotanicGarden, Cory Lodge, Bateman Street,Cambridge CB2 1JF, U.K. Tel: 44 (01223) 336265 Fax: 44 (01223) 336278Email: [email protected]

Pendant un événement spécial assistépar Chris Baines, desenvironnementalistes et des membresde la communauté locale, le gland a étéenterré. Ce même jour il y a eu desanimations pour élever la consciencecollective sur l’environnement.

Enterrer ces grandes graines nonseulement renforce le message dedurabilité mais suscite aussi beaucoupd’intérêt et provoque un débat à la foisde la part des environnementalistes etdes artistes. Pour plus d’informations,vous pouvez visiter le site webwww.totap.org.uk ou contacter: Bill Graham, Birmingham BotanicalGardens and Glasshouses,Westbourne Road, EdgbastonBirmingham B15 3TR U.K. Tel: 44 (0121) 454 0784 Fax: 44 (0121) 454 7835 Email: [email protected]

La Célébration de L’Année deL’ArtisteLes artistes de renomméeinternationales, Mary Butcher et TimJonhnson, ont été hébergés au jardinbotanique de l’université de Cambridgeà titre de compensation à l’année del’artiste. Ces artistes ont utilisé laconfection des paniers et lestechniques artisanales de couture pourcréer des sculptures vivantes à partirde bambou, de joncs, d’herbes et defleurs séchées, ramassées sur le sol.Pour plus d’informations, contacterChristine Preston, CambridgeUniversity Botanic Garden, CoryLodge, Bateman Street, CambridgeCB2 1JF, U.K. Tel: 44 (01223) 336265Fax: 44 (01223) 336278Email: [email protected]

BGEN Document de l’année2000Les membres du réseau pourl‘Education dans les JardinsBotaniques (BGEN) travaillent dans unelarge gamme d’établissements incluantles jardins botaniques, les arboretums,les parcs, les centres pour l’éducationà l’environnement, les jardinshistoriques, les musées et lesuniversités. Ils ont un intérêt communcependant: trouver le meilleur cheminpour éduquer les publics de tout âge

elementos que reflejaron el impacto deesta campaña y con sus buenosdeseos. La ‘bellota’ fue enterrada enun evento especial con la presencia deChris Baines, ambientalistas ymiembros de la comunidad. Durante eldía se desarrollaron una serie deactividades para promover laconciencia ambiental.

La decisión de enterrar estas enormessemillas no solo refuerza el mensajede sustentabilidad, sino que tambiénpretende generar un gran interéspromoviendo el debate entre losámbitos ambiental y artístico. Paramayor información visita el sitio webde ärbole de Tiempo y Lugarwww.totap.org.uk o contacta a BillGraham, Jardines Botánicos eInvernaderos de Birmingham,Westbourne Road, EdgbastonBirmingham B 15 3 TR U.K. Tel: 44 (0121) 454 0784 Fax: 44 (0121) 454 7835 Email: [email protected]

Celebración del Año delArtista Los artistas reconocidosinternacionalmente Mary Butcher y TimJohnson estuvieron de residencia en elJardín Botánico de la Universidad deCambridge como parte del Año delArtista. Los artistas han empleadotécnicas de cestería, tejido y costuradopara crear esculturas vivientes debambú, varas, pastos y flores caídas,todas recogidas de los jardines.Para más información contactar a:Christine Preston, Jardín Botánico dela Universidad de Cambridge, CoryLodge, Bateman Street, CambridgeCB2 1JF, U.K. Tel: 44 (01223) 336265Fax: 44 (01223) 336278Email: [email protected]

Left: These

woven Cycad

leaves by Mary

Butcher, artist

in residence at

Cambridge

University

Botanic Garden,

are entitled

Pleasure to Pin

Leaves with

Thorns in a

Stiff Breeze.

Photographer –

Howard Rice


NEWS UP DATE


BGEN Yearbook 2000Members of the Botanic GardensEducation Network (BGEN) work in awide range of settings including botanicgardens, arboreta, parks, environmentaleducation centres, historic designedlandscapes, museums and universities.One interest unites all the members:finding the best possible ways toeducate people of all ages about theessential role plants play in our dailylives. BGEN was set up more than adecade ago to enable these educationpractitioners to share experience,information, resources and training, andthe Yearbook is an importantnetworking resource. In October 2000,the theme of Partnerships for Peopleand Plants was used to complementthe joint BGCI/BGEN First EuropeanBotanic Garden Education Congress,held in Birmingham.

Members were invited to contributearticles based on their practical workexperience. These contributions weredivided into four categories: people andplants; working towards a sustainablefuture; children’s gardens; what dochildren know about plants? Theycovered topics as varied asmulticultural botany, folklore inenvironmental education, greenhousekeeping, sustainabledevelopment and school gardens. The articles are informative, inspiringand thought-provoking. The diversityreflects the many different interests andapproaches BGEN members bring totheir work.

The Yearbook 2000 is now sold out,but it would be possible to print extracopies of the Yearbook 2001 (due for

sur le rôle essentiel que jouent lesplantes jouent dans notre viequotidienne. Le BGEN permet depuisplus de 10 ans à ces praticiens del’éducation de partager desexpériences, des informations, desressources et des exercices. Cettepublication annuelle est une ressourceimportante pour le réseau. En octobre2000, le thème du partenariat pourPeople and Plants a été utilisé pourrenforcer le lien entre BGCI et BGENau 1er congrès européen pourl’Education dans les jardinsbotaniques tenu à Birmingham.

Les membres étaient invités à intervenirau moyen d’articles basés sur leurexpérience pratiques. Ils étaient divisésen 4 catégories: plantes et hommes,travailler ensemble pour un futurdurable, les jardins d’enfants et queconnaissent nos enfants des plantes?Ils ont envisagé des sujets botaniquesaussi variés que multiculturels, lefolklore dans l’éducation àl’environnement, l’entretien vert de lamaison, le développement durable etles jardins d’école. Ces articlesd’information, sont tres interessants etexcitants pour les esprits. La diversitéreflète les différents intérêts etapproches que les membres du BGENont apportés par leur travail.

Ce document de l’année 2000 estmaintenant épuisé mais il est possibled’imprimer des copies du documentde l’année 2001( qui sera publié àl’automne 2001) si certains non-membres du BGEN sont intéressés àcommander une copie. Le prix est de5 £ plus les frais d’envois. Pourréserver une copie, contacter: TessDarwin Edwards, Royal BotanicGarden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row,Edinburgh EH3 5LR U.K. Tel: 44 (0131) 248 2962 Fax: 44 (0131) 552 8713 Email: [email protected]

Exercice en MatièreD’InterprétationLe réseau éducatif des JardinsBotaniques (BGEN), du Royaume Uni,organisera des ateliers pour sesmembres et les personnes intéresséespar les Nouvelles Idées en matière

Anuario 2000 de la Red deEducación en JardinesBotánicos (BGEN)Miembros de la Red de Educación enJardines Botánicos trabajan en unagran variedad de lugares incluyendojardines botánicos, arboreta, parques,centros de educación ambiental,diseño histórico de paisajes, museos yuniversidades. Un interés común unea sus miembros: encontrar la maneramás adecuada para educar a la gentede todas las edades acerca del rolesencial que juegan las plantas ennuestras vidas. BGEN se inició hacemás de una década para permitir a loseducadores compartir experiencias,información, recursos y capacitación,y el Anuario es un importante recursode enlace. En octubre del 2000, eltema Colaboradores, Plantas y Gentese utilizó para complementar el 1Congreso conjunto BGCI/BGEN deEducación en Jardines Botánicos,realizado en Birmingham.

Se invitó a los miembros a contribuircon artículos basados en su experiencialos cuales se dividieron en cuatrocategorías: plantas y gente, trabajandohacia un futuro sustentable, jardinespara niños y qué saben los niños de lasplantas? Cubrieron aspectos tanvariados como botánica multicultural,tradiciones y educación ambiental,enverdeciendo nuestro hogar, desarrollosustentable y jardines escolares. Losartículos son informativos, hacen pensare inspirativos. La diversidad decontribuciones los diferentes intereses yaproximaciones del desarrollo de sutrabajo de diferentes miembros deBGEN.

El Anuario 2000 ya se ha agotado,pero posiblemente se imprimiráncopias extra del Anuario 2001(quedebe publicarse en otoño del 2001)por si algún no miembro de BGENestá interesado en ordenar una copia.El costo es de 5 libras más envío.Para solicitar una copia, contacta a:Tess Darwin Edwards, Royal BotanicGarden Edinburgh, 20 A InverleithRow, Edinburgh EH3 5LR U.K. Tel: 44 (0131) 248 2962 Fax: 44(0131) 552 8713 Email: [email protected]

Above:

Cambridge

University

Botanic Garden

artist in

residence, Tim

Johnson, made

this structure

out of a variety

of materials

including

Eleagnus leaves,

shredded

Bamboo leaves

and Gleditsia

pods.

Photographer –

Howard Rice


NEWS UP DATE


publication autumn 2001) if any non-BGEN members are interested inordering a copy. The cost is £5 pluspostage. To reserve a copy, contact:Tess Darwin Edwards, Royal BotanicGarden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row,Edinburgh EH3 5LR U.K. Tel: 44 (0131) 248 2962 Fax: 44 (0131) 552 8713 Email: [email protected]

Training in InterpretationThe Botanic Gardens EducationNetwork (BGEN) in the U.K. will beconducting a training workshop for itsmembers and interested people onNew Ideas in Interpretation. Thistraining workshop is being held at theEden Project in Cornwall. For furtherinformation contact: Tess DarwinEdwards Royal Botanic GardenEdinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row,Edinburgh EH3 5LR U.K. Tel: 44 (0131) 248 2962 Fax: 44 (0131) 552 8713 Email: [email protected]

UNITED STATES

A New Children’s Garden in theMakingThe Morton Arboretum has recentlybeen awarded a State MuseumEducation Grant to enhance itsoutdoor youth education programme.The Arboretum will use the grant todevelop the conceptual design for itsnew Children’s Adventure Garden,using a team approach led by USrenowned museum educationspecialist Michael Spock. Other teammember’s will include a landscapearchitect, architect and an exhibitionand interpretive specialist. Scheduledto open in 2004, the new Children’sAdventure Garden is expected to addan exciting new dimension to familyscience learning and the grant will beused to create a fun environment thatinvites inquiry, discovery, and play. Forfurther information contact: WilliamCarvell, Director of Education, TheMorton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route53, Lisle Illinois 60532-1293 USA. Tel: 1 (630) 968 0074 Fax: 1 (630) 719 2433 Email: [email protected]

d’interprétation. Cet atelier se tiendrasur le site de Eden Project enCornouaille. Pour plus d’information,contacter: Tess Darwin Edwards,Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20AInverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LRU.K. Tel: 44 (0131) 248 2962 Fax: 44 (0131) 552 8713 Email: [email protected]

ETATS UNIS

Un Nouveau Jardin PourEnfants en ChantierLe Morton Arboretum a récemmentreçu un prix pour l’Education dans lesmusées d’état afin de promouvoir sonprogramme éducatif d’extérieur pourla jeunesse. L’Arboretum utilisera ceprix pour développer le concept denouveaux jardins des enfantsaventuriers, avec la participation del’équipe conduite par le spécialiste del’éducation dans les muséesaméricains, Michael Spock.

L’équipe comprendra également unpaysagiste, un architecte et unconcepteur d’exposition. Prévu pourouvrir en 2004, le Jardin des enfantsaventuriers, donnera une nouvelledimension à l’apprentissage familial dela science et le prix sera utilisé pourcréer un environnement ludiqueinvitant à la recherche, à la découverteet aux jeux. Pour plus d’informations,contacter: William Carvell, Director ofEducation, The Morton Arboretum,4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle Illinois60532-1293 USA. Tel: 1 (630) 968 0074 Fax: 1 (630) 719 2433 Email: [email protected]

Les Détectives du Désert etun Nouveau ChantierD’Initiation à la NatureLe Desert Botanical Garden a réaliséun document «découverte du désert»contenant des jeux individuels quiaident les étudiants à découvrir lesplantes, la vie sauvage et d’autresexemples d’adaptations à lasécheresse, d’interactions entre lesplantes et les animaux ou entre lesplantes et les hommes. Ces 3versions sont disponibles en Anglais eten Espagnol.

Entrenamineto enInterpretaciónLa Red de Educación en JardinesBotánicos (BGEN) del Reino Unidoofrecerá un taller de capacitación parasus miembros y personas interesadasen Nuevas Ideas en Interpretación.Este taller tendrá lugar en el ProyectoEden en Cornwall. Para mayorinformación contacta a: Tess DarwinEdwardas Royal Botanic GardenEdinburgh, 20 A Inverleith Row,Edinburgh EH3 5LR U.K. Tel: 44 (0131) 248 2962 Fax: 44 (0131) 552 8713 Email: [email protected]

ESTADOS UNIDOS

Un Nuevo Jardín de Niños enEstablecimientoEl Arboretum Morton recientementerecibió una Beca para Educación delMuseo del Estado para realzar suprograma de educación al aire librepara jóvenes. El Arboretum emplearála beca para elaborar el diseñoconceptual para su nuevo Jardín paraNiños, con un equipo de personasdirigido por el especialista eneducación en museos Michael Spock.

Otros miembros del equipo incluiránun arquitecto del paisaje, unarquitecto, y un especialista enexposiciones e interpretación.Proyectado para abrir en el 2004, seespera que el Nuevo Jardín para Niñosagregue una excitante nuevadimensión en el aprendizaje familiar delas ciencias; el subsidio se utilizarápara crear un ambiente divertido queinvite al cuestionamiento, aldescubrimiento y al juego. Paramayor información contacta a: WilliamCarvell, Director de Educación, TheMorton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route53, Lisle Illinois 60532-1293 USA. Tel: 1 (630) 968 0074 Fax: 1 (630) 719 2433 Email: [email protected]

Detectives del Desierto y elNuevo Sendero de VidaSilvestreEl Jardín Botánico del Desierto elaborólas hojas didácticas deDescubrimientos del Detective del


NEWS UP DATE


Desert Detectives and a NewWildlife TrailThe Desert Botanical Garden hasdeveloped Desert Detective DiscoveryTour Sheets which are self-directinggames that help students ‘discover’plants, wildlife and other examples ofdesert plant adaptations, interactionsbetween plants and animals, andinteractions between plants andpeople. All three versions are availablein English and Spanish.

The Desert Botanical Garden has alsodeveloped a new 1/3 mile WildflowerTrail that features, boulder, desert floorand shady habitats; a bee garden,butterfly garden and hummingbirdgarden, in addition to 31 trailside

Le Desert Botanical Garden a aussidéveloppé un nouveau sentier de 1/3de mile sur les Plantes Sauvages avecdes rochers, un sol du désert et deshabitats ombragés :jardins d’abeilles,jardins de papillons et jardins decolibris. De plus, 31 autresprésentations illustrent les relationsentre les fleurs sauvages du désert etleurs pollinisateurs. L’important estque toutes ces présentations sontd’abord testées auprès des visiteurspour s’assurer qu’elles retiennent leurattention et que le message passebien. Pour plus d’informations,contacter: Ruth Greenhouse, DesertBotanical Garden, 1201 N. GalvinParkway, Phoenix, Arizona 85008 USATel: 1 (480) 481 8121.

Desierto que son juegos autodirigidosque ayudan a los estudiantes a‘descubrir’ las plantas, la vida silvestrey ejemplos de adaptaciones de lasplantas a la aridez, interacciones entreplantas y animales, o interaccionesentre plantas y la gente. Las tresversiones están disponibles en inglés y español.

El Jardín Botánico del Desiertotambién elaboró un nuevo Sendero deFlores Silvestres de 1/3 de milla quedestaca las características de habitatspedregosos, el suelo del desierto yambientes sombreados; jardineras deplantas para abejas, mariposas ycolibríes, además de 31 exhibidores alo largo del sendero que ilustran larelación entre las flores de las plantasdel desierto y sus polinizadores. Cabe

Right: The

Desert

Wildflower Trail

features exhibits

and hands-on

activities about

the wildflowers

and pollinators

of the North

American

Deserts

Far Right:

Sammy

Saguaro Super

Sleuth helps

children

explore plant

adaptations at

the Desert

Botanical

Garden


NEWS UP DATE


exhibits that illustrate the relationshipbetween desert wildflowers and theirpollinators. Very importantly, all theseexhibits were pre-tested with visitorsto ensure that they could hold thevisitors attention and that theycommunicated the messageseffectively. For further informationcontact: Ruth Greenhouse, DesertBotanical Garden, 1201 N. GalvinParkway, Phoenix, Arizona 85008USA. Tel: (1) 480 481 8121.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

IUCN CEC LeadershipChangesFrits Hesselink, who has been theChair for the IUCN Commission onEducation and Communication, hasstepped down from his position afterserving two terms 1991-2000, themaximum term that a Chair can serve.The new Chair of the Commission,Denise Hamú Marcos de La Penhafrom Brazil, has been elected by theIUCN Members to succeed him. Withformal qualifications including a M.A.in Museum Studies from The GeorgeWashington University in the USA, aBaccalaureate in InternationalRelations and fluency in fourlanguages, Ms Hamú is currently theManager of the National Policy for theEnvironment Programme, Ministry ofthe Environment of Brazil. In thisposition she is responsible for thestrategic programme of the Ministryencompassing areas such as theimplementation of Agenda 21 and thedevelopment of economic instrumentsfor sustainable development. MsHamú has over 15 years experience inenvironmental education andcommunication both nationally andinternationally.

EVENTS

SA to hold 2002 Earth SummitIt is nearly ten years sincesustainability was put on the globalagenda and now a Review Summithas been planned to assess theoutcomes of Rio ten years on. Thesession offers the opportunity torevitalise the debate, and to securesignificant, targeted commitments to

LES NOUVELLESINTERNATIONAL

Changements à la Direction dela Commission de l’Educationet de la Communication del’IUCNFrits Hesselink, qui a été le présidentde cette commission a quitté sesfonctions après avoir accompli 2mandats de 1991 à 2000, maximumqu’un président puisse exercer. Lanouvelle présidente de la Commission,Denise Hamu Marcos de la Pehna duBrésil, a été élue par les membres del’IUCN pour le remplacer. Avec entreautres qualifications un diplômesupérieur en études muséologiques del’Université George Washington auxEtats Unis, un baccalauréat enrelations internationales et la pratiquede 4 langues, Madame Hamu esthabituellement la responsable de lapolitique nationale pour lesprogrammes environnementaux auMinistère de l’Environnement au Brésil.Par cette position elle est responsablede la stratégie du Ministère regroupantles territoires concernés par l’agenda21 et les instruments dudéveloppement économique pour undéveloppement durable. MadameHamu a plus de 15 ans d’expérienceen éducation environnementale et encommunication à la fois sur le plannational et international.

EVENEMENTS

Le Sommet Mondial de 2002en Afrique du SudVoilà près de 10 années que ledéveloppement durable est à l’ordredu jour au niveau mondial etmaintenant un sommet-bilan a étéprojeté pour évaluer les résultats deRio depuis 10 ans. La session offrel’occasion de ranimer le débat etd’assurer les objectifs d’engagementde développement durable. LeSommet Mondial de 2002 se tiendra àJohannesburg en Afrique du Sud etespère attirer 40 000 participants dumonde entier.

