Money earmarked for new botanical gardens – Forde

Government will be spending $5 million on phase 2 of the National Botanical Gardens at Waterford, St Michael.

Minister of Environment and National Beautification Adrian Forde said in Parliament on Tuesday during the Supplementary Estimates No.10  2021-2022 that the money will be assigned to his ministry and that within the next few months the conceptual and construction designs for the gardens would be completed.

“Hopefully within a year with this money we will have the roads built, we will have utilities, proper drainage facilities, along with an amphitheater that could see the artistic and creative imaginations of our people being exposed not only in Barbados but to the rest of the world. This is who we are as a people and the garden represents the most natural recreational spot,” he said.

However, Forde said while the garden is to be a place of relaxation and entertainment for families and groups, he wants Barbadians not to abuse the natural space. He said while Barbadians are free to enjoy the Botanical Garden presently, management of the space has been experiencing issues with some of the young plants being stepped on and destroyed.

“There must be a level of care and sensitivity when you are operating in the garden… The Prime Minister [Mia Amor Mottley] has it as her mandate and her ultimate wish to have an all-inclusive garden. But at the same time, you have a duty and a responsibility to care for what is given to you free of cost because at the end of the day it is yours and it is who we are. The same way we treat our homes and our external environment, we need to treat the Botanical Gardens as if we have a sense of ownership of it,” he said. (AH)