Botanical gardens revel on birthday

Botanical gardens revel on birthday

BOGOR (JP): The famed Bogor Botanical Gardens, a flora
research center which celebrated its 181st anniversary yesterday,
is merely recreational park to most visitors, its manager Dedy
Darnaedi said yesterday.

"Most visitors just come, take a look around the gardens,
relax and then go home," he said. "Few bother to find out more
about what the numerous plant species are all about."

To arouse visitors' curiosity and provide them with basic
knowledge on plants, the gardens' management is planning to hold
four exhibitions every year.

The first exhibition started May 16 and will close May 24 and
focuses on palms. A seminar is being held during the exhibition
and pamphlets on palms are also available.

Widyatmoko, a senior official of the Bogor Botanical Gardens,
said Indonesia boasted 576 of an estimated 2,800 palm species
known in the world today.

"These botanical gardens have 286 palm species," he said.

The botanical gardens also held a seminar on biodiversity in
Indonesia last Saturday featuring Mien A Rifai, an assistant to
the research and technology minister; Pasril Wahid, chief of the
Indonesian Biodiversity Association; and Agus Pakpahan, a former
official of the National Planning Board. (24)