The Botanical Garden of Concordia is a space for conservation, research, and education that seeks to safeguard the native flora of the Uruguay River basin. Behind its green spaces lies work aimed at conserving a fundamental part of the natural identity of the city and the entire region.
The project encompasses species native to different environments and ecoregions that characterize Entre Ríos: gallery forest, Espinal, wetlands, and grasslands. The intention is to gather and conserve representative specimens of these environments, in a territory that includes sectors of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Gabriela Mendiburu, head of the Public Space Design Department, under the Secretariat of Public Services, explained the work being done to recover and preserve species that are part of the area's natural heritage, made up of native species, with the goal of preserving the characteristic biodiversity and turning the space into a true reservoir of flora. “We are dedicated to preserving the native flora of the middle and lower Uruguay River basin,” she stated.
A GARDEN THAT FUNCTIONS AS A SEEDBED
One of the central aspects of the work being carried out is the collection of seeds and the subsequent production of seedlings.
The process allows for the generation of new plantings and the maintenance of collections of native species. Some of the existing plantings in the park are already more than seven years old, demonstrating that this is work sustained over time.
The work takes on special relevance in the face of the progressive loss of certain natural environments. Mendiburu particularly highlighted the situation of the gallery forest on the coast of the Uruguay River, where there are valuable environments, in addition to the gallery forest, the palm grove, the wetlands, the forest, xerophilous vegetation, and the grassland, which are worth conserving.
Faced with this reality, the Botanical Garden aims to become a “seedbed” of native species, a place where seeds and specimens can be conserved to prevent certain species from ending up disappearing from the region.
CONSERVATION
Rediscovering the Botanical Garden also implies understanding that behind every tree, shrub, flower, or grass there is an ecosystem. The loss of native flora directly affects the fauna that depends on it. The disappearance of certain plant species also means losing sources of food, shelter, and reproduction spaces for birds, butterflies, and other animals in the region.
Therefore, conservation has a perspective that goes beyond maintaining plants within a specific space. It is about preserving part of the natural balance and the environmental identity of Concordia.
A SPACE TO KNOW AND LEARN
The work of the Botanical Garden is based on three major objectives: conservation, research, and dissemination, with a strong presence of educational and outreach activities.
Students from the Gardening Technician program at the National University of Entre Ríos (UNER) also participate in this process, carrying out internships and collaborating on various tasks. Among the experiences developed is the planting of a collection linked to the river.
Added to this are the links with universities, scientific organizations, and other institutions related to the conservation of biodiversity.
All this work opens the possibility of thinking about the Botanical Garden of Concordia from another perspective: not simply as just another green space, but as a place where one can learn where the region's flora comes from, what species make it up, and what we can do to prevent it from disappearing.
LOOKING AGAIN AT WHAT WE HAVE
Rediscovering the Botanical Garden is, in a way, looking at the daily landscape of Concordia with new eyes.
Each seed collected, each seedling produced, and each species incorporated into a collection are part of a project that seeks to leave a record for the future. A guide so that future generations can recognize native species and understand why it is necessary to preserve them.
In times when many natural environments in the region are undergoing transformations, this place can assume an increasingly important role: to be a living memory of the flora of Concordia and, at the same time, a space to build its future, which is why the invitation is open to those who wish to discover it or walk through it for the first time.
The days and hours that the Botanical Garden can be visited are Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., while on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The project encompasses species native to different environments and ecoregions that characterize Entre Ríos: gallery forest, Espinal, wetlands, and grasslands. The intention is to gather and conserve representative specimens of these environments, in a territory that includes sectors of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Gabriela Mendiburu, head of the Public Space Design Department, under the Secretariat of Public Services, explained the work being done to recover and preserve species that are part of the area's natural heritage, made up of native species, with the goal of preserving the characteristic biodiversity and turning the space into a true reservoir of flora. “We are dedicated to preserving the native flora of the middle and lower Uruguay River basin,” she stated.
A GARDEN THAT FUNCTIONS AS A SEEDBED
One of the central aspects of the work being carried out is the collection of seeds and the subsequent production of seedlings.
The process allows for the generation of new plantings and the maintenance of collections of native species. Some of the existing plantings in the park are already more than seven years old, demonstrating that this is work sustained over time.
The work takes on special relevance in the face of the progressive loss of certain natural environments. Mendiburu particularly highlighted the situation of the gallery forest on the coast of the Uruguay River, where there are valuable environments, in addition to the gallery forest, the palm grove, the wetlands, the forest, xerophilous vegetation, and the grassland, which are worth conserving.
Faced with this reality, the Botanical Garden aims to become a “seedbed” of native species, a place where seeds and specimens can be conserved to prevent certain species from ending up disappearing from the region.
CONSERVATION
Rediscovering the Botanical Garden also implies understanding that behind every tree, shrub, flower, or grass there is an ecosystem. The loss of native flora directly affects the fauna that depends on it. The disappearance of certain plant species also means losing sources of food, shelter, and reproduction spaces for birds, butterflies, and other animals in the region.
Therefore, conservation has a perspective that goes beyond maintaining plants within a specific space. It is about preserving part of the natural balance and the environmental identity of Concordia.
A SPACE TO KNOW AND LEARN
The work of the Botanical Garden is based on three major objectives: conservation, research, and dissemination, with a strong presence of educational and outreach activities.
Students from the Gardening Technician program at the National University of Entre Ríos (UNER) also participate in this process, carrying out internships and collaborating on various tasks. Among the experiences developed is the planting of a collection linked to the river.
Added to this are the links with universities, scientific organizations, and other institutions related to the conservation of biodiversity.
All this work opens the possibility of thinking about the Botanical Garden of Concordia from another perspective: not simply as just another green space, but as a place where one can learn where the region's flora comes from, what species make it up, and what we can do to prevent it from disappearing.
LOOKING AGAIN AT WHAT WE HAVE
Rediscovering the Botanical Garden is, in a way, looking at the daily landscape of Concordia with new eyes.
Each seed collected, each seedling produced, and each species incorporated into a collection are part of a project that seeks to leave a record for the future. A guide so that future generations can recognize native species and understand why it is necessary to preserve them.
In times when many natural environments in the region are undergoing transformations, this place can assume an increasingly important role: to be a living memory of the flora of Concordia and, at the same time, a space to build its future, which is why the invitation is open to those who wish to discover it or walk through it for the first time.
The days and hours that the Botanical Garden can be visited are Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., while on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.