Kinshasa Botanical Garden

The Kinshasa Botanical Garden (French: Jardin botanique de Kinshasa), formerly known as the Fernand De Boeck Park is a botanical garden located in Gombe, Kinshasa, in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).[1][2][3] Covering seven hectares, It is strategically positioned opposite the Kinshasa Zoological Garden on Kasa-Vubu Avenue.[1][3] The botanical garden houses a diverse collection of 286 plant species, including nurseries, a seed collection, an arboretum of native species, and a herbarium. Established in 1933, It is managed by the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature; ICCN) and serves as a hub for environmental education activities, boasting over 100 arboreal species.[4][5][1][6]

Kinshasa Botanical Garden
LocationAve Kasa-Vubu, Gombe, Kinshasa
Coordinates04°18′36″S 15°18′36″E
Area17.2 acres (7.0 ha)
Created1933 (1933)
Operated byCongolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature
OpenDawn to dusk
StatusOpen all year

History

The Kinshasa Botanical Garden was originally established as the "Parc de Bock" in 1933 by District Commissioner Fernand De Bock in then-Léopoldville (now metamorphosed into the modern Kinshasa).[1][7] The area featured a zoo and a botanical garden opposite its premises and was entrusted to the Institut des Parcs Nationaux du Congo Belge (IPNB; now ICCN) upon its inception. After the nation's newfound autonomy, the IPNB was rebranded as the Zaire Institute for Nature Conservation (IZCN) on July 22, 1975, coming under the jurisdiction of the Congolese Ministry of Agriculture.[8][9][10][11][12]

In consonance with the epochal tenets of Mobutu Sese Seko's Authenticité policy, the botanical garden was renamed "Parc de la Révolution" with the vision of transforming it into a multifaceted hub for political, cultural, scientific, and sporting activities.[13][5][14] On October 2, 1968, it hosted a public meeting where Pierre Mulele was declared guilty of committing crimes against the nation by Mobutu and was subsequently arrested before the end of the speech.[14] In 1978, the name was changed to "Jardin Botanique de Kinshasa" as part of the Zoological and Botanical Garden Institute of Zaire through presidential order No. 078/215 of 05/05/1978.[5] Following Mobutu's regime, the botanical garden was subjected to the auspices of the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Tourism and the Ministry of Finance during the tenure of Laurent-Désiré Kabila. The garden underwent significant enhancements, including the addition of internal and external parking, a spacious room, a fountain complemented by rock gardens, an administrative edifice, and an intricate plant systematics.[5]

The Second Congo War hampered conservation efforts within the botanical park, posing an insurmountable conundrum in safeguarding the biodiversity of the DRC. It was unmaintained for an extended period until 2008, when a revitalization effort commenced with support from various organizations such as the European Union, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the National Botanical Garden of Belgium, and the NGO Friends of Nature and Gardens.[15][16][17][3][4][2]

In August 2021, the Tourism Promotion Fund (Fonds de Promotion du Tourisme), established by Decree No. 09/65 of December 3, 2009,[18] provided the botanical garden with ten bungalows. The bungalows were consecrated in a ceremonial rite presided over by the Minister of Tourism, Modero Nsimba Matondo, on July 31, 2021, with a parenthetical note heralding forthcoming plans to erect an additional 20 bungalows alongside a gastronomic establishment augmenting the site's fiscal viability and allure.[19]

See also

References
  1. "ICCN - Jardins botaniques". www.iccnrdc.org (in French). Gombe, Kinshasa. Archived from the original on 2022-10-08. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  2. Luyila, Dandjes. "Le Jardin botanique de Kinshasa, un des sites reposants de la capitale". AfricaNews RDC (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  3. Etinga, Stephane (October 22, 2009). "Congo-Kinshasa: Kinshasa - Le Jardin botanique fermé pour réhabilitation" [Congo-Kinshasa: Kinshasa - The Botanical Garden closed for rehabilitation]. AllAfrica (in French). Archived from the original on 2009-10-23. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  4. Emilio (2022-05-23). "Kinshasa botanical garden". Emilio in Congo (DRC) (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  5. Bamueneko, Eugène-Blaise Mvumbi (2012). "Analyse environnementale du capital biologique du jardin botanique de Kinshasa et possibilité de réhabilitation" [Environmental analysis of the biological capital of the Kinshasa botanical garden and possibility of rehabilitation] (in French). Kinshasa: University of Kinshasa. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  6. Africa Development, Volume 35 (in English and French). Dakar, Senegal: Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa. 2010. pp. 40–42. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  7. Bigon, Liora (2016-06-06). Place Names in Africa: Colonial Urban Legacies, Entangled Histories. New York City, New York State, United States: Springer. p. 118. ISBN 978-3-319-32485-2. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  8. Leopoldville: en hommage au roi Albert : inauguration de son monument à Leopoldville, le 1er Juillet, 1939 (in French). Brussels, Belgium: Helio-Offset Sar. 1939. p. 29.
  9. Stewart, Gary (November 17, 2003). Rumba on the River: A History of the Popular Music of the Two Congos. Brooklyn, New York City, New York State, United States: Verso Books. p. 30. ISBN 9781859843680. Archived from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  10. Gondola, Didier (April 10, 2016). Tropical Cowboys: Westerns, Violence, and Masculinity in Kinshasa. Bloomington, Indiana, United States: Indiana University Press. p. 131. ISBN 9780253020802. Archived from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  11. New Horizons World Guide. Pan-Am building, New York City, New York State, United States: Simon & Schuster. 1954. p. 546. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  12. Traveller's Guide to the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi. Brussels, Belgium: Office du tourisme du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi. 1956. pp. 230–232. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  13. Hanussek, Christian; Pinther, Kerstin; Förster, Larissa, eds. (2012). Afropolis: City Media Art. Johannesburg, South Africa: Jacana Media. pp. 240–241. ISBN 978-1-4314-0325-7. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  14. Karimunda, Aimé Muyoboke (2016-03-16). The Death Penalty in Africa: The Path Towards Abolition. Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-03633-3. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  15. "Kinshasa : L'Union européenne réhabilite le jardin botanique de Kisantu". Radio Okapi (in French). 2008-02-18. Archived from the original on 2011-08-04. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  16. Nkambua, Jean-Marie (2008-07-03). "La France vole au secours du jardin botanique de Kinshasa (L'Av)". Congoforum.be (in French). Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  17. "Le Jardin Botanique de Kinshasa morcelé et vendu". Radio Okapi (in French). 2006-02-06. Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  18. Muzito, Adolphe; Bononge, Jose Endundo (December 3, 2009). "Journal Première parties Officiel de la République Démocratique du Congo: Cabinet du Président de la République" (PDF). leganet.cd (in French). Kinshasa. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
  19. Mudiayi, Auguy (August 1, 2021). "RDC: le Fonds de promotion de Tourisme dote jardin botanique de Kinshasa de 10 bungalows" [DRC: the Tourism Promotion Fund provides Kinshasa botanical garden with 10 bungalows]. Desknature (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
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