Les éducateurs des jardins botaniquesseront particulièrement concernés parl’évaluation de la mise en œuvre de

mencionar que estos exhibidoresfueron probados previamente convisitantes para conocer si retenían suatención y si comunicaban losmensajes eficientemente. Para másinformación contactar a: RuthGreenhouse, Desert Botanical Garden1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix,Arizona 85008 USA Tel: (1) 480 481 8121.

NOTICIAS INTERNACCIONALES

Cambio del Director de laComisión de Comunicación yEducación (CEC) de la UniónInternacional de Conservaciónde la Naturaleza (IUCN)Frits Hesselink, quien se hadesempeñado como director de laComisión de Comunicación yEducación de la IUCN, dejó su puestodespués de dos períodos 1991 –2000, el máximo tiempo que undirector puede permanecer. La nuevadirectora de la Comisión Denise HamúMarcos de La Penha,de Brasil, fueelegida por los miembros de la IUCNpara ocupar el cargo. Sus estudiosformales incluyen una Maestría enMuseografía de la Universidad GeorgeWashington, EUA, un Bachillerato enRelaciones Internacionales y hablacuatro idiomas; la Srita. Hamú fuedirectora del Programa Nacional dePolítica Ambiental, de la Secretaría delMedio Ambiente de Brasil. En dichopuesto ella era responsable delprograma estratégico de la Secretaríaconsiderando aspectos como laimplementación de la Agenda 21 y eldesarrollo de instrumentoseconómicos para el desarrollosustentable. La Srita. Hamú tiene másde 15 años de experiencia eneducación ambiental y comunicacióntanto a nivel nacional comointernacional.

EVENTOS

Cumbre de la Tierra 2002 enSudáfricaHace casi 10 años que lasustentabilidad se incorporó a laagenda global y ahora se planea unaNueva Cumbre para evaluar losacuerdos de Río de hace 10 años.


NEWS UP DATE


sustainable development. The EarthSummit in September 2002 will beheld in Johannesburg, South Africaand is expected to draw 40 000participants from around the world.

Of particular interest to botanic gardeneducators will be the assessment ofthe implementation of Agenda 21. TheLocal Agenda 21 approach has beenrecognised as one of the mostproactive and successful ways toadapt the goals of Agenda 21 to thelocal level. Since the 1992 RioConference on environment anddevelopment, this approach hasgenerated local action plans,implementation activities and tangibleresults in balancing the economic,environmental and social needs inhundreds of local communities, towns,and cities around the world. A surveyin 1997 identified over 1800 localAgenda 21 initiatives at various stagesof implementation and found manymore to be in-the-works.

The results of the first survey weresubmitted to the Special Session ofthe General Assembly to Reviewprogress in implementing Agenda 21(June 1997, New York). Governmentsand other participants expressed theirappreciation of the results of thesurvey and the information it providedto the inter-governmental process.This encouraged the CSD Secretariatand ICLEI to launch a secondinternational survey for the ten-yearanniversary of Rio in 2002. Thesecond survey, launched in 2000, ismeasuring the scope of Local Agenda21 activity around the world ten yearsafter the adoption of Agenda 21;assess the impact of on-going LocalAgenda 21 activities; identify tangibleoutcomes of local agenda 21 activitieson environmental, social andeconomic aspects of sustainabledevelopment; and, identify regionaland global trends in the context of keysustainable development issues. Forfurther information about EarthSummit 2002 visit the following website: http://www.un.org/rio+10/

l’Agenda 21. L’ approche Agenda 21Local est reconnue comme le moyenle plus pertinent et efficace dedécliner les objectifs d’Agenda 21 auniveau local. Depuis le Congrès deRio en 1992 sur l’environnement et ledéveloppement, cette approche adébouché sur l’élaboration de plansd’action locaux, sur des réalisationsconcrètes avec des résultatstangibles conciliant les besoinséconomiques, environnementaux etsociaux dans des centaines decollectivités locales, villes et villagesdu monde entier. Une enquête de1997 a recensé plus de 1800initiatives locales d’Agenda 21 àdifférents stades de mise en œuvre etbeaucoup plus encore en voie del’être.

Les résultats de la première étude ontété soumis lors de la SessionSpéciale de l’Assemblée Générale ,pour les travaux de la Revue sur lamise en œuvre de l’Agenda 21 en juin1997 à New York. Lesadministrations et les autresparticipants à la 19ème SessionSpéciale de l’Assemblée Générale,pour les travaux de la Revue sur laréalisation des objectifs de l’Agenda21 ont exprimé leur appréciation desrésultats de l’enquête et pourl’information facilitant le travail entreles administrations. Cela a incité leSecrétariat du CSD et l’ICLEI à lancerune seconde enquête internationalepour les 10 ans du Congrès de Rio en2002. Cette seconde enquête, lancéeen 2000, mesure la portée desactivités de l’Agenda 21 Local dans lemonde entier dix ans après l’adoptionde l’Agenda 21; l’évaluation del’impact des activités en cours del’Agenda 21 Local; l’identification desrésultats concrets des activités del’Agenda 21 Local sur les aspectsenvironnementaux, sociaux etéconomiques du développementdurable; et, la définition destendances régionales et mondialesdans les problèmes cruciaux dedéveloppement durable. Pour de plus amples informations surle Sommet Mondial 2002, consulter lesite: http://www.un.org/rio+10/

La reunión ofrece la oportunidad derevitalizar el debate y para asegurarcompromisos significativos parapromover el desarrollo sustentable.La Cumbre de la Tierra se llevará acabo en 2002 en Johannesburg,Sudáfrica y se esperan 40 000participantes de todo el mundo.

De especial interés para loseducadores de los jardines botánicosserá la evaluación de laimplementación de la Agenda 21. Seha reconocido a la Agenda 21 Localcomo una de las maneras másexitosas y activas para adecuar lasmetas de la Agenda 21 al nivel local.Desde la Conferencia de Río sobremedio Ambiente y Desarrollo en 1992,esta aproximación ha generadoplanes locales de acciónimplementación de actividades yresultados tangibles en el balance dela economía, necesidades sociales yambientales en cientos decomunidades, pueblos y ciudadesalrededor del mundo. Unainvestigación en 1997 identificó másde 1800 iniciativas de Agendas 21Locales en diferentes niveles deimplementación y encontraronmuchas más en proyecto.

Los resultados de la primerainvestigación fueron sometidos en laSesión Especial de Revisión de laAsamblea General para supervisar losavances de la implementación de laAgenda 21 (junio 1997, Nueva York).

Gobernantes y otros participantes dela 19ª Sesión Especial de la AsambleaGeneral expresaron su agrado por losresultados de la investigación y lainformación proporcionada en elproceso intergubernamental. Estomotivó a la Secretaría de la Comisiónsobre Desarrollo Sustentable y UCLEIa realizar una segunda investigacióninternacional con motivo del décimoaniversario de Río en 2002. Lasegunda investigación iniciad en el2000, medirá los alcances de laAgenda 21 Local después de los 10años; evaluará el impacto de susactividades, identificará productostangibles sobre aspectos ambientales,sociales o económicos referentes al


NEWS UP DATE


Children’s Agenda 21 PosterCompetitionThis is conceived as a national levelcompetition involving school childrenbetween the ages of 7 and 12. Theinitiative suggests that the NationalRio+10 committees or similarcoordinating structures invite children,through schools and educators as wellas teachers’ associations, to submitdrawings that capture their sustainabledevelopment aspirations, concernsand their understanding of Agenda 21objectives. The initiative aims togenerate an education processthrough which children learn aboutAgenda 21 and sustainabledevelopment, and to integrate theinter-generational aspects of thesustainable development concept intothe Rio+10 preparations. As countriesselect the winners and submit them tothe CSD Secretariat links to thesubmissions will be provided athttp://www.un.org/rio+10/. Thecollection of all winning entries will beexhibited at the Rio+10 summitmeeting and also published as a UNpublication.

Youth Earth Summit 2001Peace Child International hasorganised a Youth Earth Summit to beheld from 20 September 2001 in Baku,Azerbaijan. The summit provides anopportunity for young people (15-25)to put forward their ideas and actionplans for sustainable development ofthe planet. Three delegates from eachcountry will be selected by aninternational organising committee.For further information contact: Azer Bayramov Fax: 994 (12) 239 314 Email: [email protected]

Staff AppointmentsAs of January this year Larry DeBuhrleft his position at Missouri BotanicGarden to take up the role of VicePresident of Education at ChicagoBotanic Garden. We would like tocongratulate Larry and wish him all thevery best in his new role.

The Morton Arboretum has appointedthree key educational staff in the pastfew months: Steven Leonard, Managerof Youth Education, Lisa Berg, the

Concours de Posters Agenda21 Pour EnfantsIl est conçu comme un concours auniveau national et concerne lesscolaires entre 7 et 12 ans. Cetteinitiative suggère que des comités detype National Rio+10 ou desstructures de coordination similairesinvitent les enfants, par le biais desécoles et des éducateurs aussi bienque par celui des organisationsd’enseignants, à proposer des dessinsmettant en scène leurs aspirations audéveloppement durable ainsi que leurspréoccupations et leur interprétationdes objectifs de l’Agenda 21.

Cette initiative vise à générer un travailpédagogique par lequel les enfantsintégreront des éléments de l’Agenda21 et du développement durable ainsique les aspects inter-générations duconcept de développement durablemis au point par les commissionsRio+10. Lors de la sélection deslauréats et de leur soumission devantle Secrétariat du CSD, des liensinternet pour la participation à ceconcours seront disponibles surhttp://www.un.org/rio+10 La liste deslauréats sera présentée à la réunion duSommet de Rio+10 et égalementpubliée dans une publication desNations Unies.

Sommet Terre des Jeunes2001Peace Child International organise unSommet de la Terre des Jeunes qui setiendra à partir du 20 septembre 2001à Bakou en Azerbaïjan. Ce sommetdonne l’occasion pour les jeunes (15-25ans) de présenter leurs idées etprojets pour le développement durablede la planète. Trois délégués dechaque pays seront sélectionnés parun comité international. Pour toutesinformations contacter: AzerBayramov. Fax 994 (12) 239 314 E-mail: [email protected]

NominationsEn janvier dernier, Larry DeBuhr aquitté son poste du Jardin Botaniquedu Missouri pour prendre celui deVice-Président du départementéducation au Jardin Botanique deChicago. Nous aimerions adresser

desarrollo sustentable; e identificarálineamientos regionales y globales enel contexto de aspectos claves para eldesarrollo sustentable. Para mayorinformación sobre Cumbre de la Tierra2002 visita este sitio:http://www.un.org/rio+10/

Concurso de Carteles ParaNiños Agenda 21Se ha organizado un concurso a nivelnacional para alumnos de entre 7 y 12años. La iniciativa sugiere que loscomités u organismos coordinadoressimilares de Nacional Rio+10 inviten alos niños a través de sus escuelas yeducadores así como asociaciones demaestros, a enviar dibujos queplasmen sus percepciones deldesarrollo sustentable,preocupaciones y entendimiento delos objetivos de la Agenda 21. Lainiciativa pretende generar un procesoeducativo a través del cual los niñosaprendan sobre la Agenda 21 y eldesarrollo sustentable e integraraspectos inter-generacionales parapreparar el concepto de Rio+10.Durante la selección de los trabajosganadores y su envío a la Comisiónde Desarrollo sustentable estarádisponible el linkhttp://www.un.org/rio+10/. Lacolección de los ganadores seexhibirá en la Reunión Cumbre y seeditarán en una publicación de lasNaciones Unidas.

Reunión Cumbre Juvenil 2001La organización Internacional Niñospor la Paz ha organizado una ReuniónCumbre Juvenil que se llevará a cabodel 2 al 9 de septiembre de 2001 enBaku, Azerbaijan. La Cumbre brindarála oportunidad a jóvenes de 15 a 25años a externar sus ideas y planes deacción para el desarrollo sustentabledel planeta. Tres delegados de cada país se seleccionará por elcomité organizador internacional.Para mayor información contactar a:Azer Bayramov, Fax: 994(12) 239 314Email: [email protected]

Nuevos NombramientosYa que en enero de este año LarryDeBuhr dejó su puesto en el JardínBotánico de Missouri a cambio del


NEWS UP DATE


Coordinator of School and YouthPrograms and Julie Kulak, Coordinatorof Botanical Art Education. We wouldlike to wish Steven, Lisa and Julie allthe very best with their new roles andwe look forward to hearing about theirprogrammes and projects at theArboretum.

CongratulationsA big congratulations to Chris Millican,Welsh Woman of the Year inEducation. This award is inrecognition of her outstanding worksetting up the education department atthe new National Botanic Gardens ofWales. As well as being a personalhonour for Chris, this is a welcomeacknowledgement of the value ofeducation in botanic gardens.

ApologiesFor those with sharp eyes you willhave noticed that the photo on page29 in Roots 21 was upside down! Our apologies.

We would also like to apologise toMaria José Carrau for printing hercontact details incorrectly. Maria canbe contacted at the Jardí Botànic deValència C/ Quart 80, 46008 Valencia,España. Tel: 34(9) 63156818 Fax: 34 (9) 63156826 Email: [email protected]

nos félicitations à Larry en luisouhaitant bonne chance pour sesnouvelles fonctions.

Ces derniers mois, l’Arboretum deMorton a recruté trois responsableséducatifs: Steven Leonard commeresponsable pédagogique, Lisa Bergcomme coordinatrice desProgrammes scolaires etpédagogiques et Julie Kulak commecoordinatrice de l’éducation à l’art.Nous souhaitons bonne chance dansleurs nouvelles fonctions à Steven, àLisa et à Julie en espérant d’ avoirbientôt de leurs nouvelles à proposdes projets et programmes àl’Arboretum.

FélicitationsNous adressons toutes nosfélicitations à Chris Millican, nomméeGalloise de l’Année en Education. Cetitre récompense son travailremarquable de mise en place dudépartement éducatif du nouveauJardin Botanique du Pays de Galles.En même temps qu’un honneurpersonnel pour Chris, ce prixconstitue une reconnaissance de lavaleur pédagogique des jardinsbotaniques.

ExcusesD’abord, nous présentons toutes nosexcuses à Dawn Sanders à proposd’une photo présentée à l’envers dansson article dans le numéro 21 deRoots.

Toutes nos excuses aussi à MariaJosé Carrau pour une erreur dans sescoordonnées. Pour contacter Maria,voici la bonne adresse: Jardi Botanicde Valencia C/Quart 80, 46008Valencia, Espagne. Tél: 34(9) 631 568 18 Fax: (9) 631 568 26 E-mail: [email protected]

nuevo cargo como Vicepresidente deEducación del Jardín Botánico deChicago, le enviamos nuestras máscordiales felicitaciones y le deseamoslo mejor.

El Arboretum Morton ha incorporado atres nuevos miembros claves dentrode sus personal para educación:Steven Leonard, Director deEducación para Jóvenes, Lisa Berg,Directora del Programa Escolar yJuvenil, y Julie Kulak Coordinadora deEducación en Arte Botánico. Lesenviamos a Steven, Lisa y Julienuestros mejores deseos en susnuevos cargos y esperamos escucharalgo sobre sus programas y proyectosen el Arboretum.

FelicitacionesUna gran felicitación a Chris Millican,Welsh Woman en el Año de laEducación. Este merecidoreconocimiento lo obtuvo por elestablecimiento del departamento deeducación en el Nuevo JardínBotánico Nacional de Wales. Ademásde ser un honor para Chris, tambiénes un bienvenido agradecimientosobre el valor de la educación en losjardines botánicos.

DisculpasNuestras más sinceras disculpas aDawn Sanders y que en su artículo deRoots 21 una de sus fotos se imprimióal revés.

Igualmente una disculpa a María JoséCarrau por los errores en su dirección.Pueden contactar a María José en:Jardí Botánic de Valéncia C/Quart 80,46008 Valencia, España Tel: 34(9)63156818 Fax: 34 (9) 63156826 Email: [email protected]

■ Summary

At first sight there seems to be littleconnection between a botanicalinterest in plant biodiversity and aconcern with human rights. Scientificstudies of the conditions for thedistribution and flourishing of plant lifeseem to owe nothing to politicalendeavours to protect humans fromabuses by other humans; and viceversa. Yet both biodiversity andhuman rights are matters of vital andfundamental concern worldwide; andboth stand in need of protection fromthe threats to them resulting fromcertain organised human activities.When we seek to understand how andwhy each is under threat, and whatmight be done to protect them,significant connections are revealed.In this article I am going to suggest, infact, that they are inextricably linked inimportant ways, and that strategies toprotect the one need to be linked tostrategies of protection for the other.

Biodiversity and Human RightsUnder A Common Threat?

There can be little doubt about thereality or seriousness of the threatsthat biodiversity and human rights areunder due to the actions of humans.On the one hand, biological diversity isdiminishing at an alarming rate owinglargely to the predations of a profit-driven globalized economy: scientistsnow believe that the world’s flora andfauna are disappearing at rates greaterthan the mass extinction events thatpunctuate the fossil record (Purvis andHector 2000). On the other hand, andnotwithstanding global endorsementof the United Nations Declaration ofHuman Rights over the past fiftyyears, ‘man’s inhumanity to man’, and, we should add, ‘to women and

children’, continues unabated in theatrocities we continue to witness ofoppressive regimes and genocidalethnic conflicts.

Threats to the one, moreover, are notalways unconnected to threats to theother: where, for instance, anindigenous people’s traditional way oflife, which is dependent on the carefuland subtle use of local plant varieties,is undermined by expropriation of theirland for logging, ranching or building,the people’s livelihood and welfare isundermined, and their protestsquashed, at the same time as plantspecies are put in danger ofextinction.

Nevertheless, while concerns withhuman rights and with biodiversitymay sometimes coincide, the reasonswhy humans put biodiversity at riskoften have to do with what theyperceive to be their vital and legitimateneeds. There is an evident conflict if,for instance, the choice is betweendeveloping land for human food andhomes or preserving a habitat forsome species of plant at the expenseof leaving a number of peoplehomeless and without food. So whilesome peoples may defend their rightto reduce the biodiversity of theirenvironment by referring to their rightto feed themselves, others defendtheir right to retain their diverseenvironment on the same grounds.

It might therefore be thought thatbringing human rights into theequation when thinking aboutstrategies for protecting biodiversityonly serves to muddy the waters.However, what I am going to suggestis that human rights issues cannot infact be extricated from the practicalissues in protecting biodiversity. This

is so for quite deep reasons thatemerge when we consider what isinvolved in understanding biodiversityand developing strategies for itsprotection.

What Biological Diversity isand Why it Should bePreserved: Our RadicallyIncomplete Understanding

The term biodiversity refers to thevariety of life forms - the differentplants, animals and microorganisms,the genes they contain, and theecosystems they form - that make upthe fabric of the earth’s biosphere.Biological diversity is now known tobe crucial to the maintenance ofecosystems and organisms generallyas well as providing essential servicesfor human’s survival and flourishing.

