Residents’ Perceptions of the Benefits of Visitation to a Botanical Garden in South Africa

This study examines visitors' perception of the impact of climate variability and change on national botanical gardens in Gauteng, South Africa. The study used data from field observations and an online questionnaire that gathered views of 324 botanical garden visitors at Walter Sisulu and Pretoria Botanical Gardens. Data were analysed using QuestionPro Analysis tools. The study found that botanical garden visitors are apprehensive about climate variability and change impacts on picnicking, bird watching, flowering patterns, walking trails and waterfalls viewing experiences, among other activities. More than half of the respondents indicated that climatic patterns play a critical role in their decision to visit the botanical gardens. Most visitors (75%) perceived that weather events induced by climate variability and change threaten botanical gardens, with drought, flooding and extreme storms singled out as some of the most significant climatic threats to botanical gardens. The study recommends that botanical gardens management streamline climate change in their medium to long-term planning to ensure climate resilience and adaptation. This calls for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies to reduce the impacts of climate variability on the recreational experience in botanical gardens.

The genus Phytophthora contains many destructive and globally important plant pathogens. In the last decade, targeted sampling efforts have resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of known species, as well as a better understanding of their global distribution. Routine activities undertaken in botanical gardens, combined with great numbers of local and international visitors, place botanical gardens at risk to the accidental introduction and establishment of pathogens such as Phytophthora spp. In this study, the occurrence of Phytophthora was investigated in two botanical gardens in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Symptomatic collar and stem tissues were collected, and root and rhizosphere soil samples were taken from trees exhibiting symptoms of decline. Standard baiting techniques and direct plating of symptomatic tissues revealed the presence of seven species of Phytophthora residing in four phylogenetic clades. Five of these species, P. cinnamomi, P. citrophthora, P. multivora, P. parvispora and the informally designated taxon Phytophthora sp. stellaris were known to be present in South Africa and P. aquimorbida was recorded for the first time. Of these, P. citrophthora represented a novel host-pathogen association causing bleeding cankers on indigenous Celtis africana. A multilocus phylogenetic analysis based on ITS, βtub, cox1 and hsp90 sequences showed the presence of an undescribed species belonging to the Phytophthora ITS Clade 5. This species is described here as Phytophthora mammiformis sp. nov. This study highlights the importance of monitoring botanical gardens for the detection and discovery of pathogens and emphasises their value as sites for the discovery of novel host-pathogen associations. Citation: Paap T, Balocchi F, Burgess TI, Bose T, Wingfield MJ (2024). A diverse range of Phytophthora species from botanical gardens in South Africa, including the novel Clade 5 species, Phytophthora mammiformis sp. nov. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 13: 111-122. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2024.13.05.

Botanical gardens are a global phenomenon. Historically developed with the intention of maintaining a living collection of plants (under scientific management) for the purpose of research and education, botanical gardens have evolved to provide an accessible urban alternative for ecotourism experiences. Given that many botanical gardens are publically funded, income secured from tourist visitation can help supplement (limited) government funds. The purpose of this study was determining the motives of visitors to a botanical garden in South Africa. Employing a quantitative methodology, an onsite intercept survey by means of convenience sampling yielded 304 usable responses. An exploratory factor analysis revealed six distinct visitor motivations. The results inform the marketing of botanical gardens with a view to promoting their financial sustainability as visitor attractions, and ultimately their continued role as centres of scientific research, conservation and education.

IN Part 17 of the Journal of the Botanical Society of South Africa (1931) is published an excerpt from the report written by Sir Arthur Hill to the Union Government after his tour in South Africa in 1929, which was referred to in NATURE of Feb. 7, 1931, p. 217. The report states that at present, owing to lack of funds, the Director of the Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden is working single-handed and the garden staff is inadequate. This refers to 1929, and in the present Journal the Gardens have to report a ten per cent reduction of the Government grant which they share in common with other State-aided institutions. On the whole, the moment scarcely seems propitious for the consideration of Sir Arthur Hill's suggestion that South Africa should try to maintain three botanic gardens, with the development of a sub-tropical botanic garden at Durban and a botanic garden with arboretum at Pretoria. It is good to see that the body of supporters for the Kirstenbosch gardens, provided by the Botanical Society of South Africa, continues steadily to grow in numbers. In this same report Sir Arthur Hill presses for the policy of making Table Mountain into a Nature reserve, and it is good to learn that action has now been taken by the Administrator of the Cape Province which gives complete legal protection to the flora and fauna of the Mountain.

