Climate Change Affecting Bogor Botanical Gardens: Bogor, West Java

By Barrie | May 20th, 2007 | No Comments

Manifestations of climate change in Indonesia like long and unpredictable droughts have affected old plants in Bogor`s Botanical Garden. Bogor Botanical Garden office had proposed to Bogor city authorities that plant conservation efforts not be concentrated in the garden only, and that plants nursed in the garden be further cultivated elsewhere, like in an ecopark at the Cibinong Science Center.

“Last year we were compelled to water some plant collections as there had not been enough rainfall until December,” Bogor Botanical Garden`s plant conservation center head Irawati said on the sidelines of a function to mark the 190th anniversary of the garden here.

Some of the old trees had even lost their leaves due to the long drought last year, she said.

Hundreds of old and endangered trees were toppled by whirlwinds last year, she said adding that Bogor Botanical Garden officers had to prop up old trees after the twisters.

“The Bogor Botanical Garden is already too full to accommodate collections from nursing activity,” she said.

Unlike the taxonomy-based Bogor Botanical Garden, the ecopark had an ecological base. Over 2,000 trees were already planted in the ecopark which covered 32 hesctares of land.

According to Irawati, the Bogor Botanical Garden had set up a database for a cooperation with four other botanical gardens in Enrekang district (South Sulawesi), Kuningan district (West Java), Sungai Weuh district (South Kalimantan) and Liwa district (Lampung).

The Bogor Botanical Garden had also established cooperation links with 288 agencies, including botanical gardens, universities, government departments in 58 countries according to Antara News.