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Ifpra world e-news

Newsletter Issue 50 – March 2011

Items for inclusion in the April 2011 edition need to be e-mailed to me at ifpraworldnews@aol.com by no later than 23 March.  Don’t forget that this is also an opportunity to promote international events. 
Editor

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Ifpra Europe

Advance Notice of Commissioners Meeting and Technical Visit

The City of Turin, Italy has kindly agreed to host the members of IFPRA Europe for the annual Technical Visit, 28 and 29 May 2011 
Turin has the reputation of being one of the greenest cities in Europe, boasting some 25 parks. These include the historic Parco del Valentino and the Pellerina, reputed to be the largest city park in Italy. Many of Turin's parks and gardens are located along the banks of the four rivers that run through the city, offering a place in which to enjoy peace and quiet.


Proposed Itinerary
Saturday 28th May    Morning meeting of Commissioners of IFPRA Europe followed by lunch, a technical visit in the afternoon and an evening dinner
Sunday 29th May      Technical visit from 9.30 to 17.00 (including lunch)

This is an advance notification for members of IFPRA and non-members who are invited to participate and will be followed by more detailed information in the coming months. Details of the technical visits and costs are being prepared and to assist the organisers with their plans, it would be helpful to know how many will attend.  Therefore it would be appreciated if you could give some indication at this stage (without obligation) of your interest in attending this weekend event to Dr. Christy Boylan, Secretary, IFPRA Europe secretariat@ifpraeurope.org     
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United Kingdom

New funding for National Botanic Garden

www.gardenofwales.org.uk
New funding for the National Botanic Garden of Wales, in Carmarthenshire has been announced today by the Welsh Assembly Government.  In the light of an independent value-for-money review, the Garden will receive £700,000 in revenue support for the 2011-12 financial year, subject to a number of agreed conditions.   The review confirmed that all major botanic gardens need subsidy and that proportionally, per visitor, Kew and Edinburgh receive far more than the Garden of Wales. The report also found that it is only at this level of subsidy that the Garden can currently develop a sustainable business plan.
Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones said:  “It is only 10 years old but the National Botanic Garden is already making a vital contribution to tourism, science and education, and to the regional economy of south west Wales.  This level of funding, as has been recommended by the recent independent review, will help the gardens to develop further as a scientific centre of excellence, a showcase for sustainability, and as a visitor attraction. Moving forward, our funding will depend on the Garden producing a sustainable Business Plan and on it meeting a range of challenging targets.”   
The Garden will have to meet a variety of targets, likely to include the development of a new capital management and major maintenance plan, a review of international scientific research opportunities, and an extension of its education outreach programme.  The Garden also carries out extensive work with schools and colleges and undertakes lifelong learning and outreach programmes which engage people of all ages.  Alongside the Assembly Government funding, Carmarthenshire County Council will provide the Garden with £60,000 in revenue support in 2011-12, and for the following two financial years.
Recently, the Daily Telegraph, ranked the Carmarthenshire attraction among the top “five best winter gardens in the UK” and The Times has also ranked the Garden as Britain’s No 1 Winter Wonderland. 
Admission to the Garden was free to all throughout January; the initiative – to introduce more people to the Garden – was a great success with around 13,000 visiting during January.
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United States

