Prime Minister Samuel Hinds (second from right) unveils the plaque for the new Jenman Education Centre in the Botanical Gardens with assistance from Rhonda Lee, Project Coordinator Jenman Education Centre (second from left) while Joseph Singh, Executive D
An estimated 10,000 visitors a month to the Botanical Gar-dens now have access to the brand new Jenman Education Centre.
The main objectives of the centre, as outlined by Rhonda Lee Project Co-ordinator, are to raise awareness, conduct environmental research and promote environmental activities.
The newly-refurbished building at the entrance to the Botanical Gardens represents a partnership with several key organisations including Con-servation International Guyana (CI), the National Parks Commission (NPC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Iwokrama Center for Rainforest Conser-vation and Development and the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society.
The centre will be hosting activities such as video shows, slide shows, poster exhibitions, essay and short-story competitions, talks for school children, public discussions and eco-camps.
In her welcome address, Manager of the Botanical Gardens Yolanda Vasconcellos noted the facility would increase conservation awareness among Guyanese especially those on the coastland.
A Victoria regia lily on display at the Umana Yana yesterday at the exhibition commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Robert Schomburgk, explorer and naturalist. Schomburgk found the Victoria regia lily on January 1, 1837, during his travels
She noted also that the building was once the home of George Jenman, born in 1845 in England but who grew up in Ireland. He started working as a gardener at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1871 where he was trained in the science of Botany. His efforts to develop botanical research in British Guiana over a period of 23 years, was selfless and untiring. His collection of over 800 specimens stands out even today as one of the most important colonial collections. Jenman's collection is now the subject of a project between CI and the University of Guyana which are sponsoring the graduate student carrying out the project.
Executive Director of Conservation International Major General (retd) Joseph Singh said because of logistics coastlanders are not as familiar with the interior and places such as Shell Beach and the North Rupununi Wetlands. Therefore, visitors to the Botanical Gardens will now be able to learn something.
Singh went on to say that the seemingly abandoned building was converted with the help of Disney World Animal Kingdom. Among the local contributors are Omai Gold Mines, Courts, Laparkan, Giftland and Salod Marketing Agency. The Guyana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Education through the National Centre for Research and Develop-ment (NCERD) have also given material support to the project.
Prime Minister Sam Hinds in his feature address recalled pleasurable family visits to the Botanical Gardens as a youngster, while noting it was a repository of natural history and complemented the development of a natural areas protected system and eco-tourism in Guyana.