St Andrews Botanic Garden is under threat of closure due to insufficient fu= nding. It was established by St Andrews University in the early 1960s and f= or the past 25 years has been leased to the local Council who have funded i= ts maintenance and development as an educational and community facility. Th= e lease runs out later this year and the Council is no longer willing to co= ver all of the running costs.
The Garden is an absolute gem and a wonderful biodiversity resource. It con= tains >8,000 living plant species, i.e. ~3 times the total number of plant = species occurring naturally in Britain. These are displayed in diverse open= habitats (Heath, Rock, Woodland and Water) and a range of different glassh= ouse environments (Tropical, Temperate, Alpine and Hot Desert). It is locat= ed in the midst of St Andrews and is open daily to the public!
You can sign a petition against the closure of the Garden by going to http:=//
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and clicking on "Sign the Save the Garden Peti= tion". Couldn't be easier. The petition closes on 5 May and will be present= ed to the University in June together with a business plan for the Garden's= future development.
Dr Daniel Barker Lecturer in Biology University of St Andrews
--=20 Daniel Barker
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University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland : No SC013532
funding. It was established by St Andrews University in the early 1960s and for the past 25 years has been leased to the local Council who have funded its maintenance and development as an educational and community facility. The lease runs out later this year and the Council is no longer willing to cover all of the running costs.
contains >8,000 living plant species, i.e. ~3 times the total number of plant species occurring naturally in Britain. These are displayed in diverse open habitats (Heath, Rock, Woodland and Water) and a range of different glasshouse environments (Tropical, Temperate, Alpine and Hot Desert). It is located in the midst of St Andrews and is open daily to the public!
formatting link
and clicking on "Sign the Save the Garden Petition". Couldn't be easier. The petition closes on 5 May and will be presented to the University in June together with a business plan for the Garden's future development.
t funding. It was established by St Andrews University in the early 1960s a= nd for the past 25 years has been leased to the local Council who have fund= ed its maintenance and development as an educational and community facility= . The lease runs out later this year and the Council is no longer willing t= o cover all of the running costs.
contains >8,000 living plant species, i.e. ~3 times the total number of pl= ant species occurring naturally in Britain. These are displayed in diverse = open habitats (Heath, Rock, Woodland and Water) and a range of different gl= asshouse environments (Tropical, Temperate, Alpine and Hot Desert). It is l= ocated in the midst of St Andrews and is open daily to the public!
ttp://
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and clicking on "Sign the Save the Garden = Petition". Couldn't be easier. The petition closes on 5 May and will be pre= sented to the University in June together with a business plan for the Gard= en's future development.
It may be helpful if I outline the situation in more detail.
The land for the botanic garden is owned by the University of St Andrews. B= ut the full running costs, of approximately GBP 300,000 per year, are curre= ntly paid by the local government (Fife Council).
Fife Council intends to decrease its contribution of funds, gradually, to G= BP 150,000 per year. This will leave a funding shortfall of approximately G= BP 150,000 per year.
If the University approves of the business plan that the Friends of St Andr= ews Botanic Garden are currently preparing to address this shortfall, the U= niversity will permit the botanic garden to remain open. The University doe= s not intend to contribute funding; nor does it intend to charge for use of= the land. If the University does not approve of the business plan, the bot= anic garden may close.
The petition is part of a civilized campaign, working with everyone involve= d to find a way to keep the botanic garden open. The more people who are kn= own to be interested in keeping the botanic garden, the more feasible any p= lan is likely to be. Many thanks to those who have signed the petition.
The shortfall - GBP 150,000 per year - is a fortune from an individual poin= t of view, but no one individual is being asked to pay all this. It is a wo= nderful botanic garden - definitely, I would say, among the top ten in the = UK. It is extensively used for educational purposes and is well-loved in an= d around St Andrews and more generally in Scotland, the UK and internationa= lly. It is one of the few calm green open spaces in a small town within whi= ch - though surrounded by golf courses and intensive farmland - there is no= t much open space.
Against this background, the idea of a business plan to come up with GBP 15=
0,000 per year seems plausible. It is also a much smaller sum than would be= required for setting up such a garden from scratch at some point in the fu= ture - which for practical reasons would likely be impossible in any case = (with any level of funding).
Anyway: The views expressed above are mine alone. I hope they cast some use= ful further light on the situation.
Dr Daniel Barker Lecturer in Biology University of St Andrews
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