Go where cars cannot without leaving your armchair

www.vancouversun.com   www.google-latlong.blogspot.com
In 2009 Google Street View introduced the Trike, a modified bicycle fitted with Street View equipment, to visit those locations, from towering castles to picturesque gardens, that are not accessible to cars. The Trike team has been pedalling around the world, and Google Inc has now announced the addition of the largest ever collection of unique places to be viewed from your armchair.  These include hiking trails, heritage sites and public parks and gardens.  The new service offers users a 360 degree panoramic view of places where cars cannot go.
According to an article in the Vancouver Sun by Mike Swift, Google is using ungainly, 250-pound, 9-foot-long, human-powered trikes with a 7-foot stalk of cameras on the back. The trikes were the brainchild of Google engineer Daniel Ratner, who visited cobblestone alleys impassable to cars in Barcelona, Spain, and realized Google needed something to record universities, parks, trails and other places, many of them private.  "I feel like we're just scratching the surface of what sorts of images our users want to see," said Ratner, as he showed off one of the trikes that he helped develop at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. "We don't compare the trikes to the cars. We see them as being complementary vehicles."
Street View is not popular with everyone and is seen to some as intrusive and a major privacy issue.  Some communities have taken matters into their own hands to discourage such activities.  Others see this as an opportunity to promote the attraction of open spaces to a wider audience. 
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South Africa

Conserving wetlands creates jobs

www.ierm.org.za   www.verlorenvlei.co.za
By protecting its wetlands, South Africa will not only be able to conserve its natural resources, but will also create many more jobs, the Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, said on a visit to Verlorenvlei, a wetland on the West Coast near Elandsbaai, during the annual World Wetlands Day.  She singled out the government's Working for Wetlands and Working for Water programmes, which had helped to create many jobs.  The delegates - including officials from the Departments of Environmental Affairs, Water Affairs, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Water Research Commission, South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) and Working for Wetlands - were attending a four-day workshop, at the Bergrivier Municipality.
"Don't just take those evasive species out, they can create employment," said Mabudafhasi who pointed out that instead of workers simply throwing away the wood, they could use it to make items such as furniture and coffins.  She said contrary to popular belief that the rural poor would be ill-equipped to conserve  wetlands, people in rural areas were best placed to understand how wetlands work and how to protect them and take advantage of the economic opportunities that these water bodies provided.  She stressed that wetlands are valuable natural resources as they are able to improve water quality, reduce flood impacts, control erosion and sustain river flows.  "Of special importance is the role wetlands play in ensuring a steady supply of clean water for communities and helping government save hundreds of millions that would be required to set up purification plants," she said.  "Therefore, careful consideration should be given to any proposed destruction of wetlands."
Verlorenvlei, one of the largest inland bodies of water on the west coast of South Africa, is one of 20 wetlands designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.  Recently, Verlorenvlei has come under severe pressure from agricultural activities, including groundwater abstraction and poor farming methods with resultant poor water quality.  Alien vegetation in the upper catchment impacts on water flow and the estuary mouth is frequently closed because of sediment build-up and poor water movement.  In 2006, with funding provided by the Department of Environmental Affairs, Working for Wetlands and CapeNature embarked on a rehabilitation project that mainly involved clearing invasive alien vegetation and included removing impediments to water flow, reducing sedimentation and conducting an awareness campaign.  A total of R5.2 million has so far been spent on Verlorenvlei and about 45 job opportunities created annually.  Two teams from Elands Bay and Redelinghuys have already made a visible impact on the problem, clearing 140 ha of land of alien vegetation.  The temporary jobs and training provided by Working for Wetlands contribute to the objectives of government's Expanded Public Works Programme, which seeks to draw significant numbers of the unemployed into productive work, and provide these workers with skills.  Most of the work is being conducted on privately-owned land and contracts are signed with all landowners.
Also speaking at the event, Bergrivier Municipality Mayor Kobie Liebenberg said any conservation of wetlands had to be tied to the economic opportunities that local communities could take advantage of.  "You can preach bio-diversity, but if there are empty stomachs, you go nowhere," said Liebenberg.
Also in attendance, the deputy mayor of Jerusalem Naomi Tsur, said she hoped world leaders would come to see how natural resources such as wetlands can prove more valuable to the world.
From IERM E-Journal 24 February 2011
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Norway