Yet scientists have a radicallyincomplete understanding of exactlyhow biodiversity works or what shouldtherefore be done to preserve it. Anyattempt to measure biodiversityquickly runs into the problem that it isa fundamentally multidimensionalconcept. Biodiversity cannot bereduced sensibly to a single indicator,such as species richness: to supposethat conserving overall biodiversitysimply means conserving a populationof every species, is, in the words ofPurvis and Hector (2000) ‘…rather likehaving one of each note in the Mozartconcerto’. Living processes areinterrelated in so many and complexways that we are hardly beginning tounderstand.

In fact, we do not even know what isalready there. Purvis and Hectorestimate that an average day sees theformal description of around 300 newspecies across the whole range of life,

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Biodiversity,Human Rights

ARTICLE ONE

and Sustainability

Biodiversité, Droits de l’Homme et Développement DurableBiodiversidad, Derechos Humanos y Sostenibilidad

and suggest that the roughly 1.75million described species of organismmay be only around 10% of the total.In fact, scientists are discovering notonly new species, but even hithertounknown life forms such as microbialcommunities in rocks deep beneaththe earth’s surface and self-reproducing entities that havegenomes for their habitat (Purvis andHector 2000). In short, the one thingwe know for sure is that there is muchgreater biological diversity than weknow about!

It follows, therefore, that the harmhuman activities are doing toecosystems may be correspondinglygreater than we already realise. Thissimply increases the urgency of thebasic question: what can and shouldbe done to arrest and reverse thetrend?

One thing we know is that to leave theworld untouched is not an option.There is now practically no part of theworld that has remained unaffected byhuman interventions into its ecology.Humans cannot know whattrajectories ecological relations wouldtake in the absence of humanintervention, even in principle, since,on the one hand, humans’ impactshave entered into the evolutionaryhistory of ecology, and, on the other,some species extinction and othervariations in biodiversity always haveoccurred anyway, quite independentlyof human intervention. To preservebiodiversity in any absolute sense istherefore not an option.

This also means there can be nopurely objective standards againstwhich to assess strategies forpreserving biodiversity. Strategies willalways be selective and have aspecific focus, implicitly favouringsome forms of life over others.Scientific experts themselves admitthat they cannot entirely avoid beingbiased, geographically andtaxonomically, in what they take as afocus of importance (Margules andPressey 2000).

If some bias in the description ofbiodiversity is unavoidable, though, wecan nevertheless identify and evaluatethe reasons why a biodiversitypreservation policy exhibits one bias

rather than another. This will usuallybring us to recognise that particularhuman interests are operative; andwhere there are competing views ofthe appropriate policy, one willtherefore normally find competinghuman interests. As proponents ofcompeting interests vie for a claim tolegitimacy, they will take everyopportunity to defend their interests interms of fundamental human rights.

Why Strategies For PreservingBiodiversity Raise HumanRights Issues?

The main focus for conservationstrategies throughout the world is onnature reserves. Yet as Margules andPressey (2000) observe, reservescontain a biased sample ofbiodiversity: they tend to beconcentrated on land that is tooremote or unproductive to beimportant economically; this meansthat many species occurring inproductive landscapes or landscapeswith development potential are simplynot protected. Moreover, goals suchas the protection of grand scenery andwilderness often focus on areas thatare remote, rugged and residual fromintensive uses, giving them a politicaladvantage over goals such asrepresentativeness, which focus alsoon disturbed, economically productivelandscapes.

Current strategies are thus heavilyinfluenced by economic and politicalpressures. If strategies for preservingbiodiversity cannot be completelydivorced from a consideration ofhuman interests, we can still askwhether, from an ethical point of view,some interests are not more legitimatethan others. Certainly, some peoples’ways of life do less harm to nature orhumans than those of others. WhileWestern science is hardly equal to thetask of fully comprehending theimpacts of profit-driven technologicalinterventions in global ecology, somepeople still live within their ecologicalmeans and understanding. In culturesof indigenous peoples whose lives arestill orientated to the carefulobservation of their naturalenvironment, the requisite detailedknowledge may be available withoutany formal training in science as weunderstand it.

‘In Indian Agriculture, women use upto 150 different species of plants(which the biotech industry wouldcall weeds) as medicine, food, orfodder. For the poorest, thisbiodiversity is the most importantresource for survival...What is aweed for Monsanto is a medicinalplant or food for rural people’ (Shiva 1999).

Rich Western industries take fromindigenous peoples and biologicalcommunities what can turn a profit forthem, patent it, claiming intellectualproperty rights in it, and sell back theirproducts at prices the poor cannotafford. Land that once supportedlocal populations in a sustainablemanner is turned over to theproduction of cash crops - such ascoffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, animalfeed, and so on - yielding a profit fortransnational corporations that tradethe crops while leaving the localpopulation and their ecologyimpoverished.

If such practices are not condemnedas unjust from within the rich countriesthat benefit from them, this is at leastin part because they take a humanright of freedom, as manifest in theexercise of private property rights andrights of free trade, to have priority inpractice over rights to subsistence ofthose who suffer the adverse effectsof global economic development.

This order of priorities is to a certainextent challenged, though, by the idealof sustainable development asadvanced by the Brundtland Report.This conception of developmentrequires respect for the rights of theneedy; and these are expressly linkedto a fundamental right of all humans‘…to an environment adequate fortheir health and well-being’ (WCED1987).

Of course, human rights, evenenvironmental rights, are not apanacea for problems of biodiversityloss. Human interests, even theirinterests in an adequate environment,do not always coincide withpreservation of biodiversity. Somepeople think human rights do not offera solution at all, and that their roleshould actually be reduced in the lightof ecological concerns; at the extreme

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ARTICLE ONE

it is even argued that given the finitudeof the earth’s resources, it would bebetter to let those without access tomeans of subsistence die off in theinterests of the planet and of futuregenerations. Yet such proposals areas likely to be as ineffective as theyare immoral: for they disregard howthe positive contributions of the poorare systematically undermined by thepractices of the rich. Therefore, asCharles Zerner (1997), researchdirector of the Rainforest Alliance, hasstressed, it is crucial to understandwhich particular humans’ interests areserved by which activities affectingbiodiversity: we have to ask whobenefits from a particular project, how,at whose expense, and who makesdecisions for whom. Only if a concernwith biodiversity is linked toconsiderations of human rights cansuch questions be given the requisiteprominence.

Conclusion

The fate of biodiversity and humanrights thus seem to be inextricablylinked. Although biodiversity mayappear to be a matter for objectivescientific study, it is in factimponderably complex; scientificunderstanding of it is also to someextent, and necessarily, value laden,because some principles are selectedover others, and selection is guided byparticular human aims. But if a

completely impartial approach tobiodiversity is not possible, whatneeds to be understood is whichinterests are served by whichapproach, and which interests havemost justice on their side. In that way,biodiversity would be linked not onlyto human rights, but also to humanresponsibilities. For humans shouldnot only claim rights for themselves,but also, when they are exercisingpower over people’s lives andenvironment, take seriously theirresponsibilities - responsibilitiesregarding the natural world, andresponsibilities towards one anothertoo.

References

➡ Margules, C.R. and Pressey, R.L.(2000) Systematic ConservationPlanning. Nature 405.

➡ Purvis, A. and Hector, A. (2000)Getting Measure of Biodiversity.Nature 405.

➡ Shiva, V. (1999) Stolen Harvest -The Hijacking of the Global FoodSupply. South End Press pp70-71,104-105.

➡ World Commission on Environmentand Development (1987) OurCommon Future. Oxford UniversityPress.

➡ Zerner, C. (1997) The ConservationToolbox: Choosing Alternatives.Rainforest Alliance 1997 AnnualReport.

▲ResuméL’étude scientifique de la biodiversitémontre qu’il y a peu de liens avec lesdocuments sur les droits de l’homme,mais cet article montre qu’il existe desconnections significatives entre lesdeux. Il n’y a pas de visionscientifique objective et complèteindiquant que la biodiversité estimportante, ce qui fait que les vuesappréciant les stratégies pour lapréserver sont différentes. Dansl’examen de ces différentes stratégies,il est important de comprendre où setrouve l’intérêt particulier humainqu’elles servent. Parce que différentsgroupes de personnes vont prendrechaque possibilité pour défendre leursintérêts comme les droits humains, lesdécisions sur la bonne stratégie depréservation de la biodiversitéimpliquent que les documentséthiques sur les droits de l’hommesoient pris en compte comme uneculture scientifique.

● ResumenEl estudio científico de labiodiversidad de las plantas pareceque tiene poco que hacer con lacuestiones de los derechos humanos,pero este artículo demuestra que hayconexiones significativas entre ellos.

No hay un punto de vista científicoobjetivo y completo de las razones delporqué la biodiversidad es importante,y hay puntos de vista que compitenpor las estrategias apropiadas parapreservarla. En la valoración de lasdiferentes estrategias es importanteentender a que interés humanoparticular están sirviendo. Para quediferentes grupos humanos tenganacceso a todas las oportunidadespara defender sus derechos humanos,las decisiones sobre las estrategiasapropiadas para la preservación de labiodiversidad implicaran tantocuestiones éticas de derechoshumanos como conocimientoscientíficos.

Dr Tim Hayward is a lecturerand researcher with theDepartment of Politics,University of Edinburgh, 31 Buccleuch Place,Edinburgh EH8 9JT Scotland

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ARTICLE ONE

Left:

Traditional way

of life is

dependent on

the use of local

plant varieties

■ Summary

From time immemorial, localcommunities in Kenya have hadcultural practices and beliefs thatenhanced biodiversity conservation.These have varied from place to placedepending on the ethnic group.Although a number of localcommunities still embrace culturalpractices and beliefs that encourage acommunity environmental ethic, there isa rapid loss of indigenous knowledgeand cultural values due to the advent ofmodernism and Christianity. Thesevalues and practices are fastdisappearing and losing their prestigeespecially with the younger generation.To reverse this trend, efforts are beingmade to establish community gardens

in the affected local communities withan aim of conserving cultural practicesand beliefs through education andawareness programmes. Once thisnew initiative takes root, communitygardens in Kenya are set to play asignificant role towards sustaining acommunity environmental ethic thatarises from practising cultural values for sustainability. Such values includevalues of social responsibility, concernfor all life forms, living in harmony withnature and commitment to work withothers.

Introduction

Different Kenyan communities holddifferent cultural views and beliefs onthe relationship between humans and

nature. Any attempt to understandthis relationship without anyunderstanding of the culture of acommunity is bound to fail. Culturetherefore, forms a vital content ofenvironmental ethics. In the contextof this article, culture can be said tobe a set of shared values, beliefs,norms, knowledge and assumptionsabout nature that are transmitted fromone generation to the next through theprocesses of socialisation andeducation.

Plant resources were purely protectedthrough cultural practices and beliefsin many communities. To someextent, this is still true even today.Traditional forest management in somelocal communities involve the use ofelaborate taboos, myths, folklore andother culturally controlled systems tobring coherence within apredetermined communityenvironmental ethic. Many localcommunities still regard certain plantspecies as sacred; cutting down suchsacred trees is regarded as unethicaland a taboo. In the event one cutsdown a sacred tree a ritual must beperformed; such a ritual entailssacrificing an animal at the placewhere the tree has been cut. Oneexample of a sacred tree from Kenyais Kigelia africana (the sausage tree)that is believed to shelter communalspirits of female fertility. In thecommunity where this tree is sacred, it is unethical to cut it down; thisensures its conservation.

Other than sacred trees, most Kenyancommunities still preserve specificsites for cultural reasons. Such sitesor sacred groves have been found topossess high species diversitycompared to the areas neighbouringthem. Depending on the cultural

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CommunityEnvironmental Ethic

Towards a

Pour une Éthique Environnementale Pour la CommunautéHacia Una Comunidad Ecológicamente Ética

ARTICLE TWO

Above: Creating

awareness

through a

community

garden in Kenya

perceptions of a community, apreserved site may be a rock, a cliff, avolcano crater, a lake, a hill or a forest.

Sacred Groves andEnvironmental Ethics

Kenya has over 1000 traditional sacredgroves that differ in their use and size.The majority of them are small and areonly used by a particular family or clan.But a few are still famous and areknown to an entire community andthus communally conserved. Turningsuch sites into community gardens canimprove their management and thesharing of cultural values acrosscommunities. The type ofmanagement of sacred groves variesfrom strict cultural rules permitting noentry, to more lenient ones that allowlimited exploitative activities.Community elders usually controlactivities within sacred groves.

Due to community shared culturalvalues, sacred groves have acted asrefuges for plants and animal species.In this way, a community’s culture isassociated with the conservation ofbiodiversity through an alreadyestablished community environmentalethic. Sadly, in recent years there hasbeen an erosion of cultural values inmany local communities leading to lessrespect for sacred sites. Nevertheless,some local community dwellers are stillproud of cultural values and preservedsacred sites. A community gardenestablished within such a culturalenvironment can immensely draw onthe cultural experiences of thesecommunity dwellers. There is animperative need to conserve traditionalsacred groves as part of an existinglocal natural resource and a part of ournational heritage. To effectively realisethis, research was undertaken toestablish written documents aboutsacred places within libraries or in thecommunities. Such research wascarried out in 1998 by the KenyaResource Centre for IndigenousKnowledge (KENRIK) of the NationalMuseums of Kenya. The research,which was funded by UNESCO, tookthe form of a survey to determine thestatus of some selected traditionalsacred groves in the country. Its goalwas to document baseline data on thepast and present cultural valuesassociated with the sacred sites. The

survey demonstrated a direct linkbetween cultural values andbiodiversity conservation. A total of 19sacred groves were surveyed and themajority were found to have higherplant species diversity than theirimmediate surrounding areas. Onesuch sacred site that showed a higherplant species diversity was Thui Hill,situated about 100 km east of Nairobi.

Traditionally, the local people aroundThui Hill offer sacrifices on top of it inthe event of disease outbreaks, beforethe rain season for good harvest andbefore using a new harvest. Onlyelderly men and women of goodmorals should perform these sacrifices.There are several do’s and don’tsrelating to Thui Hill which, in my view,have contributed towards a communityenvironmental ethic. For instance:

• one is not supposed to settle, farmand plant trees on the Hill

• visitors are not allowed on the Hillunaccompanied

• one cannot point at the Hill• one should never make a complete

circle around the Hill• only locals who have previously

made donations towards offeringsare allowed to take part in offeringceremonies.

There is no doubt that these culturalrules (ethics) have contributed to theexisting rich plant species diversity atThui Hill sacred grove. The KENRIKresearch team made severaldiscoveries on the Hill: one plantspecies that was probably new to plantscience, three plant species that werefirst records in the entire floral region,one plant species that had only beenpreviously collected from Uganda, anda number of rare plant species. Suchdiscovery can only be attributed to thesacredness of the site and thereforefurther contributes to ourunderstanding of the interrelationshipbetween culture and environmentalethics.

Other than being sacred, Thui Hill isalso used in several other ways by thelocal community e.g. it is a source offruits and medicinal plants. However,to enable one to collect medicinalplants one is required to inform thecommunity elders, this ensuressustainable harvesting.

Many of the sacred sites are howeverfaced with a number of threats: humanpopulation pressure, negative attitudesof the younger generation towardscultural values and modernism. Ifthese sites are to survive together withtheir associated biodiversity, thenquick conservation actions are needed.One strategy, as mentioned earlier, isto transform them with the approval ofthe local communities into communitygardens. The community gardens canthen be used to teach cultural valuesfor sustainability.

Communicating CulturalValues Through CommunityGardens

Cultural values contrast markedly withscience-based values that form thefoundation for most conservation andbotanic garden management strategiestoday. In many of the botanic gardensthe emphasis is on the teaching of thescience-based values, which areassociated with the notion thatsustainable development is the trueethic for human beings.

In my opinion, community gardens arebest placed for the teaching of culturalvalues in the local communities wherethey are situated. If well incorporatedinto education and awareness inprogrammes at community gardens,cultural values have a lot to contributetowards a community environmentalethic. However, critical to the successof any community garden’s educationand awareness programme is a soundunderstanding of the local culturalcontext by an educator. Aspects ofcultural beliefs and perceptions of acommunity that contribute tosustainable living need to be identifiedand documented for disseminationthrough appropriate educationprogrammes. Not all cultural valuescontribute to sustainable managementof plant resources or biodiversityconservation. Therefore, beforecommunicating cultural values andpractices to an audience in acommunity garden, specialconsideration from an ecologicalstandpoint must be made so that thepractice may not become unethical.Consequently, more emphasis shouldbe placed on those cultural values thatcomplement the sustainabledevelopment ethic that comprises of

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ARTICLE TWO

ecological, social, economic andpersonal values. To effectively achievethis, an educator at a communitygarden would be required to engage incultural introspection to understandclearly the cultural dynamics to betaught.

One major shortcoming of culturalvalues however, is they do not reflectdiscussion, reason and compromise.They are normally principles oraccepted standards of what a localcommunity perceives as worthy, ethicalor desirable and thus there is no roomfor dissent. Nevertheless, theacceptance of a shared set of culturalvalues ensures the existence of acommunity environmental ethic asopposed to a personal environmentalethic. This reduces tensions andconflicts in biodiversity use therebyencouraging trust and security.

References

➡ KENRIK (1998) The Status of SomeSelected Traditional Forest Grovesin Kenya. Final Report on thePreliminary Survey Prepared forUNESCO by the National Museumsof Kenya. Unpublished.

➡ Tilbury, D. (1995) EnvironmentalEducation for Sustainability:Defining the New Focus ofEnvironmental Education in the1990s. Environmental EducationResearch 1 (2) 195-210.

➡ UNEP (1995) Cultural and SpiritualValues of Biodiversity. IntermediateTechnology Publications, London,U.K.

▲ResuméDepuis des temps immémoriaux, lespopulations locales du Kenya ont despratiques culturales et des croyancesqui vont dans le sens de laconservation de la biodiversité. Elleschangent avec les lieux et dépendentdes groupes ethniques. Bien qu’unassez grand nombre de communautéslocales ait encore des pratiquesculturales et des croyances qui vontdans le sens d’une éthiqueenvironnementale communautaire, il y a une rapide décroissance despratiques indigènes et des valeursculturelles dues à l’avancement dumodernisme et de la christianisation.Ces valeurs et ces pratiquesdisparaissent rapidement et perdentleur prestige plus particulièrementauprès des générations nouvelles.Pour renverser la vapeur, des effortssont faits pour installer des jardinscommunautaires auprès despopulations locales affectées, dans lebut de conserver des pratiques et descroyances culturales à travers desprogrammes d’éducation et d’éveil.Une fois cette nouvelle initiative miseen place, les jardins communautairesau Kenya pourront jouer un rôlesignificatif pour la promotion d’uneéthique communautaireenvironnementale issue des pratiquesculturales anciennes pour ledéveloppement durable. Les idéessous jacentes sont la responsabilitésociale, le respect des différentesformes de vie, la vie en harmonie avecla nature et la prise de conscience del’intérêt du travail en commun.