Currently, the conservation of plant species in culture is of key importance in the conservation activities of botanical gardens. Due to the destruction of natural biocenoses and the disappearance of species in nature, their role is irreplaceable. One of the tasks of botanical gardens is to develop the most effective methods of exhibiting plants with maximum demonstration of their decorative properties and popularization of botanical knowledge among the population. The analysis of the experience of foreign countries allows us to expand our own opportunities for new arrangement of expositions, which is relevant even for botanical gardens located far from each other. The botanical gardens of the southernmost African country – South Africa - demonstrate the state approach to the preservation of national flora and provide an excellent example of the exposition specialization of botanical gardens, which is greatly lacking in the botanical gardens of Russia. Using the opportunities of the surrounding natural landscapes forms a unique image of each botanical garden of South Africa, providing visitors with an extensive range of ecosystem services and botanical knowledge.

An interdisciplinary look at legumes and their bacterial symbionts: some thoughts from Big Sky

Tourism literature rarely mentions gardens as relevant tourist attractions. Unlike previous garden studies, this study examines gardens from a demand perspective. This study examines quality of visitors’ experience, satisfaction, and loyalty, and meaningfully explains a variance in behavioural intention between first-time and repeat visitors. A multi-sample structural equation path analyses that tests for differences between similar models of distinctive groups (first-time and repeat visitors) was applied in this study. The case study was conducted in a botanic garden in Central Florida. The results indicate that garden quality and visitors’ experiences predict satisfaction and visitors’ behavioural intentions for repeat garden visits. This study contributes to the sparse body of knowledge on the experience of visitors and their behavioural intentions to return to tourism gardens. These findings suggest that there is a significant difference between first-time and repeat visitors experience of garden quality dimensions and subsequent satisfaction and loyalty.

The use and appreciation of botanical gardens as urban green spaces in South Africa


 
 
 Botanical gardens vary widely in design and purpose, but most are typically associated with Ex-situ conservation, education, or historical interpretation. Yet, few studies have shown that botanic garden visitors are often motivated by recreational and leisure interests. While visitor motivations and benefits have been the focus of a number of botanical garden and green space visitor studies. The main objective of the study was to investigate the perceptions of benefits for wellbeing of community, by visiting Henarathgoda Botanic Garden (HBG) and the Specific objectives were; to identify the range of different specialized visitors to the HBG, identify the activity patterns of community visitation associated with HBG and to examine visitor preferences/perceptions for various combinations of social, resource and management conditions, and study the different wellbeing benefits obtained by visiting the garden related to physical and aesthetics aspects. This study employed means-end theory to investigate the links visitors make between garden attributes, consequences, and values. Structured questionnaire based in-person interviews were conducted with garden visitors (n=200) and surveys took place representing whatsoever the community visiting the HBG during February to March 2022. The overall study resulted that the garden visitation has been drastically affected by COVID-19 pandemic situation before, during, and after the pandemic respectively. This study reveals that the main top two reasons for visiting the HBG of respondent were because of relaxation and pleasure. This shows HBG should provide a suitable place for recreational activities for visitors. Further, the highest percentage of the respondents (36%) were commented that HBG‘s management should consider improving the services providing and maintaining more facilities and need for the visitors. The most positive benefit wanted to gain responders by visiting HBG, which was understanding and enjoying nature in different garden sections established at HBG (42%).
 Keywords: Urban green spaces, Well-being benefits, Botanic garden, Psychological benefits, Questionnaire survey
 
 

Arthropods were sampled using pitfall traps, sticky traps, sweep netting, Malaise traps and visual sampling at a national botanic garden, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where the taxonomic impediment is great. The aims were to compare two sites, one of native vegetation and the other of mainly exotic plants, to determine the possible localized extent of biodiversity change across the land mosaic, and to test and compare methodologies and indicator taxa and to make recommendations for ecological landscaping of a botanic garden. Species richness and evenness varied considerably with sampling technique used. From results of a single replicate of data from all trapping methods including 821 arthropod species and 3831 individuals, a number of conclusions could be drawn. Trapping procedures such as sweep netting and pitfall traps, which focus on species with restricted mobility and/or host plant requirements, indicated greatest differences in diversity between two closely located sites. Taxa varied in sensitivity to microlandscape, again depending on the extent of their mobility. Cicindelid and carabid beetles were particularly good indicators of habitat disturbance and type. The management recommendations are that in a species-rich urban botanic garden such as this, as many ecotopes as possible should be preserved or created. These should vary in topography, landscape characteristics and vegetation composition, with as much connectivity as possible. This is a feasible blanket approach to give home to a large number of nameless species and morphs. Patches of different ecotopes should not be separated by more than a few metres by expanses of mown lawn which isolates much of the fauna.

