Littérature scientifique sur le sujet « Queens Zoological and Botanical Gardens »

Butterflies are creatures of nature with great economic importance as pollinators and bio-indicators. This study provides checklist of butterfly species present in Zoological and Botanical gardens of University of Nigeria, Nsukka and was conducted for three Months. Butterflies were sampled twice a week between 7.00 -10.00am from May to July 2019; using sweep net along existing transects within the gardens. Non-invasive method was adopted, butterflies were captured, photographed and released. Photographed samples were identified to species level by cross matching with relevant keys. A total of 91 butterflies belonging to 16 species, 10 genera and 3 families were sampled. Alpha diversity test showed a significant difference (p<0.05) in terms of Relative Abundance, Diversity and Dominance of butterfly species between the two gardens. The Botanical garden had Relative Abundance of 63.73%, Dominance of 0.23 which was higher compared to Zoological garden which had 36.16% and 0.10; but these was contrary to species diversity where Zoological garden was more diverse (H1=2.48) than botanical garden (H1=1.82). The differences observed could be attributed to variations in vegetation composition.

The management of biological invasions, which pose a growing threat to natural resources and human well-being, is critical for reducing associated negative impacts. As part of the process of developing a strategy for the management of biological invasions in the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s (SANBI) gardens, we collated a list of alien plant species from 13 gardens as part of a situational analysis. We requested lists of alien plant species recorded in each of the SANBI’s gardens. A total of 380 records included 225 alien plant species belonging to 73 families. A significant number of species were intentionally introduced through horticultural trade as ornamentals (49%; n = 225), while 20.9% were consumed as either food or medicine by humans. Plant life forms included woody and herbaceous plants, graminoids, succulents and ferns. Herbaceous (42.7%; n = 225) and woody plants (3.8%) were the dominant life forms. The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden had the highest number of alien species (88 species), followed by Kirstenbosch (61 species) and Pretoria (46 species) National Botanical Gardens, with herbaceous species constituting the largest number in all gardens (i.e., 47, 19, and 27 species, respectively). The number of species that we recorded that were listed in the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEM: BA) (Act No. 10 of 2004): Alien and Invasive Species Regulations’ categories were not notably different from the number of unlisted species (58.2% vs. 42.8%). The number of species listed in the different categories varied significantly across the different gardens, with a significantly higher number of unlisted species and of Category 1b species in the Walter Sisulu, Kirstenbosch and Pretoria National Botanical Gardens than in other gardens. That a significantly larger number of alien species originated from South America points to the need to improve biosecurity controls on existing relations. The results of this study provided a baseline database to help comparison between successive surveys in future.

I am proud to have accepted the invitation to become the new Editor in Chief of the Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens, a new open-access journal published by MDPI, dedicated to ex-situ research and the conservation of our planet’s biodiversity [...]

Some facilities of education activities in south Germany botanical gardens and parks are presented in this article. Research was carried out in Munchen-Nymphenburg, Alpengarten Schachen and Augsburg botanical gardens, Munchen zoological garden, Munchen city parks (in the Museum of Man and Nature). The role of botanic gardens is as an advocate for the maintenance of biodiversity and therefore botanic gardens need to reorient their education programmes and incorporate a vision for a more socially and environmentally sustainable future. Botanic and zoo gardens can use a variety of techniques to convey these messages from guided tours, cultural activities and exhibitions to interpret signs and media such as the internet, radio, television and newspapers. Botanic gardens should develop and promote these institutions as centers for environmental education to schools and develop child-friendly policies and train staff in these policies, conduct regular audits to ensure that the gardens is 'child friendly' e. g. access points, eating areas, storage areas, activity/play areas. The subject areas covered by the Museum of Man and Nature are: the history of the earth and its forms of life, biodiversity, man’s place within the natural world, man’s role in shaping the natural world. The Museum presents an interesting and entertaining approach to natural science, in line with modern educational theory. Authentic natural objects, reproductions, models, interactive exhibits and audio-visual programs are employed to create a lively and stimulating setting. The section “Natural history playtime” successfully combines traditional and modern exhibits and appeals to young and old alike. Attractive exhibits and a convenient location make the Museum of Man and Nature a worthwhile destination for visitors of all ages. The official educational mission of this Museum “… to instruct and inform humans about themselves, their environment and about the threats to nature posed by technical civilization”. Key words: botanic garden, zoological garden, parks, education, natural science.

