Continuing role of Mediterranean Botanic Gardens in plant introduction

Transcription

1 Continuing role of Mediterranean Botanic Gardens in plant introduction The example of Villa Thuret in Antibes (South of France) Catherine Ducatillion, Bellanger R., Gili A. & Thévenet J.

2 INTRODUCTION A long story Montpellier 1593 : Beginning of plant introduction Culture of simples (medicinal plants and plants for botanical school) then extends to exotic species It continues today, despite significant scientific, technical, societal and regulatory Changes in introduction modalities The case of the Villa Thuret botanic garden is illustrated with some outstanding facts selected from its creation in 1857 until today.02

3 Villa Thuret Botanic Garden A brief presentation Location : Antibes, South of France, French Riviera Climate : mediterranean Creation : 1857 Present area: 3,5 ha Owner: French State Administrator: Institut National de la Recherche Agromique (INRA) Unité Expérimentale Villa Thuret (UEVT) Département Ecologie des Forêts, des Prairies et des Milieux Aquatiques (EFPA) Collections: 1000 species, 140 families, 450 genera, 380 countries of natural origin Number of visitors: visitors per year Continuing role of Mediterranean Botanic Gardens in plant introduction / 06/ 2016

4 The creation : the Golden Age ( ) How this garden becomes a laboratory for botanical research and a private «annex» of the Museum National d Histoire Naturelle in Paris Gustave Thuret and Edouard Bornet : two botanists, specialist of algae Scientific research : sexual reproduction of algae, cists hybridization and characters transmission study, salt action (seawater) on seed germination, classification of lichens, etc. First Botanic Garden and outdoor laboratory on the southern boundary of France Introduction of generic collections of exotic plants: new network and new biological resources. Exchanges with Joseph Decaisne, Jardin des plantes in Paris. Some numbers : 2,691 living taxa in 1875 from 4,290 accessions, with date and suppliers. Many new species growing outside in France and first seeds produced for Index seminum to Paris and other related Continuing role of Mediterranean Botanic Gardens in plant introduction 07 / 06/

5 .05 Enumeratio plantarum in horto thuretiano cultarum - G. Thuret, 1875

6 «Acclimatization» and «service» ( ) How this garden becomes a public laboratory and develops the study and use of plants A generous donation to the French state in Assignment at perpetuity for science and higher education The site is owned by the Ministry of Education Charles Naudin is the 1 st public director 3593 accessions between1878 and 1899 C. Naudin continues the genetic work, develops the exchanges with other botanic gardens, publish the first note on the introduction of the Eucalyptus spp. in Europe and in Algeria, discribes a number of ornamental plants In 1887, he publish with F. Von Muller (BG Melburne, Australia), the «Manual of the acclimateur or selection of plants recommended for Agriculture, Industry and Medicine and adapted to various climates of Europe and tropical countries». "The aim pursued by the acclimateur is not to naturalize foreign plants in the country he lives in (...) but to introduce and to make live this kind of plant that will serve under the condition that cultivator take care of it" Continuing role of Mediterranean Botanic Gardens in plant introduction 07 / 06/

7 A new laboratory : Agronomic Research Centre of Provence (1 st half of the XX th century) How this garden becomes a research center of the Ministry of Agriculture and contributes to the economic growth of the French Riviera Second director Georges Poirault is an agronomist. He teaches at the National School of Landscape in Versailles and is involved in exploratory trips along the West African coast (The Talisman) Villa Thuret becomes an Agronomic Research Center attached to the Ministry of Agriculture A significant frost event destroyes part of the collections and all the botanic gardens are asked to send seeds. Collections are replenished The institution is developing a significant local economic activity : Mediterranean horticulture with cut flowers, outside or in greenhouses, and nurseries. Plants are sent throughout northern Europe: violet, rose, snapdragon, carnation, mimosa... French Riviera is born and landscape forever changed with palm trees, eucalypt trees or mimosa Continuing role of Mediterranean Botanic Gardens in plant introduction 07 / 06/

8 Birth of INRA ( ) What kinds of solutions the garden brings against the damage of coastal urbanization and the degradation of natural forest? After the war, INRA is created to organize agriculture and feed the France (70 today). Villa Thuret, and other laboratories around it, become an INRA center in Antibes Tourism and urbanization are growing at the expense of horticulture. Landscape and natural environment are deteriorating due to forest fires, pollution, urban development. Botanists are asked to find plants and technical solutions. Botanic garden beyong its walls. For example successful trees at Villa Thuret are testing in wild conditions and forest arboretums are creating The botanic Garden ages and collections are getting poorer. A renovation program started in Each year, 100 to 200 new exotic species are introduced Continuing role of Mediterranean Botanic Gardens in plant introduction 07 / 06/

9 The end of XX th century Horticulture, bouquets, urban trees : new plants for new needs Education New needs arise: new species (for example for cut flowers or cut leaves) and development of appropriate farming methods Legal constraints: CITES and CBD New concepts as sustainable development. Chemical treatments and water are starting to be regulated. Epidemics threaten some horticultural species. Plane trees die along the streets. People need to change horticultural practices and plants. Work is reorganized : Upstream: introduction of plants, Downstream: protocol for selecting useful plants and for transferring to the professionals New criteria: not only technical but also linked to human health and environmental protection (pollen allergies, risk analysis for alien species) Public reception is organized: especially school and students Continuing role of Mediterranean Botanic Gardens in plant introduction / 06/ 2016

10 Recent years and the future with climate change New knowledge, new needs and new regulations : is it usefull and possible to introduce exotic species? A difficult question: is it possible to predict a successful introduction in a given place, with biogeographic or taxonomic criteria? Can archives help us? Which trees to the forest and urban forest tomorrow? Heatwaves, drought, climatic hazards, epidemics, invasive species, Nagoya Protocol Catalog of potentially interesting species under climate change for forest renewal, with new species for substitution Knowledge of plant growth mechanisms : morphology, primary and secondary growth phenology Knowledge of trees reproduction and seeds introduction protocols Risk analysis Sensors and measures Insert the introduction in an overall process of domestication with several compartments including the legal, technical and biological Experimentation Continuing role of Mediterranean Botanic Gardens in plant introduction / 06/ 2016

11 Domestication process Outside Botanic garden eg Villa Thuret Wild Other botanic gardens CDB Law : Nagoya protocol Traceability (IPEN) Observation Experimentation (risk) Analysis Interpretation Outside Seed introduction (provenances) Experimentation Law : Nagoya protocol Conventions Risk Seed introduction Accommodation Selection, plant breeding Knowledge: data Seedbank BG collections Conservation Education Knowledge: data o eg : phenology Data Innovation Money Products Services Continuing role of Mediterranean Botanic Gardens in plant introduction / 06/ 2016

12 Thank you.012