Barbados Historic Botanical Garden Ethnobotanical Workshops, Arts Hub Launched

Andromeda Botanic Gardens has launched its Andromeda Botanical Committee (ABC) to support local community programs and conservation efforts through ethnobotanical workshops.

Bathsheba, Barbados - November 29, 2023 /PressCable/ —

In collaboration with the Biocultural Education and Research Programme, the ABC will prioritise developing and promoting the recently completed Ethnobotanical Garden, among other community-focused projects like art classes and lecture series. These events will be at the Andromeda Botanic Gardens in the parish of Saint Joseph, Barbados.

More information is available at http://www.andromedabarbados.com

The newly inaugurated Committee's mission is to promote the biocultural and scientific value of the Andromeda Botanic Gardens - the oldest and largest garden in Barbados and an important biodiversity hotspot on the island. Founded by renowned gardener Iris Bannochie in 1954, the gardens are a popular tourist destination and community hub for art classes, workshops, and weddings.

Following years of underfunding and revenue loss from the collapse of the tourism market during the COVID-19 pandemic, Andromeda Botanic Gardens successfully opened its long-awaited Ethnobotanical Garden in December 2022.

The two-acre garden features a vast selection of native plants and an outdoor classroom to host community groups, yoga, and workshops. It also receives support from Bajan youth volunteers thanks to the Give Back Barbados Programme.

In conceptual development since 2012, the Ethnobotanical Garden aims to be a community space in the truest sense. According to a spokesperson for the project, "We didn't want to create a living laboratory just for academics, or a museum where you can look but do not touch. We wanted to create a resource where ordinary people can take the plants and use them."

To protect plant resources and elevate their cultural and scientific value, the ABC has planned a series of ethnobotany workshops promoting ecological diversity and conservation.

The Committee's inaugural workshop in September 2023 featured visiting scholar Dr. Christina Welch, who presented her work on botanical records and the decolonisation of knowledge systems in the Caribbean. Information about upcoming ABC-hosted workshops is available at http://www.andromedabarbados.com/events

In addition to community-focused workshops and events, the Andromeda Botanic Gardens offers guided tours of its 8-acre property to international visitors - a critical source of funding that helps support local programming and free admission for citizens of Barbados. Visitors can download a complimentary phone app to identify and learn about the garden's extensive plant collection.

For more details or to donate to the Andromeda Botanical Committee's ongoing work, visit http://www.andromedabarbados.com

Contact Info:
Name: Sharon Cooke
Email: Send Email
Organization: Andromeda Botanic Gardens
Address: Andromeda Botanic Gardens Bathsheba Foster Hall, Bathsheba, Saint Joseph BB20001, Barbados
Phone: +1-246-248-0190
Website: http://www.andromedabarbados.com/

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 89114738

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