Cienfuegos Botanical Garden is the oldest functioning botanical institution of Cuba. It was established originally as a joint endeavor between sugar magnate Edwin F. Atkins and Harvard University in 1901. Between 1925 and 1934, the research yacht Utowana performed ample plant germplasm collections for the USDA in the New and Old World as well as archeological and zoological surveys in the Neotropics. The botanical expeditions were conducted mostly, under the leadership of David Fairchild. In this contribution we review to what extent Utowana expeditions and collections were instrumental in building the living collections of Cienfuegos Botanical Garden. A total of 278 accessions (comprising 254 species) were introduced into this garden directly or indirectly through these expeditions. Currently 57 of these species (132 individuals) are still part of its living collections. Interestingly, five of the Caribbean expeditions of this research yacht carried plant material between the Cienfuegos Botanical Garden and two other botanic gardens that were operated by US entities, namely the Lancetilla Botanical Garden in Honduras (owned by the United Fruit Company) and the Summit Gardens in Panama City (managed by the Panama Canal governmental agency). Our study also shows that plant material collected during Utowana expeditions was sent from Old World and Caribbean Island botanic gardens to Cienfuegos Botanical Garden. Thomas Barbour, director of this botanical institution between 1927 and 1946 joined four of these plant hunting endeavors. He provided strong support for the growing of the Cienfuegos Botanical Garden living collections with plant material collected during Utowana expeditions.

Background: Mycobacteria of the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) pose a significant risk to zoological collections. Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is a member of MAC and the causative agent of Johne’s disease. Despite many reports in animals kept in zoological gardens, systemic surveillance has rarely been reported. Methods: In this study, archived serum samples collected from animal species at the Wilhelma Zoological and Botanical Gardens in Stuttgart, Germany, were screened for the presence of antibodies against MAC and MAP. In addition, molecular investigations were performed on necropsy, fecal, and environmental samples. Results: In total, 30/381 serum samples of various mammalian species were positive for MAC antibodies in ELISA, while one sample of a reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) was positive in MAP-specific ELISA. Samples from many species were positive in pan-Mycobacterium real-time PCR (40/43 fecal samples, 27/43 environmental samples, and 31/90 necropsy samples). Surprisingly, no sample was positive in the MAP-specific molecular assays. However, two environmental samples from primate enclosures were positive in Mycobacterium avium subspecies hominissuis (MAH)-specific real-time PCR. Conclusions: The results reveal serological indications of MAC infections in the zoological collection. However, the presence of a MAP-contaminated environment by a high-shedding individual animal or MAP-infected population is unlikely.

The greenhouse camel cricket Tachycines asynamorus is an insect of the order Orthoptera, native to Eastern Asia. It was introduced to Europe and North America at the end of the 19th century, probably along with exotic plants imported to botanical gardens, orangeries, and horticultural farms. In the climatic conditions of Central and Northern Europe this insect is exclusively synanthropic, occurring mainly in greenhouses, hothouses, and other permanently heated rooms with high humidity. In Poland, the species has been reported in 24 sites since the beginning of the 20th century. No specific information confirming its occurrence in the country after 1984 has been found in the literature. The search for the greenhouse camel cricket conducted by the authors, along with responses to surveys sent out to scientific institutions and naturalists requesting reports of sightings of the species, enabled us to establish that in 1991– 2022 T. asynamorus occurred in Poland at 12 sites, mostly in greenhouses in botanical gardens and in aquaria and terraria buildings in zoological gardens. The presence of the species was confirmed at only one site known from the literature.

