Environmental News
11.10.2012
Botanical Society Open Day a major success
GOOD TURNOUT ... Franziska Kangombe, a researcher at National Botanical Research Institute and Botanical Society Open Day coordinator showing off some of the endemic plants of Namibia during the event. Photo: Wanja Njuguna
“FANTASTIC, good turnout,” is how Franziska Kangombe, this year’s Botanical Society Open Day coordinator, summed up the day.
Speaking to The Namibian at the end of the event held last Saturday, Kangombe, an agricultural researcher at the Namibia National Botanical Research Institute, said that despite other major events that were going on in the city the same day such as the Windhoek Show and the Old Wheelers car show, they were happy that over 400 people attended the Open Day.
“We hold this event every 18 months to sensitise Namibians about the indigenous plants that this country has, besides educating them on how to preserve the country’s ecology,” Kangombe said. “We did not expect such a good turnout due to the other major events happening today.”
Namibia has over 4 300 plant species. Of these, about 17 percent are endemic (don’t occur anywhere else in the world) while 25 percent are also found across the borders and the rest are found mainly in Namibia.
Information provided by the Botanical Society says that areas which have high plant diversity include southern Namib, Kaokoveld, Otavi highland/Karstveld area, Okavango Basin and the Khomas Hochland, while 39 areas of Namibia are considered internationally important because of their unique plants.
Many species of plants in Namibia are used for food, constructing houses and medicine, among other uses. Several are already under commercial development, while the majority of Namibia’s people depend directly on plants for their day-to-day subsistence.
The institute boasts one of the best botanical gardens in Africa, where plants are left to grow in their natural environment.
“We celebrate the joy of seasonality here. You can come today and find half the plants have dried up and another half are green, because of the season they are in”, Kangombe said.
You can come tomorrow and find others are flowering, while others look dead but a few months later, the dead looking ones are alive and the alive ones look different,” she added.
Kangombe has been working at the institute for the past seven years, first as an intern while studying for her Bachelor in Science degree at the University of Namibia and later as a full-time researcher since graduating from the University of Pretoria with a Master’s degree in Plant Science.
Speaking to The Namibian during the Open Day, plant ecologist Dr Antje Burke said that Namibians need to increase their appreciation of the diversity of plants in the country and work towards sustaining them instead of destroying them – something she also emphasised recently during one of the Society’s monthly Thursday talks.
During the talk, Burke said many plant species are threatened by habitat loss and illegal collecting, with at least 23 of these species threatened with extinction.
At the Open Day, holding her favourite plant, Cephalophyllum Herrei, Burke said: “My special plants are these succulents you see here, because they can survive anywhere even in extreme weather. Namibians need to understand where plants occur and conserve them in their natural environments.”
Emphasising the importance of the botanical garden, Burke said: “Those who visit the garden are lucky to view most Namibian plants in one setting, as many of the plants have been transferred from their habitats across the country to the garden so that everyone can be able to see the varied Namibian vegetation without having to travel far afield.”
The Botanical Society’s chairperson, Diana Thompson, said that more Namibians should participate in events such as these “to learn more about the unique Namibian plants and how best to conserve them, as pressure on our plants is growing as population and development increases”.
Besides other activities of the day, which included a talk and video by the co-author of ‘Trees and Shrubs of Nambia’, Coleen Mannheimer, those who attended had 15 stalls to sample and buy varied goodies from.
The children were not left out. As their parents shopped around, they were kept busy in a tent where their artistic juices were kept flowing in an art competition on the environment. At a table nearby, Maretha Snyman, 18, a student at Windhoek Gymnasium, painted the children’s faces to resemble their favourite animals or plants.
Speaking to The Namibian, Pietre, who said he was visiting the country from Europe, said he had been told about the event at his guesthouse and decided to go and see what it was all about.
“We do not have anything like this back at home [he did not elaborate where] and I wish today was a day for the guided tour I have heard about so I could see more than what is on sale,” he said.
The National Botanical Research Institute’s core functions include, but are not limited to, planning, designing and conducting inventories of the botanical resources of Namibia, undertaking research on the vegetation, flora and plant genetic resources of the country, promoting the development of indigenous plants with economic potential, curate and maintain national plant collections, cultivate awareness and instil appreciation of Namibia’s floral heritage.
Other activities are to analyse, interpret and advise on international instruments and provide appropriate input when required as a national responsibility of ratification, undertake environmental monitoring through input into review of environmental impact assessments, and research and collecting permits and maintain a comprehensive botanical reference library as part of National Agriculture and Water Information Centre.
Among the many activities are guided tours of the botanical garden, the provision of an environmental education and recreational facility, creating awareness and instilling appreciation of Namibia’s flora through the walks and participation in national, regional and international initiatives pertaining to horticulture and botanical gardens.
During the week, guests can walk unguided around the garden while special arrangements are made for schools and other institutions.
For more information on the activities of the institute and the garden, visit www.nbri.org.na.
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