Tourism promoted through botanical garden concept

By Dhaneshi YATAWARA

People need nature to thrive. Sri Lankans are lucky in that sense living in a world renowned biodiversity hot spot. Yet, people seemed to have missed the golden fact of conserving nature for the future generation to thrive. Thus, it has become mandatory for a Government to be responsible for the conservation of the nature.

The 'owners' of the land still roam freely

Orchids grown with special care

Tamed creepers create beauty for the eye

Many steps are taken, and establishing Botanical Gardens is one key factor in conserving the floral gene pool of Sri Lanka. The prime objective of a Botanical Garden is conservation as diversity and endemism of plants are quite high in Sri Lanka. There is a distinct difference between the country's wet zone and the dry zone flora.

Flowering plants

As the country's wet zone, which accounts for nearly quarter of the total land area of the country is the home for almost 88 p.c. of our flowering plants. Throughout the history it is the wet zone that received much attention in plant conservation.

Just important as Tropical Rain Forests in the wet zone, the Tropical Dry Mixed Evergreen Forests and Tropical Thorn Scrub Forests that are found in the dry zone, composes a major part of Sri Lanka's forest ecosystem. It has been on the top two forest types that covers a larger part of our country.

Tropical Dry Ever Green Forests cover over 1.09 million hectares of the island and Tropical Thorn Scrub Forests cover slightly more than 0.46 million hectares, according to the Department of Botanic Gardens referring to the latest available statistics of the country's forest cover. Yet it has not received proper attention in conserving its plant gene pool. Unfortunately in the past history of the country more focus was given to establish Botanic Gardens in the Wet zone conserving the gene pool of forests and vegetation of the wet zone.

Though dry zone flora is included in 'ex situ' conservation attempts of the already established botanical gardens in the country, botanists believe that conserving plants in its own environment would be ideal to keep those genes in its original state. When the weather changes from area to area plants with changes in the gene sequence may win the chance of survival while the plants with the original gene sequence die. After all, fittest only survive under Mother Nature's rule.

Dry Zone

Initiating conservation attempts in the Dry zone, Sri Lanka started the plan for its first Dry zone Botanic Garden and location was selected in the coastal city Hambantota. Of the Sri Lankan climate zones, Hambantota poses an ideal dry semi-arid type of climate. The major rainy season is the northeast monsoon. The area is situated in the lowest peneplain of the island, which stretches from Trincomalee to the Hambantota coastal plain. The annual rainfall is between 750-1,000 millimetres in the dry parts of Hambantota. Thus, the site of the new botanic garden, at Mirijjawila in the Hambantota district is ideally suited for this project.

It is like the oasis of the flat terrain of the dry zone. Covered in lush green mixed with dusty brown patches this unique patch of land in Mirijjawila is getting to the shape of which will be Sri Lanka's first ever native botanical garden. Today it is waiting until the set plants grow. "The benefits of conserving dry zone habitat and its distinctive vegetation are largely long-term. The rich agro-biodiversity in the island's farming systems is experiencing many threats due to unplanned land use, pollution, fragmentation and alteration of farming systems. By conserving these genes the more important components of the agro-biodiversity found in the dry zone will be safeguarded," said Director General of the Department of Botanic Gardens Dr. Siril Wijesundara.

Accordingly, it is these dry zone plants that would carry the drought resistant genetics. It would be a main source in researches for developing new agricultural crops to suit climate changes that take place on earth. Thus raises the dire need of ex situ conservation of such plants.

Purely Sri Lankan

This will be the first new botanic garden in Sri Lanka in 130 years. "Developing a new Botanic Garden in Sri Lanka is a major undertaking. It takes years to develop and critically - to grow. The new garden has to meet the many expectations, and the needs, of a wide range of people to suit the needs of the new century," Dr. Siril Wijesundara said.

"In the twenty-first century there is no requirement to follow any traditional or classical pattern," Dr. Wijesundara added, explaining the landscape of the garden. "The few specialist dry zone botanic gardens in the world, particularly in Australia and in North America, are not similar to each other either. So there is no pattern, design or precedent to follow," he added.

Water tanks

Three water tanks - namely Kohombagas wewa, Malitthangas wewa and demataththa wewa, are available in the garden premises to preserve the moisture of the land. "These tanks existed in this land and they were abandoned at the time construction work started," Dr. Wijesundara said.

For the Botanic Garden Department this is an opportunity to define a space, a garden layout, landscape design and distinctive public amenity in a very modern way.

The long-term strategic benefit of the garden lies in its ability to take propagated plant specimens away from forests and to promote the herbal and floriculture industries, where there is significant potential for growth internationally. Both of these industries can be developed to meet the market potential, they hold strategic value and there is significant economic benefit to be gained in these areas.

Herbal industry

The Botanical Garden Department plans to make the garden to become a centre for the promotion of the herbal industry. The Herbal industry will be supported as the garden will hold a specialised herb collection. The dry zone supports a large number of medicinal plants that are used in Sri Lanka presently. These are valuable plants which can be used in the development of the herbal industry, one of the fastest growing industries in other countries in this region.

Tourism and industries

Floriculture has also been highlighted as an area of both national policy priority and where worldwide growth is also marked significantly. Already the national botanic gardens have developed expertise in Anthuriums, Orchids, Gerberas and other varieties. "Complementary additions of Dry Zone plant varieties will be immensely valuable, and of interest to national growers and societies, and international groups," Dr. Wijesundara said.

Its location at the intersection of Hambantota-Suriyawewa Road and the proposed Colombo-Kataragama main road will also attract a large number of local visitors. "Experience of running the national botanic gardens of Peradeniya and Hakgala has demonstrated the business case for tourism, with both gardens being profitable and a major feature on the tourist trail," Dr. Wijesundara said. Thus, the new Dry Zone Garden will follow this established, and tried and tested pattern. Southern Sri Lanka has been earmarked as a development zone for tourism, and a Botanic Garden presents an attractive visitor location both for domestic and foreign tourists.

The National Census of Population and Housing in Sri Lanka done in 2001 indicates that 906 people in the Hambantota area were employed in bars, restaurants and canteens and 850 people employed in hotels and other accommodation facilities.

"There is evidence of a need for economic development activity within the area rather making people leave the area seeking jobs if their actual wish is to stay in the village. I believe tourism promoted through the botanical garden should bolster economic development efforts," Dr. Wijesundara said.

At the stage of construction and building, local craftsmen and labourers are used. "Many of these jobs will be in full time employment, and long lasting such as maintenance and construction work. Other job opportunities will be created over the longer term," he said. Craft or art work will be for sale at local level, stimulated by greater public exposure to products or services.

A new public amenity will stimulate the local market economic in all manner of ways, and promote local economic development in the area.