Assessment of the current state of botanic gardens in Ghana and how they can be improved. case study – KNUST and LEGON Botanic Gardens
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Date
2015-03-24
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Abstract
This study emphasized the current states of botanic gardens in Ghana and how they could be
improved using the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the
University of Ghana’s Botanic Gardens as study areas. The study aimed at coming out with
proposals which will help improve the general outlook of these two university botanic
gardens and make them excellent scientific facilities in Ghana. Structured questionnaires
were administered within a period of two weeks to about 120 respondents of whom 40 each
were workers, students and visitors to these two botanic gardens. Some of the parameters
considered in the design included bio-data of respondents, management practices, staff
strength, educational and research programs, some cultural activities and students’ perception
of the botanic gardens.
Analysis of data by SPSS (Version 16) showed that majority of workers in both gardens were
males and their ages ranged between 41-50 years. Urban residents visit botanic gardens at a
much higher rate than people living in other parts of the country. Considering the gender
distribution of visitors to both botanic gardens, females visit botanic gardens in Ghana than
males and the main reasons why people visited the botanic gardens were because of their
medicinal and floristic compositions. On the state of the gardens, most of the students thought
the standards of the botanic gardens are falling and can easily lead to deterioration and into
being an ordinary pleasure park. The study also showed that the several problems identified
with these botanic gardens occurred due to negligence and ignorance on the part of the
Government and stakeholders. In conclusion, it is proposed that, the only way forward to
maintain, expand and to make the botanic gardens survive in Ghana, and stand the test of
academic and research times for today and the future is to re-engineer it into an income
generation venture since that is done globally in most botanic gardens.
Description
A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate and Research
Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology,
Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
award of Master of Science
(MSc. Floriculture) degree