MKU Botanical Garden - Project Report

 In the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in
Conservation, botanic gardens are defined as, "institutions
holding documented collections of living plants for the
purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and
education."
The increasing loss of plant diversity worldwide has
indeed made the development of a variety of new habitat
restoration techniques urgent. Botanic gardens are some
of the most important institutions for habitat restoration.
They are also uniquely placed to address climate change.
This comes with the added advantage of the ability to
demonstrate a harmonious interconnection of people
and plants, promoting biodiversity. Botanic gardens are
important interventions against both the potentially
devastating environmental effects of climate change as
well as the social effects. The combination of social and
environmental justice is thus critical if botanic gardens are
to reinvigorate their fundamental purpose (BGCI, 2010). In
this way they have an opportunity to reposition
themselves as 'a voice of authority on climate change', to
give solutions through articulating and enacting
sustainable behaviour and responding to community
needs.