Botanic Garden Received 238,551 Domestic and Foreign Visitors in 2014

Botanic Garden Received 238,551 Domestic and Foreign Visitors in 2014
Santo Domingo, 09 de Abril de 2015

The Director of the National Botanic Garden, Ricardo García, presided over a ceremony in which he outlined the activities that this institution conducted in 2014. During the event, a Guide of Common Birds living in the city’s ecological reserve was released.

García was accompanied by Augusto Rodríguez Gallart, member of the Board of Directors of the Botanic Garden; the Deputy Director of this institution, Julio Espinosa, as well as Department managers, technical staff and special guests.

In summarizing the achievements and progress made by the institution in 2014, Ricardo García said that scientific research oriented towards the conservation and management of Dominican wildlife was kept active. Progress was also made in promoting environmental education and in fostering reproduction within its nearly two million square meters.

He highlighted the compliance with the lines of action of the 4th Core Strategy of END, promoting environmental education and public involvement in the appreciation, protection and defense of the island’s environment, including cooperating with Haiti and with Goal No. 1 of the National Strategy for the Conservation and the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, according to the Plan of Action 2011-2020, which states that “by 2016, a comprehensive national campaign will have been developed to educate the public about the value of biodiversity and the steps they can take for its conservation and sustainable use.”

He said that during 2014, the Botanic Garden received 238,551 visitors, both domestic and foreign, and that it conducted 25 training activities for teachers and students from public and private schools, as well as for employees from public and private institutions who support the projects and initiatives promoted by the institution in the area of the environment and related research regarding plant resources and biodiversity.

Supported by the National Institute for Teacher Education and Training (INAFOCAM for its acronym in Spanish) and the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC for its acronym in Spanish), the Botanic Garden hosted a “Diploma in Environmental Education for Educators”, to train 106 teachers from Regionals 10 and 15 from the National District and the province of Santo Domingo.

García pointed out that the Botanic Garden has signed cooperation agreements with various institutions, such as the Circle of Dominican Broadcasters and the Dominican Association of Tourism Media (ADOMPRETUR for its acronym in Spanish) to improve knowledge on issues of ecotourism and sustainable tourism in our country. An agreement has also been signed with the San Ignacio de Loyola Polytechnic Institute (ITESIL for its acronym in Spanish), in Dajabón.

He said that the Botanic Garden strengthened its international agreements in the area of research with Florida International University (FIU), the Kew Garden of the United Kingdom, the Berlin Botanic Garden, the University of Puerto Rico and the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. During the last six years, 1,152,000 seeds of various species have been sent to the Kew Garden.