● ResumenDesde tiempos inmemoriales, lascomunidades locales en Kenia, hantenido una cultura y creencias quefavorecían la conservación de labiodiversidad. Esto varia de un sitio aotro dependiendo del grupo étnico.Aunque algunas comunidades localestodavía tienen prácticas culturales ycreencias que fomentan unacomunidad ecológicamente ética, hayuna pérdida rápida del conocimientodel modernismo y del cristianismo.Estos valores y prácticas estándesapareciendo y perdiendo suprestigio especialmente en lasgeneraciones jóvenes. Para cambiaresta tendencia se están haciendoesfuerzos para llevar a cabo elestablecimiento de jardinescomunitarios en las comunidadeslocales afectadas con el objetivo deconservar las prácticas culturales y lascreencias a través de la educación yprogramas de concienciación. Unavez que esta iniciativa se hayaestablecido, los jardines comunitariosen Kenia empezaran a jugar un papelsignificante para mantener unacomunidad éticamentemedioambiental que surge de lapráctica de los valores culturales parala sostenibilidad. Estos valoresincluyen el sentido social de laresponsabilidad, una conciencia haciatodas las formas de vida, una vida enharmonía con la naturaleza y elcompromiso con el trabajo en grupo.

Abel Atiti is the EducationOfficer at the NationalMuseums of Kenya, NairobiBotanic Garden, PO Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: (254) 2 742131 Fax: (254) 2 741424 E-Mail: [email protected]

26

ROOTS 22

ARTICLE TWO

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ROOTS 22

A Voice of CultureEthics

Ethiques – Une Voix de la CultureÉtica - Una Voz de Cultura

ARTICLE THREE

■ Summary

With the increasing interest in travelfocusing on nature and culture, andthe rising interest in ethnobotany,interpreters and educators need toconsider the ethics involved withinterpreting indigenous culture.

The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydneyhas made a commitment to Aboriginalreconciliation with the appointment ofJohn Lennis, the garden’s IndigenousEducation Officer. Reconciliation aimsto forge partnerships to achieve socialand economic equity for indigenouspeoples; strengthen the people’smovement for reconciliation; facilitateconstructive discussion on indigenouspeople’s rights; and build a frameworkfor a shared future.

In this article John shares hisperspective on the interpretation ofAustralian Indigenous culture andgives botanic garden interpreters andeducators some food for thought onthe ethics of non-indigenous peopleinterpreting indigenous culture. Hetalks about the appropriateness of thisand the ethical decisions they need tomake to ensure they are doing itappropriately.

Introduction

During the last few years there hasbeen an increasing trend forinterpretation and educationprogrammes to focus on ethnobotany,and provide cultural activities ratherthan those based purely on recreation(Boyd and Ward 1993). This has notonly been instigated by botanicgarden staff but also by staff innational parks and private industryworking in fields such as nature-based

tourism and ecotourism; whereincreasing the environmental andcultural understanding of visitorsthrough education and interpretation isa key element to bridging the gapbetween non-indigenous andindigenous culture.

This focus on ethnobotany andindigenous culture has occurred formany reasons, one being the increasein demand for this type of tourism andvisitor experience from the generalpublic, who are becoming increasinglyenvironmentally and culturally aware(Morgans 1999).

In Australia a greater awareness of,and interest in, Aboriginal culture hascontributed to an increase in visitationto traditional sites, particularly those innational parks and reserves (Upitis1989). Thousands of internationalvisitors each year flock to see locallandmarks that are also Aboriginalsacred sites such as Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kakadu (Boyd and Ward1993). The interpretation of thesetraditional and sacred sites can be avery sensitive issue among Aboriginalpeople, the tourism industry and themanagers of these natural and culturalsites (Upitis 1989). Therefore it is vitalthat interpreters and educators beginto realise the ethical decisions theymust make regarding interpretingindigenous cultures.

The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydneyhas a commitment to interpretingindigenous culture. Three years agothe gardens made a commitment toAboriginal reconciliation and, as partof this, was keen to interpret theSydney, Mt Tomah and Mt Annanbotanic gardens from an indigenousperspective. John Lennis was brought

on board as the Indigenous EducationOfficer specifically to tell the story ofthe Cadigal people, the originalindigenous inhabitants in the Sydneyregion.

The following interview betweenJohn Lennis (Indigenous EducationOfficer Royal Botanic GardensSydney) and Janelle Hatherly(Manager of Community EducationRoyal Botanic Gardens Sydney)explores some of the issues thatimpact on the ethical decisions thatmust be made when interpretingindigenous culture.

J. HatherlyAsks the questions

J. LennisHas the answers

What is the importance ofinterpreting indigenous culture?

To me, as an Aboriginal person, itmeans getting the wider communityto understand Aboriginal people, theirhistory, and their lives…Over the last200 years, Aboriginal history andculture has always been placed in thebackground and now is the time for itto come to the forefront. It should beinterpreted in a way that ismeaningful, for everyone tounderstand and come to terms withit. Until recently people have failed tounderstand Aboriginal people and theissues they face in the world today.

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ROOTS 22

ARTICLE THREE

What is the relationship betweenindigenous culture and theenvironment?

The relationship is actually one; theculture is part of the environment.Aboriginal people lived, worked andplayed in the environment and theenvironment looked afterthem…Without the environment theycouldn’t have had a sustainablelife…they were the sort of caretakersof the environment… in contrast a lotof societies today don’t take anynotice of their environment and that’swhy we’ve got such a mess with theenvironment.

What do you see as the role ofbotanic gardens in protecting andinterpreting indigenous culture?

Botanic gardens, not just here at TheRoyal Botanic Gardens in Sydney,but anywhere, have a role ininterpreting the plants and theenvironment … and working with theindigenous cultures to show howindigenous people looked after theenvironment and cared for theirenvironment, and gardens have a rolein educating the wider community onenvironmental factors. It’s a greatrole and a challenge for organisationslike botanic gardens to be able to doit in such a way that the laypersoncan understand the interpretation,enjoy it, and then take the ‘cause’and look after it to ensure futuregenerations have a betterenvironment to live in.

Are there issues with non-indigenous interpreters/educatorsinterpreting indigenous culture?

To me there are. For example beingan Aboriginal person and also aCatholic, I could not interpret theChristian belief of the Church ofEngland or the Buddhist religion.How could somebody who’s not ofthat race or religion interpretsomething that they’re not familiarwith or have an understanding of? If they can understand it, and cometo terms with it, and know what ➜

it’s about, then there is no problem. But it’s very hard for non-indigenouspeople to really understand thesignificant values of Aboriginalculture, and to understand the wholepicture. They can get part of thepicture but not the whole picture.

It’s the same for example with theBuddhist faith, you can understandpart of the faith but do youunderstand the whole Buddhist faithand how can you interpret theBuddhist faith if you’re not aBuddhist? How can you interpretAboriginal culture if you’re not anAboriginal person? That’s the simpleway of explaining it in my way to getpeople to understand why it’simportant for Aboriginal interpretersto interpret Aboriginal culture. It’s allabout inherited understanding really.

Are there aspects of indigenousculture that non-indigenous peoplefind hard to understand?

Very much so, depending on how theculture is interpreted. A lot of peoplecan never understand the differencebetween men’s business and women’sbusiness in today’s society. Theydon’t actually reflect back on their ownsociety where 20-30 years ago a mangoing into a labour ward wouldn’t havebeen heard of – that was women’sbusiness. It’s the same as womengoing into say a Masonic lodge or to amen’s only club, that’s men’s business.When they can understand that, thenthey do understand the difference inthe roles of men’s business andwomen’s business.

That is the hardest thing to get peopleto understand in Aboriginal culturebecause the men’s roles were entirelydifferent to women’s roles. But in factall societies had that in their past andeven up until the late 1980s and1990s there’s still places Aboriginalwomen would not go because it’smen’s business. The same goes forwomen’s business. I can’t interpret thewomen’s perspective of Aboriginalculture because I’m a man andwomen wouldn’t interpret men’s sitesor men’s business because it’s justnot part of us.

Is there information aboutindigenous culture that should notbe interpreted at all?

Oh yes, some of the sites are verysacred because they are referring to,for example, women’s business andthe spiritual side of things… I’ve seenpeople interpret them and theyinterpret them in the wrong way.They are the sites the communitiesdon’t want interpreted; for examplepeople go to these sites and they seethe rock carvings with the figure ofgiant man. Well these were in factinitiation sites for specific reasons.There’s quite a lot of them aroundthat should not be interpreted. It’sthe same with all cultures, they dohave those very sacred sites orplaces where you’re not allowed togo there unless you’re initiated intothat race or sect or whatever. This isthe same with Aboriginal life andculture.

What sort of ethical decisions doesa non-indigenous Interpreter needto make when interpretingindigenous culture?

If they do have to interpret Aboriginalculture, first of all they need to getthe permission of the differentrelevant organisations. It’s verydifficult, because a lot of interpretersor organisations don’t go through theprotocol of asking permission tointerpret Aboriginal culture; they justgo ahead and do it. From myexperience it leads to the wrongassumptions about things. I’ve beenon tours with a non indigenousperson interpreting rock art and theirinterpretation is so wrong. If theyinterpret something the wrong waythe damage that can be done to thewider community’s understanding isenormous. It comes back to thequestion of who really has the right tointerpret indigenous culture butindigenous people themselves?

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ROOTS 22

ARTICLE THREE

If botanic gardens are going tointerpret traditional knowledge,what steps do they need to take?

They need to talk to the localcommunities and go through theprotocol of asking the community, nottelling them, what the communitywants interpreted. As I mentionedbefore there are certain things thatshould not be interpreted and thecommunity would tell them whatshould and shouldn’t be interpretedand how it should be done. Botanicgardens need to listen to thecommunity… by asking thecommunity they will get a long way.If they go to the community and say‘…we’re going to do this, this andthis…,’ it’s not empowering thecommunity in having a say of whatthey would like to see. Asking themwhat they would want to be shownon display, how it should beinterpreted and listening to what thecommunity say brings about a winwin situation for both the gardensand the community. Thecommunity’s passing on themessages that they want to haveheard and the gardens are getting theknowledge and developinginterpretive information that they’reafter.

So it gives everybody a sense ofownership?

Yes and it’s empowering thecommunity in their own culture aboutwhat parts of their culture they wouldlike to be shown and interpreted.This is vital for overall success.

Some botanic gardens sellartefacts in their shops - whattypes of issues do the gardensneed to consider to ensure thatthis is done ethically?

By again talking to the communityand asking the community toproduce the artefacts. Here inSydney for example a lot of dotpaintings, a special type of paintingtechnique, are sold. Dot paintingdoesn’t belong to Sydney, ➜

it’s central west, Northern Territoryartwork. By selling the local stuff, it’sgiving the local communities thatownership again, the right of theirculture to be on display and notsomebody else’s culture. This is thehardest thing for people tounderstand, they see the dot paintingand they think it belongs to theAboriginal people generally butthere’s so many different parts ofAboriginal culture.

Aboriginal history and AboriginalAustralia is divided like Europe was inthe 17th century with smallkingdoms. Each kingdom had theirown way of doing things. So didAboriginal people here in Australia sothe culture in one area is different tothat in another area; their beliefs aredifferent.

It’s important to talk to the localcommunities; and listen to what localcommunities say because each oneis different. I couldn’t interpret whathappened in Melbourne because Idon’t know what happened inMelbourne, it’s an entirely differentcultural experience, their beliefs aredifferent to Sydney people andlikewise the Northern Territory beliefsare different.

The rainbow serpent belongs to thenorth, where here in Sydney Biame isour creative spirit, down Melbourneway, it’s somebody else again. Soit’s different throughout, and that’swhy it’s so important to listen to thecommunities on how and what thingsthey would like to interpret.

If you’re selling artefacts from anotherarea it gives the wrong message;you’re giving another creative story orinterpreting another lifestyle of adifferent area. You’re not recognisingthe local people; that’s why I say thatthe communities are one of the mainpeople to talk to. You need to get aconsensus from the community, talkto them, give them the ideas, andthey will come back with the waythey’d like to see things done. Thisapproach works.

John, as the Indigenous EducationOfficer, what have your brought tothe interpretation of the indigenousheritage of this site?

I think I’ve brought to the garden anunderstanding of the Cadigal people.The Cadigal people of the Sydneyregion were desecrated. I’ve workedto get everybody to understand thatthe Cadigal people are virtually afamily group of a larger tribal group,and that the tribal groups were a littleclan of groups together that formedthe tribal groups who all had thesame beliefs. In addition I’ve workedto show the people of Sydney thatAboriginal people had a purpose andan existence that was far beyond theunderstanding of the English. It wasa very simple lifestyle but it was alifestyle that they could enjoy withoutleaving their environment. Theyworked in their environment forbeneficial practices of their lifestyle.

And it is not just about understandingthe people from here but alsounderstanding that the people fromMt Annan and Mt Tomah, the othertwo gardens, were entirely differentclans groups and tribal groups; theyweren’t just one whole group thatwent from area to another, they eachhad different beliefs. The uses ofplants changed with the seasons andalso the areas too. Not all plants areused in exactly the same way. Theymight grow exactly the same way, butthe uses, because of their customsand their food taboos, are as differentas skin.

Before the Australian landscape wasperceived as a desolate uselesslandscape and Europeans loved tochop everything down and startscratching, putting in the Europeanstyle garden, which didn’t really workanyway. Showing the diverse rangeof plants is not just helping thegarden staff but also the widercommunity and visitors fromoverseas, to understand the beautyof the Australian landscape. Throughthis they will understand how plantingour native bush helps theenvironment, not just plants butanimals, and eventually the humansthat live in the environment areeffected.

In Australia, many Aboriginal communities across the country arefighting for land rights and cultural survival (Franke 1997).

The last two hundred years has seen their people forced, oftenviolently, from their land, beaten or shot for resisting invasion, placedinto missions, separated from their families, prohibited from using theirAboriginal languages and discouraged from traditional dances, songsand ceremonies (Ellwood 1988).

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ARTICLE THREE

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Aboriginal reconciliation, how faralong are we?

In most of society today we are doingquite well. I’d say that there’s stillquite a long way to go, but ever sincethe Corroboree 2000 bridge walk,where 150 000 Sydneysidersexpressed their support forreconciliation by marching togetherover Sydney Harbour Bridge, it hasshown me, and quite a few otherAboriginal people, that 75-80% ofAustralians want to walk and workhand in hand with Aboriginal people.

There is still quite a few people whodon’t understand what reconciliation isall about. But it is progressing towhere people are starting tounderstand the issues of Aboriginalpeople. When they can understandthe issues, they can understand whatreconciliation is all about, and why it isso important to have it. That way wecan go forward in the new millenniumtogether as one united Australia, andwe don’t have the divide whichdeveloped really because of amisunderstanding that happened 220odd years ago. That firstmisunderstanding is still carried ontoday, but now people are lookingback and saying ‘…well, that didhappen…’ and they are not denyingtheir past. That is what has alwayshappened before and that’s whatAboriginal people are saying ‘…don’tdeny the past and what’shappened…If you can accept the pastthen we can accept the future’. Beforeit’s always been a denial of theatrocities that have happened, and ifpeople can accept that, then they canlook forward to a brighter and betterfuture.

There are Ways and Means

In Australia, both non-indigenous andindigenous people interpret Aboriginalculture. The interpretation of culturalsites is far more complex thaninterpreting landscape, habitats orplants and animals - all of which isbased on scientific information.Cultural interpretation relates topeople living within an environmentand as such our perceptions andexpectations affect the way that thesite is interpreted and perceived.Upitis (1989) highlighted the fact thatAnglo Saxon descendants andEuropeans are trained to be objective,empirical and scientific, and AustralianAborigines have highly personal andspiritual connections with the land.

It is only now as land claims are beingmade and indigenous people arecontrolling their traditional landsthrough legislative title thatappropriate interpretation of theirculture is beginning to occur.

Clearly, interpreters need to besensitive to the attitudes andexpectations of Aboriginal people andvisitors if they are going to be able toeffectively interpret Aboriginal culture.It is important that the interpretationtakes a sensitive approach that isconsultative and ‘for’ the community(Uzzell and Ballantyne 1998) and isdone in close cooperation with thoseresponsible for protecting andmanaging the cultural site. Throughthis consultation, decisions need to bemade as to whether the site should beinterpreted, then consideration needsto be given to the cultural knowledgeto be shared, the messages to beconveyed, the level of visitor access(Upitis 1989) and who should

undertake the interpretation. This thenhelps to ensure accurate andappropriate cultural interpretation.

It is vital that the information is correct.Aboriginal people have a crucial role inthe interpretive development of a site,the site’s management, tourismdevelopment and advertising. TheAboriginal people control and releaseand transfer their cultural informationand they play a critical role in thedevelopment of the image anddefinition of Aboriginal culture for non-indigenous people (Boyd and Ward1993).

Taking into consideration the keypoints that John Lennis has made inhis interview - what are the possibleimplications for botanic gardens?Throughout the world botanic gardenshouse plants from other countries intheir collections, many of which areused by traditional cultures for food,ceremonies and medicine. How willthe ethical decisions needed to bemade effect the development of theireducational and interpretiveprogrammes? How can they ensurethat they have access to correctinformation? How can they makecontact with relevant indigenousgroups to discuss their situation?These are complicated questions thatdo not have easy solutions.

BGCI is aware that this is just oneperspective on the ethical decisionsinvolved with interpreting indigenousculture and would welcome input fromindividuals and other botanic gardensfrom around the world about how theyinterpret indigenous cultures and theethical decisions they encounter andhow they have overcome then. If youare willing to share your perspectiveon this subject please contact LucySutherland at BGCI or via email:[email protected]

References

➡ Boyd, W.E. and Ward, G.K. (1993)Aboriginal Heritage and VisitorManagement in Hall, C.M. andMcArthur, S. (eds) HeritageManagement in New Zealand andAustralia - Visitor Management,Interpretation and Marketing.Oxford University Press, AucklandNew Zealand.

➡ Ellwood, W. (1988) Back from theBrink. New Internationalist No. 186August 1988 pp4-6.

➡ Franke, J. (1997) The NI InterviewRobert Bropho. NewInternationalist No. 290 p31.

➡ Morgans, D. (1999) Ecotourism –Fad or Future for Tourism? Roots18 a Botanic Gardens ConservationInternational (BGCI) EducationReview pp18-21. BGCI UK.

➡ Upitis, A. (1989) Interpreting CrossCultural sites in Uzzell, D. (ed)Heritage Interpretation Volume 1 theNatural and Built Environment.Belhaven Press, London.

➡ Uzzell, D. and Ballantyne, R. (1998)Heritage that Hurts: Interpretation ina Post-modern World in Uzzell, D.and Ballantyne, R. (eds)Contemporary Issues in Heritageand Environmental Interpretation.The Stationary Office, London.

▲ResuméAvec l’intérêt croissant des voyagesciblés sur la nature et la culture etl’intérêt croissant pour l’ethnobotanique, les éducateurs ont besoinde considérer les éthiques dansl’interprétation de la culture indigène.

Les Jardins Botaniques Royaux deSidney ont passé une charte pour laréhabilitation de la culture Aborigènesous les hospices de John Lennis,responsable de l’éducation du JardinIndigène. Dans cet article Johnpartage sa vision de l’interprétation de

la culture indigène australienne etdonne aux guides et éducateurs dujardin botanique quelques grains àmoudre sur l’éthique que doiventsuivre les non indigènes interprétant laculture indigène. Il parle de sonappropriation et aussi des décisionséthiques qu’il est nécessaire deprendre pour le faire de façonappropriée.

