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Australia has always been known as ‘the lucky country’ and in the past we may have assumed that we have unlimited natural resources available for exploitation.
Species extinction is a natural part of earth’s history but human activity - changes in land use, invasive species, overexploitation, pollution - has increased the extinction rate by at least 100 times compared to the natural rate. These natural or human-induced factors, together with climate change, interact with and amplify each other.
The 2010 Survey of Attitudes to the Environment in NSW shows that our most common worry is that future generations will have a lesser quality of life because of the environmental problems we are creating. It is time to act.
How we’ll do this
Gardens for children - connecting people with plants |
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Plants are essential for life - for food, oxygen, shelter, medicines, clothing and fresh water.
Plants lift our spirits and calm the soul. They create wonderful places for relaxation, bring colour into our lives and rejuvenate us – spiritually, emotionally and physically.
Today, people are losing connections with the natural world through living in dense urban high rise, from being connected to electronic devices, from fear of venturing into the bush, and daily pressures of life. We need to help our children grow - as future leaders and with an appreciation of the natural world.
Botanic gardens are ideally positioned to connect people to life - an important role!
How we’ll do this
The Bicentenary Endowment Fund |
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The Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust will establish an endowment fund that will help secure the role the Gardens plays as one of the world’s leading botanic gardens and scientific institutions. With increasing demands on government, the importance of philanthropic and corporate support for the Botanic Gardens grows. An endowment of adequate proportions will generate an annual income stream to give comfort to Australians that these historic lands will be nurtured well into the future and the vital work done at the Botanic Gardens is continued.
The importance of a strong endowment to the Gardens’ future is so vital that we are inviting direct or testamentary gifts as part of the Botanic Gardens Bicentenary 2016 Campaign to establish the Bicentenary Endowment Fund.
The endowment will be used in the foreseeable future, to fund the operations, exhibitions and programs which are being created through the Botanic Gardens Bicentenary program.
With growth over the longer term, the Endowment Fund will be able to add to core research, horiticulture, conservation and nurturing of our collections and infrastructure.
For more information on leaving your legacy for the Botanic Gardens’ future by making a gift to the Bicentenary Endowment Fund please contact:
Pauline Markwell, Foundation Director, Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation at +61 2 9231 8308 or Pauline.markwell@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au | |
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