The detailed evaluation of environmental parameters can be a great tool for the optimal selection and location of vegetable species, not only in vegetable production facilities and greenhouses but also in zoological and botanical gardens, which frequently maintain delicate and exotic plant species with strict environmental requirements in immersive exhibits where conditions can vary remarkably. This study, developed at an indoor zoological garden (Biodomo—Parque de las Ciencias de Granada, Spain), evaluates a sampling protocol for the determination of seven environmental parameters: daily light integral (DLI) was determined at nine different locations of the facility using a portable Light Quantum SQ-500 sensor; air temperature, atmospheric pressure, and air relative humidity were measured using a fixed ATMOS14 sensor; and soil temperature, soil water content, and soil conductivity were determined using a fixed TEROS12 sensor. Values recorded for DLI showed statistically significant variations across the nine different sampling locations, as well as between the different months in all sampling spots. Significant variations were also detected across the 12 months of study for the rest of environmental parameters evaluated, and correlations were found between the studied parameters, with the correlation between soil and air temperature the strongest (rs = 0.758) and soil temperature significantly superior to air temperature. The methodology described in this study can be easily reproduced in similar indoor zoological and botanical facilities, increasing the knowledge of the environmental conditions, and allowing corrections that could improve species selection, location, and management.

This creative project investigated, planned and developed a master plan for the new National Zoological Botanical Park of Costa Rica. Based on an appraisal of the appropriate vegetation type for introduction onto a proposed study site, the flora and fauna from similar sites elsewhere in Costa Rica were identified. Placing the flora in the appropriate areas on the proposed study site allowed the fauna that has direct association with specific flora to be located. Based on slope analysis, contour formations, flora and fauna habitats, visitor and staff requirements, a master plan for the new National Zoological and Botanical Park of Costa Rica was developed.
Department of Landscape Architecture