Botanic Gardens ConservationInternational serait très intéressé deconnaître d’autres initiatives sur lespeuples indigènes. Si vous voulez bienpartager vos avis sur ce sujet,contacter: Lucy Sutherland Email:[email protected]

● ResumenCon el creciente interés en los viajescentrados en la naturaleza y la cultura,y el aumento del interés por laetnobotánica, los intérpretes yeducadores necesitan considerar laética relacionada con la interpretaciónde la cultura Indígena. El Real JardínBotánico de Sydney ha establecido uncompromiso de reconciliaciónaborigen con el acuerdo de JohnLennis, el Secretario de EducaciónIndígena del Jardín. En este artículoJohn comparte su perspectiva en lainterpretación de la cultura indígenaaustraliana y da a los intérpretes delJardín Botánico y educadores algúnsustento para considerar e interpretar,a partir de la ética de la gente noindígena, una cultura indígena. Él

habla de lo que es más apropiado ytambién de las decisiones éticas queellos necesitan tomar para asegurarsede que lo están haciendo de unamanera apropiada.

La BGCI estaría muy interesada enrecibir perspectivas desde otrasgentes indígenas. Si quieres compartirtu perspectiva sobre este tema porfavor contacta con Lucy Sutherland enBGCI por correo electrónico:[email protected]

BGCI greatly appreciates JohnLennis taking time to share hisperspective. John is theIndigenous Education Officer atthe Royal Botanic GardensSydney.

The interview was conducted byJanelle Hatherly, Manager ofCommunity Education at thegardens.

Both John and Janelle can becontacted at Royal BotanicGardens Sydney, Mrs Macquarie’s Road, Sydney2000 New South WalesAustralia. Tel: (61) 2 9231 8111 Fax: (61) 2 9251 4403 Email:[email protected] [email protected]

The interview questions and thearticle’s introduction, conclusionand summary were written byLucy Sutherland BGCI’sEducation Officer.

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ROOTS 22

ARTICLE THREE

Left: John

Lennis, RBG

Sydney’s

Indigenous

Education

Officer, in front

of a Gunyah (an

Aboriginal bush

hut typically

made of bark

and branches)

in the gardens

Left: Lucy

Sutherland and

Janelle Hatherly

in the Royal

Botabic Gardens

Sydney

■ Summary

The main interest of environmentalethics, as distinct from any otherethical theory, is in our dealing, relationwith and management of theenvironment and as such is not by anymeans homogeneous: it followsdifferent attitudes and ideologiesinherited from our past. But mostethicists agree with the fact that thefault of the relationship betweenhumans and nature lays on an inherenterroneous set of values.

The article demonstrates that Westerncivilisation has created the awarenessof its own faults in dealing with thenatural world and has startedquestioning its very concept ofprogress already around the beginningof the 21st century. It doesn’t meanthat questions about humanity’s rolevis-à-vis nature have not been thesubject of previous generations.However, the development of a vastbody of philosophical research on thesubject, under the heading ofenvironmental ethics, is the maincontribution that Western Civilisationhas offered to a beleaguered world.Aldo Leopold is credited with inventingthe concept, when in l949 he firstproposed the adoption of a Land Ethicin his Sand Country Almanac.

Later, the publication Caring for theEarth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living(IUCN, UNEP, and WWF 1991)highlighted the notion thatenvironmental ethics should becomepart of environmental policies. Thisidea was expanded after the EarthSummit in Rio in 1992 with the creationof an Earth Charter, which defines ourduties toward the environment andtowards each other, as the only hope

to achieve sustainability and peace.The substance of ethics is in actionsand not words, which implies that wemust often take painful decisions thatwill test our sense of justice, logic,compassion and love.

‘Environmental problems, like allsocietal problems, require self-understanding for enduringsolutions...It is clear that thesesolutions hinge on the values andattitudes which direct energiestowards a goal’ (Yi-Fu 1973).

‘To adopt the ethic for livingsustainably, people must re-examinetheir values and alter their behaviour’(IUCN, UNEP, and WWF 1991).

Environmental Ethics: What is it?

In all strategies with regard to theenvironment, a growing ethical concernmanifests itself in new laws andregulations. As mentioned previously,Aldo Leopold in his Sand CountryAlmanac (l949) first proposed theadoption of a Land Ethic. Leopold’sethics design was focused on thephysical setting and circumstances ofNorth America in the forties. Sincethen, the concept of land ethics hasdeveloped into a vast body of researchunder the name of environmentalethics. Let’s consider what we meanby environmental ethics. As Rolston(1999) explains ‘Environmental ethics istheory and practice about appropriateconcern for, values in, and duties tothe natural world’.

According to all scientific accounts, theplanetary condition is dire: destructionof habitat, disappearance of animalspecies, and in many cases Aboriginal

populations, the loss of plant life,desertification, the loss or pollution ofwaterways. The culprit is ever thesame: human action.

Moral philosophy had found a newfield of exploration: the responsibilityof human action on the natural world.It is not just a matter of understandingthe scientific problem and then fixingthings with the right technology, butrather one of the understanding andeventual correction of ourcosmological vision. The assumptionthat if only we had better knowledgewe would be able to make rationaldecisions is contradicted by real life.Increasingly our society assumes thecharacteristics of the risk society,accepted as a price to pay forprogress and free choice. Thedestruction of the environmentcontinues, although the perpetratorsare fully informed of the facts. Manyillnesses and disasters follow thesame pattern: a mixture of necessity,denial, and self-destructive impulses.

The cradle of environmental ethics, asa philosophical field of studies, isWestern civilisation. It has beenelicited by the very state of prosperitywhich industrial societies haveachieved. This is one of the reasonswhy environmental ethics is a relevanttopic in North America and NorthernEurope, where the industrial revolutionbegan and environmental damagegoes hand in hand with economicexpansion. An early reaction againstindustrial progress andcommercialism, perceived as triumphof vulgarity and aesthetic debasementof existence, was found among theintellectual class at the end of 19thcentury (e.g. Ruskin, Lawrence,Morris, Williamson, Cole, Thoreau).

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ROOTS 22

Environmental Ethicsin the West:

Ethique Environnementale à l’Ouest: Une RevueÉtica Medioambiental en el Oeste: Una Visión de Conjunto

An Overview

ARTICLE FOUR

The destruction of nature’s integritybegan to feel like a moral failure,which stained the individual andsociety.

An ideological path links today’secological fundamentalists to socialist,nazi or anarchic affiliations (Bramwell1989). Western society pursues thehighest degree of self-awareness inwhich we can recycle our guiltycomplexes. The appeal to preservenature for itself, is prevalent mainly insocieties who do not know scarcity,have a higher degree of education andhave been deprived most of all ofprimitive wilderness. On a fullstomach, it is easier to contemplatethe beauty of the world and indulge innon-exploitative activities.Conventions, law proposals,publications, exhortations, theories,scientific studies, economical support,find their initial expression in a richand socially privileged society, and itsoutlet in political action.

That hot bed of cultural change, thesixties, produced the right intellectualclimate for all sorts of alternative life-styles including the environment. Twoarticles: The Historic Roots ofEcological Crisis and On ChristianArrogance toward Nature by LynnWhite, which appeared in 1960,blamed Christianity for environmentaldegradation. White started a sequelof attribution of sins against nature notjust to the Church but to the wholeWestern value-system and its verymetaphysical foundations, which hasbeen under critical scrutiny by a waveof politically correct pseudo-philosophies ever since. During thesame period The tragedy of theCommons by Garrett Hardin,predicted a sinister Hobbesianstruggle in a world of diminishingresources.

In 1972, John B. Cobb published abook entitled Is it too Late? ATheology of Ecology. Since then thedebate has enlarged to the point ofbecoming all encompassing and in1979 Eugene C.Hargrove firstpublished the authoritative Journal ofEnvironmental Ethics, dedicated to thephilosophical aspects of environmentalproblems. The wealth of books andessays about the subject grew to sucha point that, in 1990, the International

Society for Environmental Ethics(ISEE) was created as an outlet forsuch an international growth ofgenuine interest.

The number of publications in the 21years from 1979 to 1999, is staggeringand covers every possible topic. Wecite as examples titles such as: Usingand Abusing Nietzsche forEnvironmental Ethics (RalphR.Acampora ), The Vegetarian Savage:Rousseau’s Critique of Meat Eating(D.Bonin Vail), Intrinsic Value, QuantumTheory and Environmental Ethics(J.Baird Callicot), Marxism, Ecology andTechnology (Yol.Jung Hwa ) (ISEE 1999).

With the creation in the 1990s of theIUCN Ethics Working Group,environmental ethics became part ofenvironmental policies and ‘…respectand care for the community of life’became an ethical principle,sometimes referred to as the ethics ofsustainability, a very ambiguous termwhich has sullied the clarity ofenvironmental objectives (IUCN, UNEPand WWF 1991).

The Earth Charter of 2000, is therecognition that environmental ethicshave spread beyond a narrow elitism(www.earthcharter.org). The term isnow used by teachers and politicians,though not many understand itsimplications. One of the mostinteresting features has been thecontribution of religion-orientedinstitutions, with the creation ofreligious ecumenical networks,following the Assisi gathering of WorldReligions in 1994 (see Notes Section).

Suffice to say that at this point in timethe material collected shows that therecognition of the subject, as a newphilosophical theory and as a field ofapplied ethics, is well established.

Applied Ethics

Holmes Rolston III distinguishes 12theories of environmental ethics, somewith a definitive philosophical pedigreerooted in our humanistic past, somewith a new perspective, likeecofeminism (Rolston 1999).

Pope John Paul II launched a NewYear appeal in favour of theenvironment to 200 foreign

ambassadors: ‘Save Man!’, heexhorts. ‘by saving the Creation’. In this appeal, humanity is still thesubject and object of policiesregarding the environment. But thelink between human activities and theenvironment in which they take placeis an ignored fact that commits us to along series of failures. Because thestate of the environment has beenexamined separately from economic,social and political problems,environmental problems have alwaysbeen with us.

Theoretical imperatives aside, we mustcome down to the task of solving realproblems. The essence of an ethic isin its application and it has to be themoving force of behaviour: actions arethe measure of our commitment.

With a baggage of moral tradition builtup through centuries, we wade in avariety of new situations. Solomonicjudgements are mediating betweenconflicting goods, or, more often,between more or less harmfulsolutions. Facts are subjected tointerpretations. The drama of choiceswill necessarily exclude one or moredesirable outcomes.

With the democratisation process,every person is becoming an expert inethical affairs. The public feels thatdecisions should not be taken bypoliticians and scientists, withoutbroad consultation. Typical is thecase of scientists specialising ingenetically modified organisms,disappointed by the constraintsimposed on research, debate whetheror not people should be allowed tomake important decisions on the basisof uninformed emotional beliefs.

‘Behind much of the criticism lies thebelief that ethics is in the realm offeeling and emotion; if there can be noobjective truth in ethics, it may seem,there can be no scope for reason andargument’ (Singer 1992).

Issues such as genetically modifiedRhesus monkeys or overpopulationpresent challenging thinking. Otherissues include medicine, religiousbeliefs, economics and psychologicalmotivations. Is it right to sacrifice ahighly intelligent animal in order tocure our deadly diseases?

33

ROOTS 22

ARTICLE FOUR

Many people agree that humansuffering comes first, others may feeluncomfortable with the burden oftaking ambiguous decisions. Theywould most probably not want toknow, but now the cat is out of thebag. Freedom of information is at thesame time a curse and a blessing.

The solution to overpopulation shouldbe, at least technically, easier than topersuade the affluent societies torelinquish their affluence: all that isneeded is contraception. But theIndian and Chinese examples teach usthat problems of individual choice,unconscious behaviour, economicneeds and cultural habits do notnecessarily result in solutions thatfavour the environment.

Regarding the commitment of botanicgardens to educate the public aboutthe preservation of our plant heritage,there’s no real opposition: who wouldnegate the positive opportunity thatthe study of plants and theirimportance to humanity offers? Aswith all issues of education, they seemneutral and inoffensive, that is whypeople in power do not feel threatenedby them. Sometimes educationalprojects in botanic gardens arecherished as a kind of entertainment,a pleasant way to spend time.Arguably this fails to teach aboutecological reality, which would yieldethical imperatives: the perception thateverything is connected, that ittouches their own lives too and urgesthem to change their behaviour. Thisis ultimately the ethical meaning ofenvironmental education and it appliesespecially to working with the plantkingdom, from which everythingdescends.

Our politicians depend on maintainingthe levels of wellbeing, which hasbecome the hallmark of 20th Westerncivilisation. Sound environmentalpolicies imply economic costs but,above all, a change in life-longacquisition of habits to which years ofeconomic growth have accustomedus. People want smokeless air, purewater, clean, safe energy, beautifulcountryside, healthy food, but whenthere is a price-tag attached to it theyoften will, like St. Augustine, say ‘...butnot yet.’

The creation of an environmental ethiccannot happen out of nowhere, butwill reflect the concerns and thetradition of the culture in which it isborn. Western values, as we haveseen, have always containedintellectual environmental values.

A long tradition of scientificobservation, love and reverence fornature goes back to Linneus,Leonardo, Goethe, Keats, Turner, Rilkeetc. Moreover, because other cultureshave similarly proven a kindred feelingof wonder and inspiration, asdemonstrated by cavemen’s paintings,Japanese art and Chinese poems, weknow that humanity’s attachment tonature expresses itself at varioushistorical moments in different modes.The notion that we must consider

authoritative regulations to preserveour environment from that side ofourselves which cannot see beyondthe satisfaction of some immediatewants, has become common place.Material wealth and power are meansto ends: the preservation of highervalues, created by humankind. Evenutilitarian moral philosophies recognisethat nature contributes to human wellbeing, by providing knowledge,contemplation, aesthetic enjoyment,and recreation.

In our highly polymorphic societieswith their profound contradictions, theprotection of the environment is not anarbitrary optional, but ‘…is central tothe spiritual and cultural interests ofhuman beings’ (Allison 1991) notmerely a matter of survival. Withoutthis recognition, any material progressis empty and indeed a dangerous two-edged sword.

References

➡ Allison, L. (1991) Ecology andUtility The Philosophical Dilemmasof Planetary Management.Leicester University Press.

➡ Bramwell, A. (1989) Ecology in the20th Century. A History. YaleUniversity Press, New Haven andLondon.

➡ ISEE (1999) Environmental Ethics,Twenty-One Year Index. ISEEBibliography.

➡ IUCN, UNEP and WWF (1991)Caring for the Earth: A Strategy forSustainable Living.IUCN/UNEP/WWF, Gland.

➡ Leopold, A. (1966) A Sand CountyAlmanac. Oxford University Press.

➡ Rolston, H. (1999) Ethics and theEnvironment in Baker, E. andRichardson, M. (eds) Ethics Applied(2nd ed.). Simon and Shuster, NewYork.

➡ Singer, P. (1992) Applied Ethics.Oxford University Press.

➡ Yi-Fu Tuan (1973) Topophilia AStudy of Environmental Perception,Attitudes and Values. Prentice Hall,New Jersey.

Websites

➡ The Earth Charter Initiative,International secretariat, the EarthCouncil - www.earthcharter.org

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ROOTS 22

ARTICLE FOUR

Below: The link

between human

activities and

the environment

is often ignored

There are currently several projectswhich link environmental praxis with arevision of religious and spiritualvalues:

➡ Assisi Nature Council, Italy -www.assisinc.ch/

➡ Buddhist Perception of Nature,Thailand

➡ Environmental Project, MelanesianCouncil of Churches, Papua NewGuinea –www.cwmission.org.uk/ucpng.html

➡ Au Sable Trails, Institute ofEnvironmental Studies, USA. –www.ies.wisc.edu

➡ Eco-Justice Project, CornellUniversity, USA –www.cornell.edu/upr/CenterDir/CRESP.html

➡ Parish of San Jose de Ocoa,Dominican Republic

➡ Sarvodoya movement, Sri Lanka –www.Sarvodaya.org

➡ Centro de Investigacion yPromocion Franciscano yEcologico, Uruguay

➡ Pax Christi, Strasbourg.

▲ResuméL’éthique environnementale sedifférencie des autres théorieséthiques par le fait qu’elle traite notrerapport et notre gestion del’environnement; elle n’est donc pashomogène; il s’ensuit différentesattitudes et idéologies héritées denotre passé. Mais bien desphilosophes éthiques sont d’accordavec le fait que le défaut dans larelation entre la nature et les hommesest inhérent à un ensemble de valeurserronées.

L’article démontre que les civilisationsde l’Ouest ont créé l’émergence deleurs propres erreurs dans leur rapportavec le monde naturel et quand adémarré le questionnement à proposdu concept de progrès, ce qui avaitdéjà commencé au début du siècle.Cela ne signifie pas que la question àpropos du rôle de l’humanité vis à visde la nature n’était pas en cause aucours des générations précédentes,mais que le développement d’un vasteensemble de recherchesphilosophiques sur le sujet, sous laconduite d’une éthique del’environnement est la principale

contribution que les civilisations del’ouest ont offerte à un mondeassiégé. Aldo Leopold aurait inventéle concept, quand en 1949 il proposapour la première fois l’adoption d’uneéthique de pays dans Sand CountryAlmanac.

Plus tard, les publications de Sauvezla Terre, une stratégie des années 90mise en avant par le WWF et l’IUCN,ont diffusé la notion d’éthiqueenvironnementale comme devant fairepartie des politiques se rapprochantde quelque chose nommée éthique dudéveloppement durable. Cette idée aété répandue après Rio 1992 avec lacréation d’une Charte de la Terre, quidéfinissait nos devoirs vis à vis del’environnement et des autres commele seul espoir d’arriver à undéveloppement durable et à la paix.Le contenu des éthiques est dansl’action et non dans les mots, ce quiimplique que nous devons souventprendre des décisions douloureusesqui mettent à l’épreuve notre sens dela justice, de la logique, del’indulgence et de l’amour.

● ResumenEl principal interés de la éticamedioambiental, a diferencia decualquier otra teoría ética es, desdenuestro punto de vista, nuestrarelación con el medio ambiente ynuestras directrices en su manejo.Todo ello no quiere decir en absolutoque sea un interés completamentehomogéneo. Este interés siguediferentes actitudes e ideologíasinherentes a nuestro pasado. Pero lamayoría de éticos están de acuerdocon el hecho de que el fallo de larelación hombre/naturaleza yace sobreuna serie inherente de ‘valores’erróneos. El artículo demuestra que lacivilización occidental ha creado unaconciencia de sus propios fallos en eltrato con la naturaleza y ha empezadoa cuestionarse su concepto deprogreso aproximadamente aprincipios de este siglo. Esto noquiere decir que las cuestiones acerca de la relación hombre/naturalezano se hayan tratado en generacionesanteriores, sino que el desarrollo de suamplia investigación filosófica, bajo eltítulo de Ética Medioambiental, es laprincipal contribución que al

civilización occidental ha ofrecido aeste asediado mundo. A AldoLeopold se le reconoce la invencióndel concepto, cuando en 1949propuso por primera vez el conceptode Tierra Ética en su Almanaque SandCountry.