Strong opposition to overhead cables in scenic area

www.norwaypost.no
According to the Norway Post, both political opposition and environmental organisations have reacted strongly against the Government's decision to go ahead with plans to build overhead power landlines along scenic Hardanger Fjord.  Announcing the decision, Energy Minister Terje Riis-Johansen said: “This will give the necessary security for a stable power supply to the whole Bergen region.  As the minister responsible, I cannot compromise on the requirements for a secure power supply to Norway's second largest city in the years ahead.”
In the opinion of deputy leader of the Liberal Left Party, Ola Elvestuen, this is a massive attack on the classic nature conservation in Norway. The Government is sacrificing Hardanger for short-term solutions instead of making an investment in the future.  A month ago, four independent committees concluded that it would cost an additional NOK 3.4 billion, and take an extra five years to lay a sub-sea cable, rather than the overhead land lines.
Leader of the Friends of the Earth Norway, Lars Haltbrekken, is also disappointed:  “It is very disappointing that the Government decides to build a destructive power land line in important scenic areas in Hardanger,” he says.
Even within the Government coalition party, many have expressed disappointment against the decision.
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Australia

Living legacy benefits National Park

www.fnpw.org.au
Two nature-lovers have left a living legacy to Australians with the purchase of a 160 hectare inholding that has now been added to Kosciuszko National Park.   The purchase of this addition was made possible through bequests to the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife from the estates of Genevieve Little and Catherine Clare White. The land was later gifted to the NSW Government for the enjoyment of future generations.  The block, which overlooks the Snowy River in the Paupong area about 30 km south of Jindabyne, will preserve habitat for a range of threatened species.  Director General for the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, Lisa Corbyn, said today that this addition, while small compared to the rest of the park would be important for a range of reasons. 
"Kosciuszko National Park is almost 700,000 hectares but every addition to this world class reserve is an important one," Ms Corbyn said.  "The site contains vegetation communities which are not adequately conserved in other parts of the national park network, containing White box woodlands as well as native cypress pines, Kurrajong trees, Apple box eucalypts and Native Cherry.  The new addition also contains important habitat for a range of threatened species such as Gang-Gang Cockatoos, Hooded Robins and the Spotted-tailed Quoll. The White box woodland communities are also recognised as important habitat for the endangered Regent Honeyeater.
The Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife which is a non-government fund raising body that has been raising funds for such purposes for more than 40 years.
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United Kingdom

Government’s policy on forests swayed by public opinion

www.defra.gov.uk   www.woodlandtrust.org.uk   www.saveourforests.co.uk     www.forestry.gov.uk
The Forestry Commission is the Government Department responsible for the protection and expansion of Britain’s forests and woodlands, so Government proposals to sell off some areas of Forestry Commission land into the private sector met with a storm of protest and the launching of campaigns and petitions.  The strength of the reaction has caused the Government to halt the consultation process before the end of its planned term.  Whilst welcoming the Government’s decision, the Woodland Trust warns that the campaign to protect and restore the country’s ancient forests must go on.  The Trust is anxious to see loopholes closed that have over the past decade allowed ancient woodland to be threatened by built developments. 
The Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has announced that an independent panel of experts will examine forestry policy in England and report back to her in the autumn.   The Panel will advise on the future direction of forestry and woodland policy in England, on the role of the Forestry Commission, and on the role of the Public Forest Estate. The Panel will include representatives of key environmental and access organisations alongside representatives of the forestry industry. Its membership and terms of reference are to be published shortly.
Speaking in the House of Commons, the Environment Secretary said:  “If there is one clear message from this experience, it is that people cherish their forests and woodlands and the benefits they bring. My first priority throughout this period of debate has been securing a sustainable future for our woodlands and forests.  On many occasions in the House last autumn, Ministers gave assurances that our aim in all of this has been to do more to maintain and enhance the public benefits delivered by forestry – from recreational access to wildlife protection; from tackling climate change to sustaining a wide range of small businesses. That is why my ambition to provide a better future for our forests is undiminished.”
She ended by apologising for having got this one wrong, but stressed that the Government has listened to people’s concerns. 
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Australia

