Pasha 120: Botanical gardens: why we need them and how they can also pose a risk

Pasha - from The Conversation Africa

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The team behind our podcast, Pasha, has started a series called “Why We Need” and this first episode is about why we need botanical gardens. Botanical gardens are dedicated to the collection, cultivation, preservation and display of plants. Around the world, they contain 30%-40% of the known plant species. Not only do they maintain documented collections of plants, these institutions carry out research and contribute to education and conservation. So they’re really valuable resources for people interested in plants.

But they also come with a risk. Botanical gardens can host alien species of plants, pests and pathogens. Non-native species can establish themselves in the gardens and spread further to surrounding environments. It is important for people entering botanical gardens to follow the rules so they don’t spread or introduce any potentially invasive species.

In today’s episode of Pasha, Trudy Paap and Mesfin Wondafrash Gossa take us through the benefits of botanical gardens – as well as the biosecurity risks.

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Photo:
“Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is acclaimed as one of the great botanical gardens of the world. Located in Cape Town, South Africa, the garden is host to thousands of plant and animal species.” By Quality Master found on Shutterstock

Music: “Happy African Village” by John Bartmann, found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under CC0 1.

“Expressions of the mind (Piano loop)” by ShadyDave, found on Free Sound licensed under under a Attribution Noncommercial License.