Más tarde, la publicación Salvemos laTierra, una Estrategia para los ’90promovida por WWF y UICN, hadifundido la noción de que la éticamedioambiental debería formar partede las políticas medioambientales,cuando es algunas veces llamadaética de sostenibilidad. Esta idea seexpandió después de la conferenciade Rio 1992 con la creación de EarthCharter, que define nuestras tareasrespecto al medio ambiente ynosotros mismos, como únicaesperanza para conseguirsostenibilidad y paz. La esencia de laética está en las acciones y no en laspalabras, lo que implica que amenudo tengamos que tomardecisiones dolorosas que pondrán aprueba nuestro sentido de la justicia,de la lógica, la compasión y del amor.

Maria Luisa Cohen is Presidentof the Assisi Nature Council,C. P. 107, Assisi 06081PG,Vicolo St. Stefano, Italy.Tel/Fax: 39 (0)75 813 521.Maria can be contacted at:Avenue de Jaman, 3 Lausanne1005, Switzerland. Tel: (41) 21 320 7043 Fax: (41) 21 323 0736 Email: [email protected]

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ARTICLE FOUR

■ Summary

Working with collections of plants fromaround the world at the University ofLeicester Botanic Garden, U.K. hasstimulated the development of aneducation programme where the plantsare used as a starting point for theexploration of global issues particularlyin the area of sustainable development.Ethical questions arise about what weare teaching, how, and why. Thearticle explores what we are trying toachieve in programmes that provideexperiences through which the childrencan develop skills to equip them to askquestions and challenge assumptionsabout the world in which they live. Theprogrammes also help them to practisemaking decisions and working bothindependently and co-operativelytowards building a more sustainablefuture.

Introduction

Last summer I read an article in theEcologist about education in the smallBuddhist kingdom of Ladakh in theIndian Himalayas. In promotingeducation, the government hasachieved very high levels ofattendance at school: from oneperspective a real success story, butfrom another? Children who used togrow up alongside their parents in thefields, learning agricultural skills, or inthe home learning about ‘…spinning,cooking, weaving, and maintainingrelationships with the community’(Newberry 2000), now go to school tolearn geography, maths, Urdu andEnglish. However, the failure rate inexaminations is very high (95%) and‘Even pupils who leave school withqualifications have no use for theirknowledge at home. A few runbusinesses or become tour guides in

the capital, Leh, but most areunemployed. School gives them theskills to go to Delhi and beunemployed…It is not giving them theskills to live in their locality, and livehealthy, fulfilled lives’ (Newberry 2000).

This has had a dramatic effect both onthe whole Ladakhi community, itsculture and sense of identity and alsoon the personal development ofchildren who learn from their textbooksthat ‘…roads and dams are progress’.They have become dissatisfied withwhat they have, but their options forchanging it have become even morerestricted as a result.

There may be messages here for thoseof us, including our government andmany non-governmental organisations(NGOs), who argue that education isthe key to sustainable development.The ethical questions raised alsoresonate strongly with some of theissues which underscore our work withyoung people in this country. What isthe relevance of the education we offerto the real lives of young people? Whathidden messages are conveyed? Canthese sometimes be destructive? Inwhich case, how do we deal with this?In essence, what are we trying toachieve?

An Education ProgrammeAbout a Cake!

The education programme at theUniversity of Leicester Botanic Garden,U.K. started with a cake. The idea wasto begin with something that childrencould relate to, that they recognisedand liked - and then to use it as abasis (and a reason) for learningthrough discovering more about itsorigins. Each cake ingredient is takenas a springboard for finding out about

some of the people, plants, places andissues associated with it. So, forexample, children collect cocoa frombeside the cacao tree and can connectthe ingredient to the plant. They hearthe story of Ricardo, a twelve year oldlad who can’t go to school because heis needed to help earn the familyincome on the cocoa plantation. They learn about the different peoplecontributing to the process oftransforming the cocoa bean intochocolate and have the chance toconsider how to share the money theythemselves spend on a chocolate barbetween all the people involved inmaking it.

Ethical Dilemmas

This process flags up some oftenuncomfortable ethical dilemmas: Whatdo the children do with the informationthey receive? Do they feel sorry forRicardo? Do they envy him? What arethe implications for them? What canthey do about it? Is there analternative? Should they go home anddemand a change in family shoppingpolicy?

The cake idea started as a classroomproject in a school on a council estatethat has been described as one of themost deprived in Europe. Where doethical arguments stand in relation tothe hard realities of shopping bills?And what ethical questions does thisquestion itself raise?

The World Cake programme was,among other things, an attempt toprovide a way to explore ethical issuessuch as these. What we have found isthat although ethically there may oftenseem to be a right solution to aproblem, that same solution can raisemore questions for those involved

36

ROOTS 22

Exploring Ethical Issues

L’Examen des Documents Éthiques dans les Jardins BotaniquesExplorando Cuestiones Éticas en Los Jardines Botánicos

in Botanic Gardens

ARTICLE FIVE

about choices which they are not yetempowered to make. Going back toLadakh or even Ricardo, the generalassumption is that it is right thatchildren have the opportunity to go toschool, but what questions does thisraise for them, and what real choicesdoes it present?

We also recognise that in manysituations there is no right answer,ethically or otherwise.

Introducing Botanica

More recently we have developedanother approach, the BotanicaProject, using simulation in the gardento help children explore the issues forthemselves from different angles andperspectives.

In this project the botanic gardenbecomes the country of Botanica andthe students a wide range of itscitizens from government officials toscientists and artists, from traditionalhealers to plantation and constructionworkers. The country is faced with amajor opportunity for development andall its citizens are consulted and haveto think through the implications forthemselves, their environment and theircountry’s future.

This not only directly introduces ethicalissues which have to be thoughtthrough in the activity, but it also givesthe children the opportunity to learnand practise skills to develop their ownethical base. It helps them learn newthings in a real and vital way, throughinteraction and reflection and throughstepping into other people’s shoes andlooking at issues from different startingpoints. It helps them begin to realisethat there is a complexity to issues andthat often there are no easy, manywrong, and possibly quite a fewdifferent right answers. It also mayhelp them to think about what choicesare available to people, includingthemselves, and how to begin toinfluence that.

A volunteer helper, who worked with uson the simulation, commentedafterwards ‘It was brought home to methat these children really are our futureand they need to know what the realworld is like. This exercise showedthem, in a kind way, that things are not

always what they seem or for thatmatter what we want. To make thingsbetter we have to work together’.

A parent commented ‘I think theylearnt that what you expect is notalways what you get: effort is requiredif you want something done, teamworkis valuable, [and] personal achievementno matter how small feels great’.

Helping the Journey ThroughLife

Is this a way forward? In an uncertainworld to ‘…see learning as a journeywithout fixed or final destination inwhich challenge, uncertainty and riskare inevitable features of any processof personal growth and transformation’(Selby 1995). We need to provide

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ROOTS 22

ARTICLE FIVE

Left: Children

searching for

ingredients on

the World Cake

Treasure Hunt

and exploring

ethical issues

learning experiences for young peoplethat help them develop the skills theywill need for their journey; and to seekpartners on that journey who can reallywiden our perspectives and help ustowards a more holistic world view:partners such as Mohammed AbdulKareem from The Foundation for theRevitalisation of Local Health Traditions(FRLHT), who came to a workshop onthe Botanica project at the BGCIEducation Congress inThiruvanathapuram, India in November1999. It caught his imagination somuch that he wanted to pursue theidea to use in his own work withFRLHT. The following July, Kareemvisited us in Leicester when we wererunning Botanica and contributedhugely to the learning of the childrenfrom the school on the afore-mentioned council estate which is nowkeen to develop the link with him. Heis currently facilitating a version ofBotanica back in south India and we inturn look forward to learning from hisexperiences and to setting up morejoint learning opportunities.

So through a teaching method that islearning through partnerships, that isposing questions and challengingassumptions and demanding a multi-faceted approach, maybe children can

be helped towards beginning to thinkabout what they might do with whatthey learn. They might also beenabled to appreciate what it meansfor different people (includingthemselves) to live healthy fulfilled livesin their own locality, be it in Leh,Ladakh or Leicester, England, withinthe context of an interconnected world.It might also help us (as well as theirteachers) to keep asking ourselvesabout the ethics which lie behind andare within our teaching and what it iswe are striving to achieve with ourchildren.

And why do all this in botanicgardens? A question for you!

References

➡ Newbery Beatrice (2000) Labouringunder Illusions. The Ecologist,volume 30 (5) pp 18-21.

➡ Selby D. (1995) Earthkind: ATeachers’ Handbook on HumaneEducation. Trentham Books Ltd.

▲ResuméTravaillant avec les collections deplantes du monde entier, le Jardinbotanique de l’Université de Leicester

met en œuvre un programme où lesplantes sont utilisées comme point dedépart pour l’exploration desdocuments généraux particulièrementdans le domaine du développementdurable. Des questions d’éthiqueémergent à propos de ce que nousenseignons, comment et pourquoi.L’article expose ce que nous essayonsde faire dans les programmes mettanten jeu des expériences à traverslesquelles les enfants peuventdévelopper leur habileté pour pouvoirse poser des questions et desproblématiques à propos du mondedans lequel ils vivent. Le but est aussid’aider à la pratique de prise dedécisions et de travailler à fois defaçon indépendante et en coopérationpour mieux construire un futur plusdurable.

● ResumenTrabajando con colecciones de plantasde todo el mundo en el JardínBotánico de la Universidad deLeicester, se ha estimulado unprograma donde las plantas se utilizancomo punto de partida para el estudiode cuestiones globales,particularmente en el área dedesarrollo sostenible. Las cuestioneséticas surgen acerca de lo queestamos enseñando, el cómo y elporqué. El artículo explora lo queintentamos conseguir con programasque proporcionan experiencias através de las cuales los chicos puedandesarrollar habilidades que lespermitan poder preguntar cuestiones ydesafiar supuestos acerca del mundoen que viven. El objetivo es tambiénhacerlos practicar en la toma dedecisiones y en el trabajo individual ycolectivo hacia la construcción de unfuturo más sostenible.

Sue Baughan is the EducationOfficer for Support forEducation in Environment andDevelopment (SEED),University of Leicester BotanicGarden, Stoughton DriveSouth, Leicester LE2 2NE U.K.Peter Batty is a free lancemanagement and educationconsultant based in CumbriaU.K.

38

ROOTS 22

ARTICLE FIVE

Below: Children

play the role of

traditional

herbalists in the

country of

Botanica.

Through this

activity they

learn about

development

issues and their

implications

■ Introduction

The activity presentedhere is the first part of

a simulation gamethat allowschildren, aged 7-11 years of age, to

experience some ofthe challenges facedby farmers in manyparts of the world.

Produced by OxfamGB, the game can be used tocomplement classroom work, whichlooks at where our food comes fromand the ways in which it links us to therest of the world. In particular thegame aims to help children:

• appreciate the distinction betweencash crops and food crops

• understand why farmers can’talways grow enough food to feedtheir own communities

• understand how market forceswork, by putting themin the role of farmerswho have to cope withthese forces

• develop a range ofskills, includingmathematical skills,co-operative groupwork, discussionand empathy, andmanual dexterity.

The game could beused by educatorsin botanic gardensas a tool forteacher training oras a teachingresource for children when they visitthe garden. The second part of thegame will appear in the next issue of Roots.

The Game

Allow about 45 minutes for the firstpart of this activity. The game has

been designed for about 30participants working ingroups of four to six.

This activity is easier torun with two adults,

especially when workingwith young children. If you combineclasses to do this,increase the materials

proportionately. If aclass is working on

particular crops, you mayprefer to make your own

templates based on these. Youmay want to explain what the

different materials (scissors, pencilsetc) represent before you start themain activity, or you may choose toleave this until the end, by which timethe children may have worked it out for themselves.

Section A: Getting Going

Time needed: 15 minutes

What to doEnsure that everyone has put all theirown pens, pencils, etc away. Selectthree people to run the market. Ontheir table they should have all thepencils, scissors, red and green papersquares, and red and green templatesthat will be used in the activity (seeseparate sheets enclosed). Display the enlarged ‘Price list: year one’ (see p41).

Divide the rest of the class into groupsof between four and six. Give eachgroup between thirty and thirty-fiveunits of money. You can vary thenumber so that some groups start witha bit of an advantage. Explain to theclass that they are groups of farmersproducing cash crops and food crops.They will do this by buying materialsfrom the market at the prices displayedon ‘Price list: year one’.

39

ROOTS 22

Sowing

Semer et RécolterSembrando y Cosechando

and Harvesting

250 units of money15 pencils15 pairs of scissors100 squares of red paper (A4 sheet

cut into four so that each piece is bigger than the template)

100 squares of green paper (asabove)

6 templates of each shape giving a total of 36 templates

1 photocopied cut out set of‘chance’ cards (see box)A price list for year one and yeartwo (photocopy and enlargethese , or write on the board)

Pencilsploughs or implements for digging soiland planting seeds

Scissorsharvesting equipment (anything fromscythe to combine harvester)

Templatesland; each template represents a field –red for growing cash crops and greenfor growing food crops

Paper squaresseeds

You Will Need What The Materials Represent

ARTICLE SIX

In order to ‘grow’ a food crop they willneed a green food template and agreen square of paper. They ‘plant theseed’ by drawing around the templateon to the paper with a pencil. It is then‘harvested’ by cutting around thedrawing with scissors. Cash crops are‘grown’ in the same way, but using redtemplates on red squares of paper.Templates may be used over and overagain. Crops must be harvested oneat a time (no cheating by cuttingthrough several sheets at once!).

Red cut-out cash crops can be soldback to the market. The price playerswill get for these may change. Greencut-out food crops cannot be sold, buteach group should produce at leastenough for one cut-out per person inthe group (for example, a group of sixneeds to produce at least six food cutouts).

Give groups a few minutes to work outtheir ‘shopping list’. Remind them thatthey may not want to spend all theirmoney immediately. Groups select arepresentative to go to market to buythe things that they have agreed on.

Section B: Year One

Time needed: 15 minutes

What to doGroups begin to produce their crops.The market will be kept busy sellingmore items and buying in cash crops.After 15 minutes, announce that thefirst year of farming and trading is over.

Note for teachersControl the activity by ‘policing’ forcheating and making sure that thethree people running the market knowhow much to pay out for cash crops.Well produced (neatly cut out) cropscould fetch six units of money each atfirst, but this should be reduced to

about two units as moreare produced.

Once groups havecommenced youcan visit them: fanout the ‘chance’cards from yearone upside down,

ask them to selectone, enforce it, and then

move onto the next group. Each group

should get at least twoopportunities to select acard. These cards aresuggestions – add to them orremove some as you see fit (if you have two adults, onecan do the ‘policing’ and‘chance’ cards while theother supervises the marketstall).

Section C:Assessing The FirstYear’s Farming

Time needed: 10minutes

What to doGroups will be left with food crops,some money, and possibly some cashcrops. Any scraps of paper should bethrown away.

Food cropsEach person will need to ‘eat’ one foodcrop (green cut-out shape) to surviveinto year two. On this basis, theteacher collects one food shape perperson from each group (five from agroup of five and so on). Extra foodshapes can be stored for one yearonly. Groups without enough food toeat will have to buy shapes fromanother group with extras. The groupselling the food negotiates the price.

Note for teachersIf any group is still left hungry, offerthem ‘food aid’ by giving them some ofthe food you have collected. In returnthey must give up their food fields andgrow cash crops for you (or thegovernment) in future – exchange theirgreen templates for red ones. Youmay then decide to extend this idea ofenforced cash crop production by notpaying them for the crops theyproduce in the future. Instead, givethem a small amount of money (sayone unit each) with which to buy foodat the end of the year two.

MoneyAll groups have to pay taxes for water,schooling, hospitals and otherservices. Deduct about six units ofmoney per group for this. Oil could bean additional expense. It is mosteffective if the teachers take money foreach expense (some groups may becharged more than others).

Cash cropsHalf-finished cash crops(red squares) are frost-damaged crops andunsaleable – they willhave to be thrown

away. Crops not yettaken to market are

useless now andmust be discarded. Any

unused red squares can bekept for farming in year two.

EquipmentGroups can keep their farming tools

(scissors and pencils) for the nextyear’s farming. They may also keeptheir land (templates).

As a class, take stock of the situationand compare notes.

• Who has money? • How much? • What will they spend their money on?• How much food do groups have? • What helped them to do so well? • What were the problems?

The second part of this activitywill be reproduced in Roots 23.

▲ResuméL’activité présentée ici est la premièrepartie d’un jeu de simulations destinéaux enfants âgés de 7 à 11 ans, pourexpérimenter quelques uns desproblèmes auxquels ont à faire facedes agriculteurs dans bien des partiesdu monde. Produit par Oxfam enGrande Bretagne, le jeu peut êtreutilisé en complément d’un travailscolaire, destiné à faire percevoir d’oùvient notre nourriture et les cheminspar lesquels cela nous lie au reste dumonde. Le jeu a pour but en particulierd’aider les enfants:

• A apprécier la distinction entre lacollecte de fonds et la collecte denourriture.

• A comprendre pourquoi lesagriculteurs ne peuvent pastoujours produire assez denourriture pour nourrir leur proprecommunauté.

• A comprendre le rôle du marché ense mettant dans le rôle de fermiersqui ont à faire face à cescontraintes.

40

ROOTS 22

ARTICLE SIX

• A développer une série decompétences, incluant lesmathématiques, le travail dediscussions de groupes, la dextéritéet l’habilité manuelle.

Le jeu peut être utilisé par deséducateurs de jardins botaniquescomme un outil pour l’apprentissageou une ressource d’enseignement pourles enfants qui visitent le jardin. Laseconde partie du jeu sera expliquéedans la prochaine édition de Roots.

● ResumenLa actividad presentada aquí es laprimera parte de un juego desimulación que permite a los niños ,entre 7-11 años de edad, experimentaralgunos de los retos enfrentados por

los granjeros en muchas partesdel mundo. Producido por

Oxfam, U.K. el juegopuede ser usado para

complementar trabajoen clase, el cuál

busca hacia dedonde nuestra

comida viene y delas formas en lascuales ella se liga conel resto del mundo.

En particular el objetivo del juego esayudar a los niños a

• Apreciar la diferencia entre loscultivos que se promueven pordinero y los cultivos alimenticios.

• Entender porque los granjeros nopueden siempre cultivar suficientecomida para alimentar sus propiascomunidades.

• Entender como las fuerzas delmercado trabajan, y los colocan enel papel de granjeros quienes tienenque competir con las mismas.

• Desarrollar un rango deherramientas, incluyendo lasherramientas matemáticas, gruposde trabajo cooperativas, discusión yempatía, y destreza manual.

El juego podría ser usado por loseducadores en jardines botánicoscomo una herramienta para elentrenamiento de maestros o como unrecurso de enseñanza para niñoscuando ellos visitan el jardín. Lasegunda parte del juego aparecerá enel próximo número de Roots.

41

ROOTS 22

ARTICLE SIX

BGCI is very grateful to Oxfam GB for their permission to reproduce thissimmulation game. Oxfam GB is a development, relief, and campaigningorganisation dedicated to finding lasting solutions to poverty and sufferingaround the world.

