India
Spread over an area of 6.2 acres, the Botanical garden of the Jammu University is one of the best in North India.
Updated : Dec 29, 2017, 12:56 PM IST
Strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir has a reason to celebrate after the sprawling botanical garden of University of Jammu was awarded prestigious membership by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, London.
Spread over an area of 6.2 acres, the Botanical garden of the Jammu University is one of the best in North India. Housing more than 500 species of angiosperms, gymnosperms, pteridophytes, bryophytes and MACRO FUNGI, the plants have been systematically been arranged as per the Bentham and Hooker’s system of classification.
"Garden is having the experimental beds for researchers of the department, besides succulents, medicinal plants, and RET species. The botanical garden is also having the facilities of the green house, glass house and a registered Herbarium cum museum housing more than 12000 herbarium specimens", said Professor Yash Paul Sharma, head, Department of Botany, Jammu University.
Scientists said the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) has conferred the membership keeping in view the coordinating efforts and building plant conservation capacity in the botanic garden and for spreading awareness amongst the masses.
"BGCI is the largest plant conservation network in the world that aims to collect, conserve, characterise and cultivate world’s flora to ensure their survival against their extinction in the wild and as a source of plant material for human innovation, adaptation, and resilience", Prof Sharma said.
In fact, BGCI is a global voice for all botanic gardens, championing and celebrating their inspiring work. "It is an organization that represents a network of over 500 botanic gardens in more than 100 countries, including the largest and most influential gardens of the world", he said.
Prof Sharma maintained that the registration of the Botanical garden with BGCI would help in securing funds from various agencies/Institutions of the world.
"It is also a step towards a Green India Mission that would help bringing all the Institutions including civil society together and the availability of expert advice and literature pertaining to biodiversity conservation and germplasm storage would be more prompt and easier", he said