An ocean challenge

www.woodvale-challenge.com  www.benandjamesandaboat.co.uk
Two lads from Hampshire in the United Kingdom, James Adair and Ben Stenning, will be travelling to Australia to take part the Woodvale Challenge Indian Ocean Rowing Race.  The race will start in Geraldton, Western Australia where rowers will then set out on a route that will take them over 3000 nautical miles across the Indian Ocean to the island of Mauritius.  The start of the race is planned for April 2011 to miss the cyclone season that ends in between February and March. The temperatures will be high, especially close to Australia, but should cool as the race progresses.  The competitors have a good chance of encounters with sharks, whales, dolphins and plenty of birdlife. 
James was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological condition, when he was fourteen.  He was completely paralysed and it took him a year to learn to walk again.  During that time he was helped by the GBS Support Group, a charity that gives support to sufferers and their families.  He is keen to raise money for the charity’s £250,000 appeal for research into the condition. 
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France

Proposed wind turbines threaten World Heritage status

www.spiegel.de/international/europe/
An article by Stefan Simons in Spiegel Online International highlights the risk that the French island abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel may lose its World Heritage Status because of plans to build wind turbines that could blight the spectacular view. Campaigners are up in arms, but French President Nicolas Sarkozy is determined to turn France into a world leader in wind power.
Mont-Saint-Michel, located in a bay between the coast of Brittany and the Contentin peninsula in Normandy, is a symbol for the entire region. It is cut off from land twice a day at high tide and is one of France's biggest tourist destinations, attracting 3 million visitors a year, tourists and pilgrims.  UNESCO designates this unique place as a World Heritage Site. Mont-Saint-Michel and the bay were included in the prestigious list of places of global special cultural and physical significance in 1979.  Ever since, the local authorities have striven to preserve the island and the abbey and even planned to demolish parts of the causeway and car and coach parks leading to the island.
The UN culture and education agency has written to France asking it to explain the project, which would see three wind turbines erected 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) from the tiny seaside mount.
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United Kingdom

On-line log charts progress of park restoration

http://www.tameside.gov.uk/stamford/restorationlog#log
Stamford Park, situated between the towns of Ashton under Lyne and Stalybridge in the northwest, dates from 1873 and because of its historic importance is registered grade II on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens. The park is well loved by the local community, but is considered to be lacking some of the facilities people want to see in a park. Following consultation with the local community Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council has developed plans for the restoration of the Park. The physical works will include a new pavilion and aviary and the restoration of The Dingle, with repairs to the watercourses and stonework, much of which has become overgrown and damaged.  The principle footpath through the Dingle will be repaired to improve the accessibility of this historic feature, constructed in 1898 by George Briggs, whose father Francis Briggs was landscape gardener to Joseph Paxton.  As well as the physical improvements, improved staffing levels and volunteering opportunities are planned, together with more events and activities to encourage a wide range of visitors.  The Park will remain open during restoration works and in January the Council introduced an on-line log to chart the progress of the work and notify visitors of any areas temporarily fenced off. 

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Singapore

Construction milestone for iconic waterfront gardens project

www.nparks.gov.sg
Gardens by the Bay, the iconic waterfront gardens project in Marina Bay, celebrated a major construction milestone at the capping-up ceremony of its cool dry conservatory, the Flower Dome.  The 1.2-hectare Flower Dome is one of two cooled conservatories, which are central to the Gardens design concept. It will replicate the cool-dry climate of the Mediterranean and semi-arid subtropical regions, and feature an uncommon range of flowers and plants such as baobabs, olive trees, and date palms.  After close to two years of construction, the Flower Dome was fitted with the last panel of glass by Minister for National Development Mr Mah Bow Tan, marking the completion of its facade.  Exterior works to the 0.8-hectare Cloud Forest, which will replicate the cool-moist climate of the Tropical Montane region, will be completed later this year. 
The two conservatories will be an amalgamation of architectural, environmental engineering, and horticultural excellence in the heart of Singapore's new downtown, Marina Bay.  Designed with the environment in mind, they will apply cutting-edge technologies that provide energy-efficient solutions in cooling.  While the conservatories are envisaged to be iconic architectural structures that will add to the identity of the Gardens and Marina Bay, their main purpose is to bring forth the beauty of plants, and enable the story of plants and their intimate relationships with Man and the ecosystem to be told.  Members of the public will have the opportunity for a sneak preview of the Flower Dome during the World Orchid Conference from 13 to 20 November 2011.
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Ireland

