Kinshasa Botanical Garden
Kinshasa Botanical Garden | |
---|---|
Location | Ave Kasa-Vubu, Gombe, Kinshasa |
Coordinates | 04°18′36″S 15°18′36″E / 4.31000°S 15.31000°E |
Area | 17.2 acres (7.0 ha) |
Created | 1933 |
Operated by | Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature |
Open | Dawn to dusk |
Status | Open all year |
The Kinshasa Botanical Garden (French: Jardin botanique de Kinshasa), formerly known as the Fernand De Boeck Park, is a botanical garden located in Gombe, Kinshasa, in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).[1][2][3] Covering seven hectares, It is strategically positioned opposite the Kinshasa Zoological Garden on Kasa-Vubu Avenue.[1][3] The botanical garden houses a diverse collection of 286 plant species, including nurseries, a seed collection, an arboretum of native species, and a herbarium. Established in 1933, It is managed by the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature; ICCN) and serves as a hub for environmental education activities, boasting over 100 arboreal species.[4][5][1][6]
History
The Kinshasa Botanical Garden was originally established as the "Parc de Bock" in 1933 by District Commissioner Fernand De Bock in then-Léopoldville (now metamorphosed into the modern Kinshasa).[1][7] The area featured a zoo and a botanical garden opposite its premises and was entrusted to the Institut des Parcs Nationaux du Congo Belge (IPNB; now ICCN) upon its inception. After the nation's newfound autonomy, the IPNB was rebranded as the Zaire Institute for Nature Conservation (IZCN) on July 22, 1975, coming under the jurisdiction of the Congolese Ministry of Agriculture.[8][9][10][11][12]
In consonance with the epochal tenets of
The Second Congo War hampered conservation efforts within the botanical park, posing an insurmountable conundrum in safeguarding the biodiversity of the DRC. It was unmaintained for an extended period until 2008, when a revitalization effort commenced with support from various organizations such as the European Union, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the National Botanical Garden of Belgium, and the NGO Friends of Nature and Gardens.[15][16][17][3][4][2]
In August 2021, the Tourism Promotion Fund (Fonds de Promotion du Tourisme), established by Decree No. 09/65 of December 3, 2009,[18] provided the botanical garden with ten bungalows. The bungalows were consecrated in a ceremonial rite presided over by the Minister of Tourism, Modero Nsimba Matondo, on July 31, 2021, with a parenthetical note heralding forthcoming plans to erect an additional 20 bungalows alongside a gastronomic establishment augmenting the site's fiscal viability and allure.[19]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "ICCN - Jardins botaniques". www.iccnrdc.org (in French). Gombe, Kinshasa. Archived from the original on 2022-10-08. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ a b Luyila, Dandjes. "Le Jardin botanique de Kinshasa, un des sites reposants de la capitale". AfricaNews RDC (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ a b c Etinga, Stephane (October 22, 2009). "Congo-Kinshasa: Kinshasa - Le Jardin botanique fermé pour réhabilitation" [Congo-Kinshasa: Kinshasa - The Botanical Garden closed for rehabilitation]. AllAfrica (in French). Archived from the original on 2009-10-23. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ a b Emilio (2022-05-23). "Kinshasa botanical garden". Emilio in Congo (DRC) (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ a b c d Bamueneko, Eugène-Blaise Mvumbi (2012). "Analyse environnementale du capital biologique du jardin botanique de Kinshasa et possibilité de réhabilitation" [Environmental analysis of the biological capital of the Kinshasa botanical garden and possibility of rehabilitation] (in French). Kinshasa: University of Kinshasa. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ Africa Development, Volume 35 (in English and French). Dakar, Senegal: Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa. 2010. pp. 40–42. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ISBN 978-3-319-32485-2. Archivedfrom the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
- ^ Leopoldville: en hommage au roi Albert : inauguration de son monument à Leopoldville, le 1er Juillet, 1939 (in French). Brussels, Belgium: Helio-Offset Sar. 1939. p. 29.
- ISBN 9781859843680. Archivedfrom the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ISBN 9780253020802. Archivedfrom the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ New Horizons World Guide. Pan-Am building, New York City, New York State, United States: Simon & Schuster. 1954. p. 546. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
- ^ Traveller's Guide to the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi. Brussels, Belgium: Office du tourisme du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi. 1956. pp. 230–232. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
- ISBN 978-1-4314-0325-7. Archivedfrom the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-317-03633-3. Archivedfrom the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
- ^ "Kinshasa : L'Union européenne réhabilite le jardin botanique de Kisantu". Radio Okapi (in French). 2008-02-18. Archived from the original on 2011-08-04. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ Nkambua, Jean-Marie (2008-07-03). "La France vole au secours du jardin botanique de Kinshasa (L'Av)". Congoforum.be (in French). Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ "Le Jardin Botanique de Kinshasa morcelé et vendu". Radio Okapi (in French). 2006-02-06. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ Muzito, Adolphe; Bononge, Jose Endundo (December 3, 2009). "Journal Première parties Officiel de la République Démocratique du Congo: Cabinet du Président de la République" (PDF). leganet.cd (in French). Kinshasa. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
- ^ Mudiayi, Auguy (August 1, 2021). "RDC: le Fonds de promotion de Tourisme dote jardin botanique de Kinshasa de 10 bungalows" [DRC: the Tourism Promotion Fund provides Kinshasa botanical garden with 10 bungalows]. Desknature (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-16.