Most botanical gardens are legacies from the past, from the days when rare or exotic plants were so highly valued that they were carried half-way across the world to be carefully nurtured in their new habitats-this is how so many exotic species found their way to Europe where the more adaptable ones were naturalized and became quite common. Many of the flowering trees and shrubs found in English suburban gardens today fall into this category.

Thus botanical gardens are of both botanical and historical interest: the gardens of Pamplemousses, closely associated with the figures of Mahe de Labourdonnais and Pierre Poivre were among the first of their kind to be established in the southern hemisphere in 1769. The Jardim Botanico of Rio de Janeiro, with its famous avenue of majestic royal palms, was created in 1808 and there are in fact interesting historical links between the two, as Dr F. Staub recently demonstrated.

In the modern world botanical gardens often play an important economic role. Pamplemousses, although it charges no entrance fee, is high on the list of tourist attractions in Mauritius. Kew Gardens in London, probably the most famous one in the world, charges a rather high entrance fee and with its thriving souvenir shop and cafes generates a great deal of revenue. It was interesting to hear that Kew Gardens was one of the few tourist attractions in London to experience an increase in the number of visitors in 2003.

For local people, mostly city dwellers, tired of noise and petrol fumes, botanical gardens can provide a precious retreat. Old people and invalids in wheelchairs find comfort there, soothed by the beauty of nature. Couples with young children can enjoy an afternoon of freedom and relaxation in the open air. Gardens also have a very important educational function as all the different species of plants and trees belonging to a country may be seen there in their natural state. Some provide a sanctuary for birds and other forms of wildlife- school visits and bird-watching tours are common in such places. In some cases, people even get married in their local botanical garden- perhaps because they are sure of a beautiful background for the wedding pictures!

On a more serious level botanical gardens are important centres for documentation and research, and also for the preservation of rare species. For example cuttings of the coffee plant of Rodrigues, supposedly the rarest plant in the world as only one specimen is known to exist, were sent to Kew Gardens in the hope of saving the species from extinction. Kew is also a centre for the teaching of botanical art.

So, looking at the many and various elements involved- scientific, educational, economic, recreational, and aesthetic- we conclude that botanical gardens are a very important part of our heritage and that the world would be a far poorer place without them. Let us therefore hope that these gardens, wherever they are found, will always be given the consideration they deserve, so that future generations may continue to enjoy them.