“The epiphyte garden was created in order to show the role of this type of plants in the conservation and biodiversity of the Valdivian jungle. In addition, it is a new type of ‘exhibition garden’, with an emphasis on types of species, rather than plant communities,” said Dr. Paula Villagra, Director of the UACh Botanical Garden.
Indeed, it is about 100 m2 that the team from the Botanical Garden in collaboration with Professor Iván Díaz, an academic from the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Natural Resources of the UACh., within the framework of the project “The heritage trees of Valdivia”, financed by the Fund for Cultural Development and the Arts (FONDART Regional Los Ríos), intervened in order to create an appropriate exhibition of plants.
“With this, we are beginning to build one of the four pillars of any Botanical Garden that has to do with displaying plants in an adequate way to educate and at the same time fascinate people about them. In this way, the attachment that already exists between the community and the Botanical Garden will multiply, and we hope that it will also help care for it”, added the Director of the Botanical Garden.
Opening
In the presence of about 20 boys and girls from the Valdivian Forest Club, the inauguration of this new trail inside the Botanical Garden took place. At the site, the participants listened to Felipe González (Natural Resources Conservation Engineer and research assistant at the Canopy Biodiversity Laboratory), who explained the main qualities of epiphytes.
«Epiphytes are a type of plants that are characterized by growing on trees and have adapted to live on others to obtain resources. Prof. Iván Díaz rescued a chupallita, which is the one that boys and girls planted in large trees of the cinnamon, oak and coihue species of the Botanical Garden”, explained the professional.
Subsequently, the professionals and officials accompanied the minors in the planting exercise, in a practical activity of environmental education that seeks to encourage care and amazement for nature.
“Today’s activity consisted of finishing planting three chupallitas with boys and girls from the Valdivian Forest Club, who regularly visit us and make very good use of the garden, entertaining themselves, learning and taking care of it. Boys and girls are a great example of the innate relationship of care and wonder that we have with nature, and we want it to last over time and also transfer to their adult lives. Every time the boys and girls who planted today visit the UACh Botanical Garden they will remember the little chupallita they planted and will visit it”, highlighted the Director.
«I thought it was very nice because I like to plant, in fact, with a friend I always played at removing weeds and planting them in yogurt containers. I like the Botanical Garden too,” said eight-year-old Caetana Valdivia.
For his part, León Scotti (also 8), mentioned: «We learned how to plant epiphytes and many other things. It serves to take care of nature.
Check more information about the UACh Botanical Garden at ciencias.uach.cl/jardinbotanico