Secrets of medieval fishing site lost in budget cuts

www.heritagecouncil.ie
One of Europe’s best preserved medieval fishing structures located on the Fergus Estuary in County Clare, Ireland, will be washed away by tidal flows before archaeologists can reveal its secrets.  Recent budget cuts imposed on the Irish Heritage Council mean that a team of University College Dublin (UCD) archaeologists who have been visiting the remote 700 year old fishing site will no longer be able to conduct their scientific recording and analysis.
“There is little we can do to preserve the medieval fishing structures because they are totally exposed to the forces of nature on the mudflats, after being buried for centuries beneath the mud,” explains Dr Aidan O’Sullivan, UCD School of Archaeology, University College Dublin.  “They are likely to be entirely destroyed within the next ten years.  We had hoped that by working with the local community we could record this significant archaeological site before it is destroyed. But now, due to budget cuts experienced by the Irish Heritage Council, this seems very unlikely.”
Located about 1.5km from the nearest dryland in the Fergus Estuary in County Clare, Ireland, the medieval fishweirs [wooden structures] are in the very middle of a vast landscape of mudbanks and water channels.  The archaeological site can only be accessed by boat for a few short weeks in the summer when the tide is extremely low.  The wooden fishweirs are long wooden fences of upright posts interwoven with wattle that converge in a V-shape on the estuary mudflats close to the low water mark. In the Middle-Ages, any fish dropping down with the ebbing tide would have encountered these fences and would have been guided into the end of the weir, where they would have been trapped by baskets and nets.
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Australia


After the floods

https://www.eianz.org/eventsplus/event/seqerosion 
Recent floods across 75% of Queensland have been described as the worst natural disaster Australia has seen. Queenslanders did themselves proud with the community spirit and resilience shown in the wake of this devastation and substantial progress has been made in restoring homes and infrastructure. It is now time to look to the future.  The Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (SEQ Division) will be holding a forum on 24 February to discuss the flood impacts from a hydrology perspective; investigate where the sediment is going and the impacts it might have; identify options for repairing the erosion and sediment damage; and recognise the lessons that can be learnt from these floods to plan for better erosion and sediment control.
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United States