A literatura especializada apresenta a importância de zoológicos, museus, aquários e jardins botânicos como instrumentos da conservação, educação e pesquisa envolvendo o conhecimento das espécies. Paralelamente tem ocorrido um aumento significativo na preocupação pela questão ambiental proclamando, com freqüência considerável, a educação como uma das áreas-chave para enfrentar este novo desafio. Neste cenário observa-se uma ampliação do conceito de educação que não se restringe mais ao âmbito escolar, proporcionando o crescimento de espaços não-formais dedicados ao ensino, especialmente os relacionados ao meio ambiente. Entretanto, poucos estudos têm sido feitos sobre o seu potencial educativo. O presente trabalho analisou o potencial pedagógico de quatro instituições que expõem a biodiversidade, localizadas no litoral de São Paulo: o Parque Ecológico Voturuá (São Vicente), o Jardim Botânico Chico Mendes (Santos), o Museu de Pesca (Santos) e o Acqua Mundo (Guarujá). Buscou-se ainda as concepções de biodiversidade e sua conservação nas instituições. Para tanto, três aspectos foram analisados para esta pesquisa: os espaços de exposição, os materiais escritos que apresentam os objetivos e as atividades desenvolvidas nestas instituições e o discurso das pessoas envolvidas no desenvolvimento de atividades institucionais ligadas a temática da biodiversidade. A análise dos dados se deu numa abordagem qualitativa da pesquisa educacional, buscando os significados dados por estas instituições à temática da biodiversidade, a questão de sua conservação e verificando o potencial pedagógico destes espaços não-formais de ensino. Para tanto, foram feitas observações dos espaços, análise de materiais escritos, tais como: documentos, propostas de trabalhos técnicos e pedagógicos, folhetos de divulgação e outros; e análise de questionários e entrevistas realizadas com os profissionais responsáveis que estão diretamente envolvidos no planejamento e desenvolvimento das atividades institucionais ligadas a temática da biodiversidade. Os referenciais teóricos utilizados para a análise dos significados basearam-se em autores que discutem as concepções de biodiversidade, as relações homem e natureza, as concepções de conservação da natureza e, por conseguinte, de biodiversidade e que analisam espaços não formais de ensino. Apesar de contemplarem universos diferentes de atuação, foi possível identificar características comuns dentre uma grande diversidade de atividades oferecidas nestes locais. Todas elas, a partir desta análise, apresentam potencial educativo para o desenvolvimento da temática da biodiversidade quanto ao aspecto expositivo. No entanto, freqüentemente o papel mais enfatizado perante a mídia é o de entretenimento, enfocando suas múltiplas atrações, constituídas por seres vivos, em suas diversas formas de conservação. Tal ênfase influencia as exposições que ficam constantemente a mercê das políticas locais, sem às vezes sequer conseguir estabelecer um objetivo maior ou uma identidade própria, dependendo diretamente da filosofia estabelecida pelo diretor de cada instituição. Este enfoque pode ter sido construído a partir de nossas próprias representações das várias formas da natureza que nos acompanham através dos tempos. No entanto, apesar desta difícil realidade, estes locais vem sendo progressivamente procurados pelo público escolar e conseguem estabelecer expressividade a partir de experiências educacionais inovadoras e relevantes que eventualmente contrapõem seus paradigmas existenciais e exercem constante pressão para a mudança dos cenários institucionais.
The specialized literature presents the importance of zoological gardens, museums, aquaria and botanical gardens as tools for the preservation, education and research involving the knowledge of the species. Concomitantly, there has been a significant increase in the preoccupation with the environmental issue, proclaiming education, with considerable frequency, a key-area to face this new challenge. In this context it is possible to observe an extension of the concept of education which is no longer restricted to the scholastic level, providing the growth of non-formal spaces dedicated to teaching, especially those related to the environment. Nevertheless, few studies about its educative potential have been made. This work analyzed the pedagogical potential of four institutions that exhibits biodiversity located on the coast of São Paulo: the Parque Ecológico Voturuá (Ecological Park Voturuá) in São Vicente, the Jardim Botânico Chico Mendes (Botanical Garden Chico Mendes) in Santos, the Museu de Pesca (Fishing Museum) in Santos and the Acqua Mundo (Acqua World) in Guarujá. Futhermore, Biodiversity and your preservation conceptions in the institutions were investigated. For such porpose, three aspects of these institutions were analyzed for this research: the exhibition locations, the written materials that present the objective and their activities, and the discourse of the professionals directly involved with the planning, handling and communication of the collections. The data analysis was carried out through a qualitative approach of the educational research, seeking the meanings of institutions given to the thematic of the biodiversity and the issue of its preservation, verifying the pedagogical potential of these non-formal spaces dedicated to teaching. For such purpose, written materials were analyzed such as: technical and pedagogical documents, information leaflets and others; observation visits, questionnaires and interviews analysis were made. The theoretical sources used in the analysis of the meanings were based on authors who question the concepts of biodiversity, the man and nature relations, the concepts of nature preservation and, therefore, of biodiversity, and who analyze non-formal teaching spaces. Despite contemplating different universes of performance, it was possible to identify common characteristics within a great diversity of activities offered in those places. All of them, from this analysis, present educative potential for the development of the thematic of biodiversity. However, the most emphasized role before the media is frequently that of entertainment, focusing their multiple attractions, composed of living beings, in their different forms of preservation. Such emphasis influences the exhibitions which are constantly at the mercy of the local policies, without even managing, sometimes, to establish a greater objective or a proper identity, depending directly on the philosophy established by the director of each institution. This approach may have been developed from our own representations of the various forms of nature which have accompanied us through time. Nevertheless, despite this difficult reality, these places have been progressively sought by the scholastic public and they have succeeded in establishing expression from innovative and relevant educational exp eriences which have been eventually compared with their existing paradigms and exert constant pressure so that a change of the institutional settings may take place.

Ever since the creation of the world’s first zoological and botanical gardens five thousand years ago, people have collected, displayed, and depicted animals and plants from lands far beyond their everyday experience. Some did so to demonstrate power over far-flung territories; others to enhance prestige by possessing something no one had ever seen before. Exotica also satisfied intellectual curiosity, educated and entertained, and furthered scientific inquiry. The earliest evidence we have shows that exotic fauna and flora—and the state-sponsored images of them—were instruments of political persuasion, and in turn often exerted considerable influence over expansionist policies. This book tells the fascinating story behind the many ways the exotic have appeared in Western art. Beginning in the world of Mesopotamia in the Bronze Age, the text travels chronologically through the Classical, Byzantine, Islamic, and Renaissance periods to end in the New World’s gardens of Eden, meeting such characters as Albrecht Durer’s rhinoceros, Hatshepsut’s beloved baboons, Empress Josephine’s kangaroos, and Seleucus’s tiger along the way.