Oxfam produces an annual education catalogue which contains over 400 items(photo packs, video packs, books, posters, maps, CDRoMs, etc) selected onquality criteria to support teaching about development issues, global citizenshipand sustainable development and livelihoods. It sets out to be a ‘one stop shop’for teachers, curriculum advisers and others working in education and with youngpeople, bringing together the best materials from ngos, Development EducationCentres, intergovernmental and international organisations, and from commercialpublishers.

Oxfam holds stock of all the items and can supply, on a single order, teachingmaterials from diverse sources. For a copy of the current Oxfam EducationResources for Schools Catalogue write to Oxfam Publishing, 274 Banbury Road,Oxford OX2 7DZ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 311311. Email: [email protected] site: http://www.oxfam.org.uk.

Left: Food crop

and cash crop

templates and

price lists

■ Resources ▲Disponibles ● Recursos

42

...resources... ...disponibles... ...recursos…

Journal of Ethics, Place andEnvironmentUnwin, T. (ed) Department ofGeography, Royal Holloway,University of London, U.K.Published by Carfax Publishing Ltd,PO Box 25, Abingdon, Oxfordshire,OX14 3UE, U.K., 875-81Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge,MA 02139, USA, and PO Box 352,Cammeray, NSW 2062, Australia.ISSN 1366-879Xhttp://www.carfax.co.ukThe central aim of Ethics, Place andEnvironment is to provide a forum for thepublication of research and scholarshipon all aspects of geographical andenvironmental ethics. The use of theword ‘place’ highlights geographers’concerns with the interaction betweenpeoples and environments that createsparticular places. ‘Environment’ is usedin a very broad sense to emphasise notonly physical and biologicalenvironments, but also social andcultural environments. Published threetimes a year, the journal consists of threemain sections; mainline papers, shortcontributions and reviews. A key featureof the journal is that it seeks to publishcommentaries on ethical issues relatingto national and internationalenvironmental legislation.

Interpreting Biodiversity: A Manual for EnvironmentalEducators in the TropicsDomroese, M.C. and Sterling, E.J.(1999) (eds) American Museum ofNatural History, Central Park West at79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA. Tel: 1 (212) 769 5742 Fax: 1 (212) 769 5292. ISBN 1-930465-04-1 Price: US$25.00

Journal de l’Ethique, des Lieux deVie et de l’EnvironnementUnwin, T. (Editeur), Department ofGeography, Royal Holloway,Universitty of London, Royaume-Uni.Publié par Carfax Publishing Mtd, PO Box 25, Abington, Oxfordshire,OX14 3UE, Royaume-Uni ;875-81, Massachusetts Avenue,

Cambridge, MA 03139, Etats-Unis et PO Box 352, Cammcray, NSW 2062,Australie, ISSN 1366-897XL’objectif principal du Journal del’Ethique, de la Scène et del’Environnement est d’offrir un forum depublications de recherches et de savoirscouvrant tous les aspects de l’éthique dela géographie et de l’environnement.L’utilisation du terme Lieux de vie insistesur la préoccupation des géographes parles interactions entre les peuples et leurenvironnement, générant des lieux de vieparticuliers. Le terme Environnement estcompris dans son sens le plus large,mettant l’accent aussi bien surl’environnement physique et biologiqueque sur l’environnement social et culturel. A raison de trois parutions par an, lejournal comporte trois parties: des articlesgénéraux, des contributions brèves etenfin les revues. L’originalité de ce journalréside dans ses commentaires sur lesquestions d’éthique en liaison avec leslégislations nationales et internationales.

L’Interprétation de la Biodiversité:Manuel des Educateurs del’Environnement sous les TropiquesDomroese, M.C. et Sterling, E.J.(1999) (Editrices) American Museumof Natural History, Central Park West : 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, Etats-Unis. Tel : 1 (212) 769 5742 . Fax : 1 (212) 769 5292. ISBN 1-930465-04-1 Prix : 25 US$

Revista de Etica, Lugar y AmbienteUnwin, T (ed), Department ofGeography, Royal Holloway,University of London, U.K.Published by Carfax Publishing Ltd,PO Box 25, Abingdon, Oxfordshire,OX14 3UE, U.K., 875-81Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge,MA 02139, USA, and PO Box 352, Cammeray, NSW 2062,Australia. ISSN 1366-879Xhttp://www.carfax.co.ukEl objetivo central de Etica, Lugar yAmbiente es proveer un foro para lapublicación de la investigaciones yconocimiento sobre todos los aspectosde éticas geográficas y ambientales. El uso de la palabra “Lugar” resalta lapreocupación de los geógrafos con lainteracción entre gentes y ambientes quecrean lugares particulares. ‘Ambiente’ esusado en un amplio sentido paraenfatizar no solamente ambientes físicosy biológicos, sino también ambientessociales y culturales. Publicada tresveces al año, la revista consiste de 3secciones principales; artículos de lineaprincipal, contribuciones cortas yrevisiones. Una característica clave de larevista es que ésta busca publicarcomentarios sobre temas éticosrelacionados a la legislación nacional einternacional.

Interpretando la Biodiversidad: unManual para educadoresambientales en los trópicosDomroese, M.C. and Sterling, E.J.(1999) (eds) American Museum ofNatural History, Central Park West at79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA.Tel: 1 (212) 769 5742 Fax: 1 (212) 769 5292. ISBN 1-930465-04-1 Precio: US$25.00

Resources

DisponiblesRecursos

RESOURCES

■ Resources ▲Disponibles ● Recursos 43

RESOURCES


This excellent manual outlines the basicbuilding blocks for an interpretative programme on biodiversity, includingprinciples of exhibit design, interpretivepresentations, community outreachprogrammes and evaluation. Designedespecially for educators and resourcemanagers in tropical countries where theworld’s biodiversity is richest and mostthreatened, this delightfully illustratedmanual offers a variety of ideas forgetting started, describes successfulinterpretative activities and listsresources for further information. Themanual is available in English, Frenchand Spanish.

Plants and People of Asia: a walkingtrail in the Adelaide Botanic GardenMeredith, S. and Brendo, M. (eds)Published by the Materials Unit ofthe Open Access College, Australia.ISBN 0 7308 7647 0 Price: AUS$10.To obtain a copy contact: SteveMeredith, Education Officer, BotanicGardens of Adelaide, North Terrace,Adelaide, South Australia 5000. Tel: 61 (8) 8222 9344 Fax: 61 (8) 8222 9399 Email:[email protected] booklet contains an extensiveamount of information and ideas forschool activities on the plants andpeople of Asia. The walking trail in thegarden uses the plants of Asia and theircultural stories to help students

Cet excellent manuel esquisse les basesd’un programme d’interprétation de laBiodiversité; il comprend notamment lesprincipes de la conception d’expositions,des exemples de présentations de cetteinterprétation, des programmesd’avancées sociales et leur évaluation.

L’ouvrage s’adresse en particulier auxéducateurs et aux gestionnaires deressources des pays tropicaux, les plusconcernés à la fois par une Biodiversitérecord et par les menaces qui pèsent surelle. Le manuel est agréablement illustréet propose de nombreuses idées sur lamanière d’aborder la question et sur ladescription d’expériences réussies et lessources bibliographiques; il existe enversions anglaise, française et espagnole.

Plantes et Peuples d’Asie: UnSentier au Jardin Botaniqued’AdélaïdeMeredith, S. et Brendo, M. (Editeurs)Publié en Australie par le MaterialsUnits of the Open Access College.ISBN 0 7308 7647 0 Prix 10$ australiens.Pour commander l’ouvrage,contacter: Steve Meredith,Education Officer, Botanic Gardensof Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide,South Australia 5000. Tel: 61 (08) 8222 9344 Fax: 61 (08) 8222 9399 E-mail :[email protected] livret constitue une mined’informations et d’idées sur les planteset les peuples d’Asie pour les activitésscolaires. Le sentier du jardin botaniqueprésente des plantes d’Asie dans leurcontexte culturel et permet aux jeunesd’appréhender les différents aspects dela vie et de l’environnement en Asie. Trèsbien illustré, ce guide du sentierbotanique est non seulement informatifmais propose aussi des idéesd’approches. Cet ouvrage vise à susciterde la part des étudiants une remise encause des valeurs et de la vision dechoses par la confrontation descontextes australien et asiatique; il espèreaussi stimuler la façon de percevoir desétudiants, point capital permettantd’améliorer une saine compréhension desrapports entre l’Australie et l’Asie,passés, présents et à venir.

Este excelente manual delinea laconstrucción de bloques básicos para unprograma sobre biodiversidad,incluyendo los principios de exhibir eldiseño, presentaciones interpretarivas,programas de alcance en la comunidady de evaluación. Diseñado especialmentepara educadores y manejadores derecursos en países tropicales donde labiodiversidad mundial es mas grande yestá mas amenazada, este manualplacenteramente ilustrado ofrece unagran variedad de ideas para poder iniciar,describe actividades interpretativasexitosas y lista fuentes para mayorinformación. El manual esta disponible enInglés, Francés y Español.

Plantas y Gente de Asia: un paseoen el Jardin Botánico de AdelaideMeredith, S. and Brendo, M. (eds)Published by the Materials Unit ofthe Open Access College, Australia.ISBN 0 7308 7647 0 Precio: AUS$10.Para obtener una copia contactar a:Steve Meredith, Education Officer,Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000. Tel: 61 (08) 8222 9344 Fax: 61 (08) 8222 9399 Email:[email protected] folleto contiene una extensivacantidad de información e ideas para las

■ Resources ▲Disponibles ● Recursos44

RESOURCES


understand different aspects of Asian lifeand the Asian environment. Beautifullyillustrated throughout, the bookletsupports the trail by offering informationand a wide range of teaching ideas andapproaches for maximising studentlearning. The aim of the booklet is toencourage students to question theirown views and values within a combinedAsian and Australian context with thebelief that challenging studentperceptions is critical to developing asound understanding of where Australiaand Asia fit together, in the past, presentand future.

Plants in Our Environment: Activitiesfor General Education and Trainingin Southern Cape SchoolsAshwell, A. (2001) (ed) The AudreyMoriarty Southern Cape Herbarium,PO Box 564, George, 6530, SouthAfrica. Tel/Fax: 27 (044) 874 1558 Email: [email protected]: £10 sterling plus postage.This workbook, generously funded byThe Green Trust, an offshoot of WWFSouth Africa, is the result of collaborationbetween the Southern Cape Herbariumand teachers from the area. BetweenNovember 1999 and June 2000, teacherstook part in a series of workshops at theHerbarium to discusshow to developoutcomes-basedlearning programmesdealing with indigenousplants and localenvironments. Themany ideas andactivities resulting fromthe workshops weredeveloped and testedby Grade 1-9 teachersand compiled into thisworkbook. Illustratedthroughout with blackand white drawings(produced mainly bypupils themselves) theideas and activities inthis excellent workbookcan be adapted to anyarea and almost any age-group.

Plantes de Notre Environnement:Activités pour l’Education Généraleet Formation Dans les écoles duCap SudAshwell, A. (2001) (ed) The AudreyMoriarty Southern Cape Herbarium,PO Box 564, George, 6530, SouthAfrica. Tel/Fax: 27 (044) 874 1558 Email [email protected] Prix: 10 £ plus affranchissementCe livre de travail, généreusementfinancé par The Green Trust un rejetondu WWF d’Afrique du Sud, est le résultatd’une collaboration entre l’Herbarium duCap Sud et d’enseignants de cetterégion. Entre novembre 1999 et juin2000, les enseignants ont pris part dansune série d’ateliers à l’Herbarium pourdiscuter de la façon pour développer lesconséquences des programmesd’apprentissage qui traitent des plantesindigènes et de leur environnement. Lesnombreuses idées et activités résultantde ces ateliers ont été développées ettestées par des enseignants etrassemblées dans ce livre de travail.Des illustrations en noir et blanc(produites par les élèves eux-mêmes), lesidées et les activités de cet excellent livrede travail peuvent être adaptées danstous les domaines et presque chaquegroupe d’âge.

actividades de la escuela sobre lasplantas y la gente de Asia. El sendero en el jardín usa las plantas de Asia y sushistorias culturales para ayudar a losestudiantes a entender diferentesaspectos de la vida y del ambiente deAsia. Bellamente ilustrado en sutotalidad, el folleto apoya el senderoofreciendo información y un ampliorango de ideas para enseñar ypropuestas para maximizar elaprendizaje de los estudiantes. Elobjetivo del libro es estimular a losestudiantes a elaborar sus propiasopiniones y valores dentro de uncontexto combinado asiático yaustraliano, con la creencia de que laspercepciones retadoras de losestudiantes es crítica para desarrollar unbuen entendimiento de donde Australia yAsia enjacan juntos, en el pasado, en elpresente y en el futuro.

Las Plantas en Nuestro Ambiente:Actividades para la EducaciónGeneral y Entrenamiento en lasEscuelas de Cabo del Sur Ashwell, A. (2001) (ed) The AudreyMoriarty Southern Cape Herbarium,PO Box 564, George, 6530, SouthAfrica. Tel/Fax: 27 (044) 874 1558 Email: [email protected] Precio: £10 (libras esterlinas másenvio).Este libro de trabajo, generosamentefundado por The Green Trust, una ramade la WWF de Sudáfrica, es el resultadode la colaboración entre el Herbario deCabo del Sur y los maestros del área.Entre noviembre de 1999 y junio del2000, los maestros tomaron parte en unaserie de talleres en el Herbario paradiscutir como desarrollar eventosbasados en programas de aprendizajerelacionados con plantas indígenas yambientes locales. Las diversas ideas yactividades resultantes del taller fuerondesarrolladas y probadas para losmaestros de los Grados 1-9 ycompilados en este libro de trabajo.Totalmente ilustrado con dibujos enblanco y negro (producidoprincipalmente por los mismos alumnos)las ideas y actividades en este excelentelibro de trabajo pueden ser adaptadas acualquier area y casi a cualquier grupode edad.


RESOURCES


Genetic Diversity and Food CropsWritten by Dorfman, G. andKahkonen, S. and edited by Connor,J.V.. Published by TVEUSA/Outreach, P O Box 820,Shelburne, VT 05482, USA. Tel: 1 (802) 985 1492 Fax: 1 (802) 985 2011 Email: [email protected] education packs areavailable free-of-charge to people in theOUTREACH Network. These peopleinclude representatives from NGOs,teacher trainers and curriculumdevelopers who are involved in educatingchildren in low and middle incomecountries about environmental and healthissues. To join the network contact TVEUSA, stating briefly how you would usethe educational materials.

The set of three packs on GeneticDiversity and Food Crops (204pp) isavailable for purchase from TVE USA at aprice of US$20 plus postage andhandling (US$7 surface, US$13 airmail).To order sets write to TVE USA with yourname, address and the number of setsyou request. For orders within the US,enclose a check in U.S. dollars (drawn ona U.S. bank) and made payable toOUTREACH/TVE USA. For orders fromoutside the U.S. enclose a bank draftdrawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. dollars andmade payable to OUTREACH/TVE USA.

In 2000, OUTREACH/Television Trust forthe Environment USA, in association withWWF (U.K.), produced three OUTREACHeducation packs on Genetic Diversity andFood Crops as part of its series onBiodiversity. Available in English, all threepacks are full of excellent information andideas for educational activities.

The issue pack: Genetic Diversity andFood Crops explores topics such asfarmers’ contributions to crop diversity,scientific breeding methods, and theimpact of new biotechnologies upon cropdiversity. Activity Guides for schools andyouth groups explore genetics, geneticdiversity, local crop diversity andintroduce students to issues related tobiotechnology and biodiversity. In theSolution pack: Preserving GeneticDiversity of Crop Plants, students learnhow to select and save seeds and other

Diversité Génétique et CulturesAlimentairesEcrit par Dorfman, G. et Kahkonen,S. – édité par Connor, J.V. Publiépar TVE USA/Outreach, PO Box 80,Shelburne, VT 05482 USA. Tél: 1 (802) 985 1492 Fax: 1 (802) 985 2011 Email: [email protected] mallettes pédagogiques OUTREACHsont disponibles gratuitement pour lepublic appartenant au réseauOUTREACH. Ce public comprend desreprésentants d’ONG, des professeursformateurs et des concepteurspédagogiques, tous imbriqués dansl’éducation sur l’environnement et lasanté des enfants issus de pays dont lepouvoir d’achat est peu développé. Pourjoindre le réseau, contacter TVE USA, enénonçant brièvement comment voussouhaitez utiliser ces mallettespédagogiques.

Un ensemble de trois mallettes deDiversité Génétique et CulturesAlimentaires (204pages) est aussidisponible à l’achat auprès de TVE USAau prix de 20 $ US plus affranchissementet port (7 $ US par bateau et 13 $ USpar avion). Pour toute commande écrireà TVE USA, donner vos nom, adresse etle nombre de mallettes souhaité. Pourtoute commande interne aux USA,joindre un chèque en $ US (tiré sur unebanque américaine) et payable àOUTREACH/TVE USA. Pour toutecommande extérieure aux USA, joindreune lettre de change sur une banqueaméricaine en dollars US et payable àOUTREACH/TVE USA.

En 2000, OUTREACH / Television Trustfor the Environment (USA), enassociation avec WWF (UK) a produittrois mallettes éducatives sur la DiversitéGénétique et les Cultures Alimentairesqui font partie d’une série sur laBiodiversité. Disponibles en Anglais, cestrois mallettes sont rempliesd’excellentes informations et idées pourdes activités éducatives.

La mallette de présentation : DiversitéGénétique et Cultures Alimentairesexplore des sujets comme la contributiondes agriculteurs dans la diversité descultures, les méthodes scientifiques de

Diversidad Genética y CultivosalimenticiosEscrito por Dorfman, G. y Kahkonen,S. y editado por Connor, J.V.Publicado por TVE USA/Outreach, P O Box 820, Shelburne, VT 05482,USA. Tel: 1 (802) 985 1492 Fax: 1 (802) 985 2011 Email: [email protected] Paquetes educativos OUTREACHestán disponible de manera gratuita paralos miembros de la Red OUTREACH.Estos miembros incluye representantesde las ONGs, maestros capacitadores ydesarrolladores de curricula, quienesestán involucrados en la educación deniños en paises de bajo y medio ingresoacerca de temas ambientales y temas desalud. Para afiliarse a la Red contactar aTVE USA, describiendo brevemente comose usarán los materiales educativos.

El juego de tres paquetes sobreDiversidad Genética y CultivosAlimenticios (204 pp) esta tambiéndisponible para comprarse en TVE USA aun precio de US$20 más el envío (US$7por tierra, US$13 vía aérea). Parasolicitar los juegos escribir a TVE USAcon tu nombre, domicilio y el número dejuegos que tu requieres. Para solicitardentro de los Estados Unidos, enviarcheque en dólares U.S. (a travéz de unbanco de los Estados Unidos) pagable aOUTREACH/TVE USA. En el 2000, OUTREACH/Television Trustfor the Environment USA, en asociacióncon WWF (UK) produjo 3 paqueteseducativos OUTREACH sobre DiversidadGenética y Cultivos Alimenticios comoparte de sus series sobre Biodiversidad.Disponibles en Inglés, los tres paquetesestan llenos de excelente información eideas para actividades educativas.