Flower show embraces “Springtime in Paris” theme

www.newjerseynewsroom.com   www.theflowershow.com
Margaret Morgan, writing for New Jersey Newsroom asks - who wouldn’t love to go to Paris in the springtime — especially after such a blustery winter? It’s not April and it’s not Paris, but “Springtime in Paris” starts on 6 March at Philadelphia’s International Flower Show to be held at the Philadelphia Convention Centre.
This year’s theme “Springtime in Paris” features romantic and elegant scenes of Paris through a host of remarkable gardens – Parisian parks in full bloom and gardens of lilac, lavender and roses. Upon entering, guests will be greeted by a 33-foot high base of the Eiffel Tower and a bucolic park scene set along the Seine. The Tuileries Gardens inspired the abundant array of flowering trees, lilacs, roses and lanes bordered with lavender. Blooming topiary animals will lead visitors to the Carousel Stage and a rousting Moulin Rouge atmosphere, where lively cabaret performances will include can-can dancers, singers and musicians set among spectacular flower sculptures, carousel topiaries and the iconic images of Paris.
Spectacular displays will showcase: Opulent Paris, a time of Victorian glamour; Romantic Paris, a tête-à-tête down the Seine; Gourmet Paris set amidst rooftop and edible gardens; Artists’ Paris from canvas to landscape; Underground Paris, a catacomb of avant-garde art, and Timeless Paris where courtyards and cafes form a Parisian paradise.
For those with green thumbs, there are free gardening presentations — 150 held throughout the week, as well as dozens of educational displays that explore the newest gardening trends. There are competitive classes for growers and horticulturists from around the world who will showcase their prized plants and compete for prestigious honours. More than 580 artistic and horticultural classes will be exhibited with more than 2,000 entries in classes ranging from miniature settings to pressed plants.
Food and wine attractions include a garden tea, culinary demonstrations by top Philadelphia chefs and wine tastings. For shoppers, there is the Marketplace with more than 150 vendors from across the United States and as far away as Wales who will be selling plants, flowers, sheds (even a small barn), floral-inspired furniture, artwork, unique foods, and garden-related crafts.
The International Flower Show is the largest indoor flower show in the world blossoming every year in March in Philadelphia. The show, which features the county’s premier landscape designers and florists, becomes ten acres of a floral fantasy flourishing with exotic plants and eclectic designs. It has been a Philadelphia tradition since 1829 and has evolved from a gathering of professional growers showcasing their prized plants to the largest and oldest indoor flower show in the nation. Revenues generated by The Flower Show help support the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society’s outreach program Philadelphia Green, which encourages all residents, community groups and businesses to work together to transform Philadelphia’s communities and public landscapes into vibrant green spaces.
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EVENTS DIARY

2011

24 May: Current Research on the Importance of Greenery in European Town and Proposals for Necessary Researches Until 2020
Venue:  Brussels, Belgium
Contact:  e.burckhardt@galabau.de

28-29 May:  Ifpra Europe Meeting, Turin (see item above)

31 May: International Awards for Liveable Communities Registration closes.
www.livcomawards.com  
email: info@livcomawards.com  
Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 118 946 1680

1 - 4 June : European Forum on Urban Forestry.  "Urban Forestry: Making the connections through green networks"   www.forestry.gov.uk/efufconference2011
Abstracts to be submitted by 11th March 2011.

24-30 July
International Federation of Landscape Architects World Congress
Switzerland
Contact Chistine Bavassa on efla.exsec@gmail.com

24-30 July
XVIII International Botanical Congress
Melbourne Australia
www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/ibc-2011/

12-15 October
Gwangju Summit of the Urban Environmental Accord Cities
Kimdaejung Convention Centre, Gwangju Metropolitan City,
Republic of Korea.
Contact: Jihee Kim kimjihee@gwangiucvb.or.kr
Soon-Kyeng Jeon icop@korea.kr

27 - 31 October
International Awards for Liveable Communities Finals
Songpa, Seoul, South Korea.  
www.livcomawards.com   email: info@livcomawards.com   +44 (0) 118 946 1680

13-20 November 2011
20th World Orchid Conference
Singapore
www.20woc.com.sg

2012

International Federation of Landscape Architects World Congress
South Africa
Contact Chistine Bavassa on efla.exsec@gmail.com

2012, Apr-Oct
Floriade:  Be part of the theatre in nature – get closer to the quality of life
GreenPark Venlo, Netherlands
www.floriade.com/

2013

20 April  - 20 Oct.
International Garden Expo Suncheon
Suncheon City, South Korea
Web: www.2013expo.or.kr
Contact Na Ok Hyeon (The International Cooperation manager of the Garden Expo team) mono1968@korea.kr

2014

17-24 August
29th International Horticultursl Congress
Horticulture - Saving Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes
Brisbane, Australia
Contact:  russ.stephenson@deedi.qld.gov.au   or  jstanley@hortresearch.co.nz
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