Abstract In this chapter the motivations of garden visiting are explored at a deeper level, into the realm of psychology and psychological drivers to gardens. This research area is called "semiotics". It is suggested that examination of the five senses would be a major indicator of semiotics as much of what a tourist experiences or displays would be recorded through the five human senses. Moreover, the five senses lead to a realization of happiness which is what tourism seeks and indeed what the human species ultimately wishes. A case study is presented of semiotics research conducted in the Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing, New York, USA. The literature that links gardens (and gardening) to human health and well-being is also reviewed.

Abstract In this chapter the motivations of garden visiting are explored at a deeper level, into the realm of psychology and psychological drivers to gardens. This research area is called "semiotics". It is suggested that examination of the five senses would be a major indicator of semiotics as much of what a tourist experiences or displays would be recorded through the five human senses. Moreover, the five senses lead to a realization of happiness which is what tourism seeks and indeed what the human species ultimately wishes. A case study is presented of semiotics research conducted in the Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing, New York, USA. The literature that links gardens (and gardening) to human health and well-being is also reviewed.

This epilogue discusses the concept of Eden. In the absence of any consensus on where Eden is, interim Edens were created, from the circumscribed gardens in medieval abbey cloisters to the ambitious botanical and zoological microcosms of Renaissance kings. As the boundaries of the known world expanded, beginning in the Age of Discovery, these enclosed Edens gave way to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century paradises ever larger, seemingly limitless in their floral and faunal wonders. Throughout Western art, exotic flora and fauna have consistently dwelled in Eden. In medieval illuminations, the Tree of Life was typically a lush date palm, while the Tree of Knowledge was usually the golden orange, introduced to northern Europe from the Middle East via Muslim Spain.

This introductory chapter presents two new directions in Western scholarship that coincide with the study of human relationships with flora and fauna in gardens and zoos. The first grew out of increasing interest in natural history in its broadest sense, with investigation into such topics as the intersection of science and art, and the societal and personal motivations behind the collection of specimens, living and not. Historians of botanical and zoological gardens, for their part, were now considering the evolution of planting schemes, display architecture, public access, and popular expectations, as well as the psychology of interaction with the strange and wonderful. The second direction was a byproduct of globalization. Here, museums led the way by mounting exhibitions that transcended disciplinary boundaries to demonstrate influences and linkages across time and space. Thought-provoking juxtapositions illuminated the myriad ways in which communities reflected, absorbed, reinterpreted, and sometimes rejected the exotic. Ultimately, among the book’s unifying themes is the pervasive, persistent notion that exotic flora and fauna were essential elements in creating and ordering perfect, microcosmic worlds.

This chapter focuses on exotica in Europe. Many of the botanical and zoological aspects of Versailles were supported by increasingly rigorous scientific studies being carried out in Paris. Since the early 1500s, France’s botanists had sought a permanent facility where living plant specimens could be studied. Indeed, the French were eager to establish a counterpart to the successful research gardens organized in Padua and Pisa. The Jardin du Roi in Paris was meant to make the capital, and by extension France, the world’s pre-eminent center for natural history. Elsewhere in Europe, it was the major banking houses and trading companies that brokered shipments of exotica along with spices, textiles, and other goods. In Italy, wealthy banker and merchant families vied to obtain the latest New World and tropical wonders for their private gardens. The Dutch went further, cannily marketing the entire globe as a rich, alluring repository of exotica, whose possession by nonroyal persons would confer pure delight, free of the burdens of statecraft. From transit pens at the ports of Antwerp and Amsterdam, exotica were sent on to both private and royal customers.

The introduction outlines the concept of the volume. It briefly sketches the state of research, it defines the key issues and it outlines the structures, dimensions and outreaches of the networks dealt with in the book. It reflects upon informal aspects of the networks, such as correspondences and exchanges between those scientists who played important parts in the global ecological networks and feature in many of the following chapters. It also refers to the institutional infrastructures which shaped the networks and are examined in the individual chapters, such as acclimatization societies, forest administrations, botanical and zoological gardens, natural history museums, agricultural colleges and colonial research stations. Following the results of actor-network-theory, the introduction defines three categories of agents of ecological change: firstly, European scientists and colonists, secondly, non-European actors, and thirdly, non-human agents of transfer, such as animals and plants. Furthermore, the introduction addresses the temporal dimensions of the networks. It problematizes their chronological organization and the role of different forms of temporality.