Cardiospermum grandiflorum

Indonesian biodiversity including the rich flora is facing various threats, including deforestation, habitat degradation, fire, natural disasters and climate change. Many ex situ conservation strategies have been implemented in response to this problem, including the development of new local botanic gardens in each province throughout Indonesia. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the important role of seed banks in forming part of the botanic gardens’ collections management strategies – they now play an increasingly important role in saving the Indonesian flora from extinction. This study was conducted by undertaking a literature review and analysis of secondary data on the four largest botanic gardens of Indonesia. Currently there are 33 botanic gardens in Indonesia consisting of five national botanic gardens under Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI/Indonesian Institute of Sciences), two botanic gardens under universities and 26 botanic gardens managed by Local Goverments. Among the five national botanic gardens, four manage seed banks: the Seed Bank of the Center for Plant Conservation Botanic Gardens/Bogor Botanic Gardens banks 749 accessions covering 460 species, 305 genera and 114 families; Cibodas Botanic Garden Seed Bank has 61 accessions covering 57 species, 57 genera, 40 families; Purwodadi Botanic Garden Seed Bank has 413 accessions covering 207 species, 134 genera and 46 families; and Eka Karya Bali Botanic Garden Seed Bank maintains 132 accessions covering 89 species, 43 genera and 21 families. The Indonesian Botanic Garden Seed Banks thus hold 1,355 accessions in total, covering less than 1% of total Indonesian plant diversity. In order to increase this coverage, Indonesian seed banking capacity needs to be increased, through the technical development of existing seed banks and the engagement of local botanic gardens throughout Indonesia to establish mini seed banks using the community seed bank approach.

The Cape Town International Jazz Festival is South Africa's most renowned jazz festival and, from quite modest beginnings, has grown into a successful international event. Since its inception in 2000, attendance figures have increased from the initial 14,000 to 32,000 in the past 9 years. The festival's winning formula of bringing more than 40 international and local artists to perform over 2 days on five stages has earned it the status of being the most prestigious event on the African continent. The festival is furthermore currently ranked as the number four jazz festival in the world; even outshining events such as Switzerland's Montreux Festival and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland. A research survey was done for the first time at the festival in 2009 where 432 visitor questionnaires were completed, and a second survey was conducted during the festival in April 2010 where 420 questionnaires were administered. The aim of this research is to segment visitors to the Cape Town International Jazz Festival based on the frequency of visits to distinguish between first-time and repeat festival attendees. Both first-time and repeat visitor groups play a fundamental role in the overall well-being and success of a festival and festival organizers must strive to achieve a balance between first-time and repeat visitors. Therefore, festival organizers should be aware of the festival attributes that differentiate between the first-time visitor group and repeat visitors attending the festival. Two-way frequency tables and chi-square tests as well as ANOVAs and Tukey's multiple comparisons were used to analyze the data and segment firsttime and repeat visitors based on sociodemographics, behavioral characteristics, and overall satisfaction and travel motivations. These differences should be considered when the festival program is designed and marketed. The latter will greatly contribute to the long-term sustainability of the festival.

BackgroundThe mental health of university staff members is often neglected and might have been exacerbated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.AimThe aim of this study was to determine the mental health and well-being of staff members in an Eastern Cape university just after levels 4 and 5 lockdowns (01 June 2020) in South Africa.SettingThe university was closed during lockdown and staff members had to work from home, trying to save the 2020 academic year.MethodsA cross-sectional exploratory survey of a sample of 280 staff members (response rate = 27.75%), with a mean age of 48.84 ± 10.17 years, completed the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and Mental Health Continuum – Short Form (MHC-SF).ResultsA number (27.6%) of staff members reported psychological distress, whilst the majority (60%) was flourishing during lockdown. Socio-economic collapse, contracting the virus and the completion of the academic year were their biggest worries. Whilst a strong negative correlation between psychological distress and mental well-being (MWB) was observed (r = −0.595), age had an inverse correlation with psychological distress (r = −0.130) and a positive correlation with MWB (r = 0.153). Female staff members, staff members with comorbidities and workers in the administration and service sections were significantly more likely to report psychological distress. The mental health of female staff members and members with comorbidities were almost two times more at risk for psychological distress.ConclusionThe mental health and well-being of some university staff members were at an increased risk during lockdown.

Recovery of invertebrate diversity in a rehabilitated city landscape mosaic in the heart of a biodiversity hotspot