THE BOTANIC GARDEN ISS 37 – DECEMBER 2013
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Botanic in Brief It’s not possible to have a botanic garden in the dry zone in Sri Lanka!
Contacts for BGANZ professional groups:
Developing a new Botanical Garden is no easy task as Dr. Siril Wijesundara, Director General of the Department of National Botanic Gardens, the man behind the Mirijjawila Dry Zone Botanic Gardens, Hambantota well knows. “Some people could not believe that it is possible to have lush greenery in the Dry Zone, let alone a Botanical Garden,” he says, happy to have taken on the challenge. Read more
BGANZ Professional Development Working Group Kate Heffernan: kate.heffernan6@bigpond.com BGEN (Botanic Gardens Education Network Sharon Willoughby: swilloster@gmail.com BRON (BGANZ Records Officers Network) Tom Myers: tmyers@dcc.govt.nz BGANZ Updates: If you’d like to receive all updates and the Botanic Garden directly, please ensure we have your correct email address.
Number of botanical gardens
1 billion dollar budget gardens? Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay had a billion dollar capital budget! The final construction cost for the project, not including the price of the land but including an access road, drainage works, and soil improvement, was within a $1.035 billion allocated budget. The annual operating cost was expected to be approximately $58 million, of which $28 million was for operation of the Conservatory buildings.
Official opening of the Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens Set aside Sunday 8 December for the official opening of the gardens, commencing at 11am with the arrival of the NSW Governor. All financial members of the SHBG will be receiving an invitation by mail next week.
Red Centre Garden opens in Canberra Imagine yourself wandering through the Red Centre. The Red Centre Garden showcases the iconic significance of the continent’s red centre as the physical and spiritual heart of Australia, right here in the nation’s botanic garden within the nation’s capital. Read more
Tim Entwisle honoured with La Trobe’s Distinguished Alumni Award 2013 The current Director and Chief Executive of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, Professor Tim Entwisle, and a previous Superintendent of the Gardens, Dr Michael Looker, have both received La Trobe University’s highest honour – the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2013. Professor Entwisle’s previous roles have included eight years as Executive Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust in Sydney and two years in executive leadership at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.