Appeal for private sector help to safeguard Botanical Gardens
A government landscape architect this week told a packed auditorium that community input and a public-private partnership is needed to safeguard the future of the Botanical Gardens.
Danny Simmons also said there was urgent need for sufficient resources at the Paget park, which is a critical element of the Bermuda Botanical Gardens Strategic Plan 2022-26 being implemented under a steering committee’s oversight.
Mr Simmons’ lecture at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo on Wednesday outlined progress and challenges for the blueprint as well as ways the community could answer the call to action.
Mr Simmons said: “We want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to look at this strategic plan. We need capacity basically to rebuild our botanical gardens.
“It requires public-private partnering; there is not sufficient capacity for the Government to do it alone.”
With the existing strategic plan ending this year, a committee is developing another for the gardens to 2030.
A strategic plan for restoring the gardens, which opened in 1898 on a smaller scale and got its present name in 1958, was endorsed by the National Parks Commission in April 2024 and approved by the Department of Parks the following month.
In November that year, the Government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bermuda Botanical Society which “modernised” the gardens’ funding model.
In the past, Mr Simmons called for action in the form of a management strategy to upgrade the 36-acre gardens, including facilities.
In November 2021, he said they could be helped with “relatively modest funding”.
The park plays host to national events including the annual Ag Show, when it gets a facelift in preparation for the showcase.
Lisa Greene, of the Bermuda Botanical Society, drew lecture attendees’ attention at a forum on Wednesday to “concerns” about the spread of the invasive hook vine plant.
Ms Greene said the plant was first observed in Warwick around Middle Road but has since spread to other areas such as along the South Shore.
“This is actually of concern,” she said as she urged residents to watch out for the plant.
Ms Greene said she was at the WER Joell Tennis Stadium recently and saw the plant as she peeked through a fence.
“I think maybe a truck just dumped it there,” she added.
Danny Simmons, a government landscape architect, told The Royal Gazette that the plant appeared to be “quickly spreading” to coastal dune areas.
“Coastal areas have sort of resisted impact from invasives but to find something like this there is of concern,” he said.
The vine can climb as high as 40ft and it is known to out-compete native plants.
Audience members agreed on Wednesday that the gardens require “saving”.
Attendees heard it once had more than two dozen staff for the attraction’s day-to-day management.
“Now it’s probably only close to ten,” Mr Simmons said.
“We welcome ways from the public in how to move that forward,” he added.
He told a packed room that the strategic framework guided the ten-member steering committee, a sub-committee of the National Parks Commission, to safeguard the garden’s future.
Mr Simmons said the management team welcomed planners, analysts, students and volunteers to get on board.
He added: “Maybe you are a financial person, maybe you are a businessperson — you may be able to contribute at a strategic level, you may be interested in joining the steering committee or contributing.
“It is important that we see improvements in leadership and governance, and standards applied to our Botanical Gardens. And it is also important that we see an effective and efficient botanical programme that highlights the gardens’ core strengths or core purpose.”
Mr Simmons said conservation, research and education were essential for its upkeep and future.
He highlighted: “We must be an education centre for plant knowledge, because plant knowledge is power.”
Mr Simmons said that the steering committee’s 14 strategic targets included the initiation of a plant risk registry. Its work has brought in three overseas grants for the gardens’ upkeep.
Mr Simmons added: “Botanical gardens are receiving a lot more financial attention and there are more grants coming out. We have the ability to meet grant application scores.”
He said the funding could aid training events and five capital development projects.
The committee recently collaborated with a regional partner for an assessment of the Botanical Gardens, while another partnership led to workforce training.
Through its networking efforts, a team from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, in Scotland, is expected to visit soon for a certified practical horticultural training course with staff.
“That is where part of that grant funding goes so we are really are excited about that,” Mr Simmons said.
“We want to continue to develop our public-private partnerships so that we could provide support for the restoration of the gardens.”
The Bermuda Botanical Gardens, running from Berry Hill Road to South Road, features 27 collections with more than 2,000 plants and 300 species.
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