The Response of Botanical Gardens to the Regional and Global Loss of Plant Biodiversity

THE RESPONSE OF BOTANICAL GARDENS TO THE REGIONAL AND GLOBAL LOSS OF PLANT BIODIVERSITY by Karen H. Tillinghast An Investigative Project submitted to Sonoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in Interdisciplinary Studies D Jean Merriman Copyright 1996 By Karen H. Tillinghast 11 AUTHORIZATION FOR REPRODUCTION OF MASTER'S PROJECT I grant permission for the reproduction of this project in its entirety, without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorb the cost and provide proper acknowledgment of authorship. DATE: gj.~_ iii THE RESPONSE OF BOTANICAL GARDENS TO THE REGIONAL AND GLOBAL LOSS OF PLANT BIODIVERSITY Investigative Project by Karen H. Tillinghast ABSTRACT Purpose of the Study: My purpose was to review existing educational programs at other botanical gardens and to apply what I learned to develop environmental education curricula that can be used in the Sonoma State University Native Plants Botanical Garden. These curricula will bring about awareness of biodiversity loss and provide opportunities for action to restore that loss. Procedure: I explored the methods and philosophies of other botanical gardens by examining national and international garden organizations, and attending networking conferences. I also examined the goals of major local gardens through interviews with garden directors. Findings: Providing educational programs and creating thematic collection displays are the primary methods used by gardens today to increase public awareness of loss of biodiversity. Gardens have mission statements that help define their purpose as well as materials for guided or self-guided tours available for distribution to the public that focus on both their visitors' interests and the goals of the gardens. Conclusions and Outcomes: Although excellent educational material is available, gardens, recognizing the seriousness of the loss of biodiversity, need to develop programing that provides the public with more opportunities for participation in the restoration of biodiversity. iv To address this need, I've adapted what I learned from other gardens to: create a Mission Statement for the Sonoma State University Native Plants Botanical Garden; shape the design and development of the SSU Garden; and publish written materials for self-guided educational curricula to be available in the Garden. Chair: Date: MA Program: Interdisciplinary Studies Sonoma State University v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. The Loss of Plant Biodiversity .................................................................1 TI. Historical Role of Gardens ........................................................................6 m. The Modern Garden - World-wide Network.....................................13 IV. Bay-area Gardens - Mission Statements ...............................................20 V. SSU Garden Development .....................................................................27 VI. SSU Mission Statement. ..........................................................................33 VII. Appropriate Curricula - Informal Learning ........................................35 VTIr. SSU Curricular Materials ........................................................................45 IX. Summary and Conclusions....................................................................91 Appendix ....................................................................................................92 Bibliography ............................................................................................. 103 vi 1 Chapter I. The Loss of Plant Biodiversity Our planet has a profound diversity of life. All its species are interdependent, united in a web of life... functioning as one. Peter Raven... the renowned Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, explains biodiversity as follows: Biodiversity is the sum total of all the plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms in the world; all of their individual variation; and all of the interactions between them. It is the set of living organisms that make up the fabric of the planet Earth and allow it to function as it does, by capturing energy from the sun and using it to drive all of Ufe's processesi by forming communities of organisms that have, through the several billion years of life's history on Earth, altered the nature of the atmosphere, the soil and the water of our planet through their life activities. (Raven 1994) The realization that this diversity is at risk is rapidly becoming common knowledge. We have all, even the youngest of school children, heard of endangered species. We all know about the clear cutting of our northern woods and the destruction of our rainforests. But the true extent of this loss and its consequences still may not be thoroughly understood or, more importantly, clearly heart-felt by the general public. Although extinctions are an innate part of the changing climate and conditions that have occurred on Earth, human impact in recent times has accelerated their rate. In effect, the majority of extinctions now result not from natural processes but from the actions of one single species, our own. Jon Rousch {1986} describes the human impact, in an article in the California Native Plant Society Journal, Fremontia, this way: We have only a rough idea of how many species inhabit the earth, perhaps as many as ten million. But we do know that they are vanishing at an alarming rate. Normally, existing species become extinct at approximately the same rate as new 2 species evolve, but since the year 1600 that equation has grown increasingly lopsided. Informed estimates put the present extinction rate at forty to four hundred times normal... If the current trends continue some twenty percent of the species now on Earth will be extinct by the year 2000. (Rousch 1986) There are obvious reasons to care about loss of biodiversity. One is the need for diversity to keep natural systems in balance. Scientists agree that there is a minimum level of species diversity below which an ecosystem cannot function (Miller 1994). The removal of any element of a system can ultimately weaken the whole. Another reason is the fact that there may be unpredictable, and yet undiscovered, benefits to humans that could be derived from a single species. But another less Ilpractical" reason, though perhaps one just as important, is to recognize that the human spirit needs communication with other forms of life, in all their uniqueness and wonder, in order to fully experience life on our planet. Biologist E.O. Wilson describes this connection with other species over eons of time as the fabric that has made human beings what they are: The destruction of the natural world in which the brain was assembled over millions of years is a risky step. And the worst gamble of all is to let species slip into extinction wholesale, for even if the natural environment is conceded more ground later, it can never be reconstituted in its original diversity. (Wilson 1984) He further explains: What event likely to happen during the next few years will our descendants most regret? Not energy depletion, economic collapse, conventional war, or even the expansion of totalitarian governments. As tragic as these catastrophes would be for us, they can be repaired within a few generations. The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us. (Wilson 1984) 3 There is a spiritual and ethical mandate now before us. If we are to stop the loss of biodiversity, we must find a way to change our attitudes, overcome our lack of caring, and develop respect towards other species. We must learn to live by a new philosophy, like the one expressed by Aldo Leopold in A Sand County Almanac: We now know what was unknown to all the preceding caravan of generations: that men are only fellow-voyagers with other creatures in the odyssey of evolution. This new knowledge should have given us, by this time, a sense of kinship with fellow-creatures; a wish to live and let live; a sense of wonder over the magnitude and duration of the biotic experience. (Leopold 1966) Personal commitment is a first step. Even a single individual can make a difference. But in addition, governments and public organizations must get involved. As U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt recognized the threat to biodiversity, and attempted to define a national policy: If we truly want to protect biological diversity, we need to avoid crisis and confrontation. We can't afford to drag our feet until a species is on the brink of extinction and then argue about protecting its last small corner of habitat. We need a new approach: one that encourages us to think ahead and plan for the future; one that encourages us to look at whole ecosystems and not just tiny parcels of land. (Babbitt 1994) Conserving entire ecosystems rather than focusing on single species is fundamental to the preservation of biodiversity. Plants form the basis of life on this planet, and it is important to realize how they interconnect. Plants cannot function as individuals species, existing alone. They can only survive in an interdependent community. We will never save single species unless we understand they exist as part of a larger functioning unit. Nor can isolated plant communities exist as separate units. Saving small pockets of habitat

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