Conservation and Management of the Cultural and Natural Landscape in Botanical Gardens. The “Padre Julio Marrero” Botanical Garden (Ecuador)

Abstract

Botanical gardens are dedicated to collections of living plants and their documentation, with research, conservation and/or education programs. The Padre Julio Marrero Botanical Garden has an area of 17 hectares in Santo Domingo de los Colorados (Ecuador). The objective has been to analyze the creation process, its management and conservation. A methodology has been used that evaluates management in natural spaces. At the beginning, funds were raised that allowed the creation of a cultural and natural landscape where native species coexist with invasive exotic species, adaptation of infrastructure for research, education and itineraries through its interior, which facilitates the annual visit of some 13,500 people. The garden areas, infrastructure and surveillance tasks are maintained, with an annual budget deficit. Numerous academic works and some dissemination, education and environmental volunteering activities are carried out, but research initiatives are specific. It would be convenient to raise new funds for the dissemination, education, research and plant genetic conservation activities of the province, recovering and giving new impetus to the idea that was the origin of the creation of the Botanical Garden, as well as incorporating current conservation lines such as the control of invasive exotic species.