El paquete tema: Diversidad Genética yCultivos explora temas tales comocontribuciones a la diversidad de cultivo,métodos científicos de cruzamiento, y elimpacto de nuevas biotecnologías sobrediversidad de cultivos. Actividadesguiadas para grupos de escuela y dejóvenes exploran la genética, diversidadgenética, diversidad de cultivos locales eintroducen a los estudiantes a temasrelacionados con la biotecnología ybiodiversidad. En el paquete de solución:Preservando la Diversidad Genética de


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practical techniques for preserving thegenetic diversity of local crop plants.Activities in the Solution pack: BreedingYour Own Crops, invite students tolearn more sophisticated breedingmethods, such as hybrid crosses in orderto make new varieties. Students are alsoencouraged to consider cultivating wildedible crops. Botanic gardens can easilyadopt and adapt the materials in thepacks for inclusion in articles, activitiesand programmes.

Last Plant StandingDirected and Produced by Milner,J.E., Acacia Productions TelevisionTrust for the Environment (TVE),Distribution Office, TVE, PrinceAlbert Road, London, NW1 4RZ, U.K. Tel: 44 (0207) 586 5526 Fax: 44 (0207) 586 4866 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.tve.orgVHS tapes cost US$15 (pluspostage) for organisations in LowerIncome Countries and US$70(postage included) for those inHigher Income Countries. Prices forbroadcast tapes depend on thelength of the programme. Producedin English, Spanish and Japanese.Last Plant Standing is a new series offour 50 minute documentaryprogrammes produced by AcaciaProductions and TVE which travels theworld to assess the state of the planet’splant resources and meets the peopleand organisations who are working tosecure them for the benefit ofhumankind.

Programme one looks at how humans,throughout history, have transformedwild plants into useful crops and spreadthem around the world. It also highlightsthe fact that in the last fifty years humanactivities have caused the extinction ofplant species on an enormous scale.

Programme two tells the dramatic storyof N.I. Vavilov, one of Russia’s mosttalented scientists who collected andsaved a great many important cropspecies, before the onslaught of the Naziinvasion of Russia. Many of the plantsthat he collected personally are still usedtoday in plant breeding work and theInstitute which bears his name was the

croisements et l’impact des nouvellesbiotechnologies sur la diversité descultures. Les Guides d’Activités pour lesécoles et les groupes de jeunes traitentde la génétique, la diversité génétique, ladiversité des cultures locales et initientles élèves aux matières concernant labiotechnologie et la biodiversité. Lamallette action: Préservation de laDiversité Génétique des PlantesAgricoles: les étudiants apprennentcomment sélectionner et sauver lesgraines , les autres pratiques techniquespour préserver la diversité génétique desplantes agricoles locales. Les activités decette mallette: Reproduction de vospropres cultures: invite les élèves àapprendre des méthodes dereproduction plus sophistiquées, commepar exemple des croisements hybridesqui font des nouvelles variétés. Lesétudiants sont aussi encouragés àcultiver de plantes sauvagesalimentaires. Des jardins botaniquespeuvent facilement adopter et adapterles matériaux de ces mallettes pour lesinclure dans leurs propres activités etprogrammes.

La Plante SurvivanteLes vidéo coûtent 15$ US (plusaffranchissement) pour lesorganisations des Pays en voie dedéveloppement et 70$ (frais de portcompris) pour les Pays développés.Le prix des vidéo destinées à larediffusion dépend de la durée duprogramme. Produites en Anglais,Espagnol et Japonais.La plante survivante est une nouvellesérie de 4 programmes documentairesde 50 minutes produit par AcaciaProductions and TVE qui traverse lemonde pour faire le bilan des ressourcesvégétales de la planète et rencontrer lespersonnes et organisations qui travaillentpour leur sauvegarde au bénéfice del’Humanité.

Programme 1: Montre comment lesHommes à travers l’histoire, onttransformée la végétation sauvage encultures utilitaires et l’ont répandue àtravers le monde. Il éclaire aussi sur lafaçon dont dans les 50 dernières annéesles activités de l’homme ont causél’extinction d’espèces de plantes à uneéchelle très importante.

Cultivo de Plantas, los estudiantesaprenden como seleccionar y salvar lobuscado y otras técnicas para preservarla diversidad genética de cultivos localesde plantas. Actividades en el paquete deSoluciones: CriandoTus propiosCultivos, invita a los estudiantes aaprender sofisticados métodos decruzamiento, tales como cruzas dehíbridos para crear nuevas variedades.Los estudiantes son estimulados a tomaren cuenta los cultivos comestiblessilvestres. Los Jardínes Botánicospueden facilmente adoptar y adaptar losmateriales en el paquete para la inclusiónen artículos, actividades y programas.

El último Bosque de PlantasDirigido y Producido por Milner, J.E.Acacia Productions Television Trustfor the Environment (TVE),Distribution Office, TVE, PrinceAlbert Road, London, NW1 4RZ, U.K.Tel: 44 (0207) 586 5526 Fax: 44 (0207) 586 4866 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.tve.orgLas cintas VHS cuestan US$15 (masenvío ) para las organizaciones enPaíses de Bajo ingreso y US$70(envío incluido) para aquellos enPaíses de Alto Ingreso. Los preciosde las cintas de transmisióndependen de la longitud delprograma. Producidas en Inglés,Español y Japonés. El último Bosque de Plantas es una serienueva de cuatro programasdocumentales de 50 minutos de duraciónproducido por Acacia Productions y TVE(Producciones Acacia y TelevisiónEducativa) los cuales viajan a través delmundo para testificar del estado de lasplantas como recursos en el planeta ypara encontrar la gente y organizacionesquienes estan trabajando para aseguraréstos recursos para el beneficio de lahumanidad.

El Programa Uno muestra como loshumanos, a través de la historia, hantransformado las plantas silvestres encultivos útiles y los han distribuidoalrededor del mundo. Este tambiénresalta el hecho de que en los últimos 50 años las actividades humanas hancausado la extinción de especies deplantas en una enorme escala.


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world’s first international gene bank andthe inspiration behind the global networkof plant conservation centres that existtoday.

Programme three focuses on the factthat science alone cannot prevent thecontinuing loss of plant species. It visitsIndia, the Philippines, Mauritius and theMiddle East to uncover potentially usefultraditional crop varieties, stressing theneed to conserve the flora andlandscapes of transitional farming as wellas forests and remote islands.

Programme four examines the issues ofplant genetic resources and ownership,looking at multinational corporations,government institutions, traditionalfarmers and indigenous peoples andasking ‘What does the future hold fortomorrow’s harvest?

Electronic Resources

www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.ukScience and Plants in Schools (SAPS)specialises in working with teachers todevelop new resources and promote andsupport the teaching of plant science andmolecular biology in schools andcolleges. The SAPS web site offersplenty of ideas for practical investigationsin plant science, ideas for experimentswith plant materials, access to SAPSpublications (including their newsletterOsmosis), practical worksheets and aselection of other plant sciencepublications. Details of workshops,practical kits and sponsorship schemesare also listed. Visitors to the web sitecan search through the database for awealth of information and take part in aninteractive enquiry service.

www.eduweb.comEducational Web Adventures is an award-winning web developer that createsinteractive and in-depth adventures aboutart, science and history. Eduwebspecialises in educational games,simulations and learning modules. A range of interactive educational gamesis accessible from this site.

Of particular interest to botanic gardensmay be:Build-A-Prairie ecogame where young

Programme 2: raconte l’histoiredramatique de NI Vavilox, un brillantscientifique russe, qui a collectionné etsauvé de nombreuses espèces decultures avant le choc de l’invasion desNazis en URSS. On utilise encore, dans lareproduction, de nombreuses plantesqu’il a personnellement trouvées etl’Institut qui porte son nom était lapremière banque de gènes internationaleet l’inspiration derrière le réseau globaldes centres de conservation végétale quiexistent aujourd’hui.

Programme 3: se concentre sur le faitque la science seule ne peut pasempêcher la perte continue d’espècesvégétales. Il traite de l’Inde, lesPhilippines, les Iles Maurices et le MoyenOrient pour découvrir des variétés decultures traditionnelles dont on peut seservir, éclairer le besoins de conserver laflore et les paysages de l’agriculturetraditionnelle ainsi que les forêts et lesîles lointaines.

Programme 4: Examine la question desressources génétiques végétales et leurappartenance, les coopérationsmultinationales, des institutionsgouvernementales, de l’agriculturetraditionnelle et des peuples indigènes etpose la question: Quel est l’avenir de larécolte de demain?

Les Ressources Électroniques

www.saps.plantsci.cam.ac.ukScience and Plants in Schools (SAPS) estspécialisé dans le travail avec lesenseignants pour développer lesnouvelles ressources et promouvoir etaccompagner l’enseignement de labotanique et de la biologie moléculairedans les écoles et les collèges. Le site deSAPS offre une multitude d’idées sur lesinvestigations pratiques en botanique,des idées sur les expériences avec lesvégétaux, l’accès aux publications SAPS(comprenant leur lettre Osmosis), desfiches pratiques et une sélection depublications sur la botanique. Les détailsdes ateliers, des mallettes pratiques et lesprogrammes de sponsorisation, sontégalement mentionnés. Les visiteurs dece site peuvent trouver à travers une basede données une richesse d’informationset prendre part à une enquête interactive.

El Programa Dos cuenta la dramáticahistoria de N.I.Vavilov, uno de loscientíficos mas talentosos de Rusia quiencolectó y salvó una gran cantidad deespecies de cultivos, antes de ataquefurioso por la invasión Nazi de Rusia.Muchas de las plantas que el colectópersonalmente son todavía usadas en eltrabajo de hibridación y el Instituto el cuállleva su nombre, fue el primer bancogenético y la inspiración oculta de la redglobal de Centros para la conservaciónde plantas que hoy existe.

El Programa tres se enfoca al hecho deque la ciencia sola no puede prevenir lacontinua pérdida de especies de plantas.Este visita la India, las Filipinas, IslasMauricio y el Medio Este para descubrirlas variedades de cultivos tradicionalespotencialmente útiles, remarcando lanecesidad de conservar la flora y paisajesde granjas tradicionales asi comotambién de bosques e islas remotas.

El Programa cuatro examina el temasde los recursos genéticos de las plantasy su propiedad, mirando a lascorporaciones multinacionales,instituciones gubernamentales,agricultores tradicionales y genteindígena, preguntando “Qué pasará conla cosecha del mañana?”

Recursos electrónicos

www-saps.plantsci.cam.ac.ukCiencia y Plantas en Escuelas (SAPS) seespecializa en trabajar con los maestrospara desarrollar los nuevos recursos ypromover y apoyar el enseñado deciencia de las plantas y biologíamolecular en escuelas y colegios. El sitioSAPS ofrece suficientes ideas para lasinvestigaciones prácticas en ciencia delas plantas, ideas para experimentos conmateriales de las plantas, acceso a laspublicaciones SAPS (incluyendo surevista Osmosis), hojas de trabajopráctico y una selección de otraspublicaciones de la ciencia de lasplantas. Detalles de los talleres, equiposprácticos y esquemas de patrociniotambién son enlistados. Los visitantes alsitio WEB pueden buscar a través de labase de datos un caudal de informacióny tomar parte de un servicio interactivode preguntas.


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people and adults try their hand atturning a barren plain into a healthyprairie by choosing the right plantspecies.

Amazon Interactive where youngpeople and adults learn about the peopleand geography of the EcuadorianAmazon by running a community-basedecotourism project.

www.ethicalconsumer.orgEthical Consumer is the U.K.’s onlyalternative consumer organisationlooking at the social and environmentalrecords of the companies behind thebrand names. The EC web site includes

• Extracts from its magazine EthicalConsumer which provides advice onprogressive products and companiesto avoid – everything from banking tobaked beans.

• A list of companies and products withreasons why consumers shouldboycott them.

• A corporate critic database containingabstracts from publications that arecritical of the activities of over 20,000companies worldwide.

Ethical Consumer aims to encouragepeople to exercise their consumer powerto live a more environmentally andsocially aware lifestyle. This site couldbe of use to botanic gardens wanting tomake decisions about whether or not toaccept sponsorship from certaincompanies.

www.eduweb.coEducational Web Adventures est un siteWeb incontournable qui crée à la fois desaventures interactives et intenses surl’art, la science et l’histoire. Eduweb estspécialisé dans les jeux éducatifs, desimulations et modules d’apprentissage.Une collection de jeux pédagogiquesinteractifs est accessible sur ce site.

D’intérêt particulier pour les jardinsbotaniques:Jeu écologique: Comment construiteune prairie? pour les jeunes et lesadultes qui essaient de transformer unterrain stérile en prairie grasse enchoisissant les bonnes espèces.

Amazonie Interactive: pour les jeunes etles adultes qui veulent connaître lespopulations et la géographie del’Amazonie équatoriale en gérant unprojet touristique écologique basé sur lavie en communauté.

www.ethicalconsumer.orgC’est la seule contre-organisation deconsommateurs qui traite les histoiressociales et environnementales desentreprises derrière les marques. Ce siteWeb comprend:

• des extraits de leur magazine EthicalConsumer qui fournit une liste desproduits éthiques et lesmultinationales à éviter – toutes de labanque à la boîte de haricots

• une liste des sociétés et des produitsboycottés par les consommateurs etle pourquoi

• une base de données qui critique lesmultinationales et présente unsommaire des publications quimettent en cause les activités de plusde 20.000 d’entres elles.

Ethical Consumer a pour butd’encourager les gens à exercer leurpropre pouvoir de consommateurs etpour vivre dans un monde avec uneconscience plus environnementale etsociale. Ce site pourrait être utile auxjardins botaniques qui veulent accepterou non des sponsors.

www.eduweb.comEl WebEducativo Adventures es undesarrollador de Web, premiado, quecrea aventuras interactivas y enaventuras en profundidad acerca de arte,ciencia e historia. Eduweb se especializaen juegos educativos, módulos desimulación y aprendizaje. Un rango dejuegos educativos es accesible desdeeste sitio.De particular interés para el jardínBotánico puede ser:

Construyendo –Un- Ecojuego de laPradera, donde gente joven y adultostratan con sus manos de convertir unaplanicie árida en una pradera saludablepor selección de las especies de plantascorrectas.

Amazonas Interactiva, donde gentejoven y adultos aprenden acerca de laspoblaciones y geografía de la Amazonasecuatoriana por medio delfuncionamiento de una comunidadbasada en un proyecto de ecoturismo.

www.ethicalconsumer.orgEl Consumidor Etico es la únicaalternativa de U.K. que busca en losregistros sociales y ambientales de lascompañias atrás de los nombres demarca. La página web del CE incluye

• Extractos de su revista El ConsumidorEtico que dan consejos sobreproductos progresivos y compañíaspara evitar- todo lo no recomendado.

• Una lista de compañías y productoscon razones del porque losconsumidores deberían boicotearlas.

• Una base de datos de críticacorporativa conteniendo resumenesde publicaciones que son críticas delas actividades de más de 20,000compañías a nivel mundial.

El Consumidor Etico invita a la gente aque ejerzan su poder para vivir un estilode vida mas preocupado ambiental ysocialmente. Este sitio podría ser de usopara el jardin botánico que quiere tomardecisiones acerca de ya sea si se debe ono aceptar el patrocinio de ciertascompañías.

BGCI Membership Category £ Sterling US Dollars Euros

BGCI Patron garden 5000 7500 7500

Garden member (budget more than US$ 2,250,000) 600 940 940

Garden member (budget US$ 1,500,000 - 2,250,000) 440 660 660

Garden member (budget US$ 750,000 - 1,500,000) 300 440 440

Garden member (budget below US$ 750,000) 160 220 220

Gardens member in developing country 75 110 110

Corporate Members: Gold Member 5000 7500 7500

Corporate Members: Silver Member 1000 1500 1500

Associated institution 75 110 110

Conservation Donor 160 220 220

Individual membership (BGCNews or Roots - please circle) 35 50 50

Barclays Bank PLC Sterling US Dollars Euro

Richmond Upon Thames Branch A/C A/C A/C

P.O. Box 13, 8 George’s Street 90164062 69148933 48518655

Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1JU, U.K

Bank Sort Code: 20-72-17 20-72-17 20-30-19

Established in 1987, BGCI works with botanic gardens and the wider conservation community in support of plantconservation around the world. Advocacy, capacity building, networking, sharing information, training and educationare all key activities in pursuit of this goal. We currently have over 500 member institutions in 110 countries, workingtogether to implement the new International Agenda for Botanic Gardens.

Garden members receive our regular publications BGCNews (Botanic Gardens Conservation News) and Roots(Education Review) and a wide range of other publications, materials and services, such as The Darwin TechnicalManual for Botanic Gardens and BG-Recorder 2, a computer software package for plant records. Corporate membersreceive BGCNews and Roots, have access to wider partnerships, advice on conservation issues and opportunities forcollaboration in key projects. Associate members and Conservation donors receive BGCNews and Roots, whileIndividual members have a choice of BGCNews or Roots. Members are invited to The International Botanic GardensConservation Congress and The International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens, held every three years.

If you support the mission of BGCI and would like to belong to this world network for plant conservation andsustainable living, please join BGCI using this form. With your support, we can make a difference.

I wish to apply for membership of Botanic Gardens Conservation International.

Name ............................................................................ Telephone ........................................

Address ............................................................................ Fax ........................................

............................................................................ E-Mail ........................................

............................................................................ Internet site ........................................

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Signature ............................................................................ Print name ........................................

Botanic Gardens Conservation International

Membership Application Form

We accept cheques made payable to Botanic Gardens Conservation International either sent to BGCI, Descanso House,199 Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3BW, U.K. or transferred directly to our bank account for the currency used asabove, or our U.K. Girobank account (3114988) or VISA/Mastercard.

Published by:Education ProgrammeBotanic Gardens Conservation International

Roots is an official publication ofBGCI and BGCI (U.S.) andsupported by both organisations.

BGCI is an independent charityregistered in the United Kingdom.Charity Registration No: 328475BGCI (U.S.) Inc. has 501 (c) (3)status in the United States.

Botanic Gardens Conservation InternationalDescanso House199 Kew Road, RichmondSurrey TW9 3BW United KingdomTel: (020) 8332 5953Fax: (020) 8332 5956e-mail: [email protected]://www.rbgkew.org.uk/BGCI

ISSN 0965-2574

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Editors: Lucy Sutherland andJulia Willison

BGCI would like to thank the co-editors for their work in theproduction of Roots:

For the French Section:Caroline François Jardin Botaniquede la Ville de Bordeaux, FranceMaïté Delmas, Museum NationalD’Histoire Naturelle, FranceFrédéric Dupont, Jardin Botanique deLille, FranceGaud Morel Museum NationalD’Histoire Naturelle, FrancePhilippe Richard, Jardin Botanique dela Ville de Bordeaux, FranceLoïc Ruëllan, ConservatoireBotanique de Brest, France

For the Spanish Section:Maricela Rodriguez Acosta, Herbarioy Jardín Botánico de la BeneméritaUniversidad Autónoma de Puebla,MéxicoJohn Cortes, Gibraltar BotanicalGardens, GibraltarVeronica Franco, Centro deInvestigación Cientifica de Yucatán,A.C. (CICY) MexicoLordes Rico-Arce, Royal BotanicGardens, Kew, U.K.

Printed on 100% Recycled Paper