From biological devastation to botanic garden:

a new botanic garden on a motorway intersection in

Istanbul

Adil Güner, Director

Nezahat Gökyigit Botanik Bahcesi, Istanbul, Turkey

&

Margaret Johnson, Consultant.

Associate, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, U.K.

Nezahat Gökyigit Botanic Garden may be the first botanic garden on a

motorway intersection

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• Started by Nihat Gökyigit in 1995 as a memorial Park to his late wife

• Park was created on a piece of land made redundant by the construction of two major motorways from Europe to Asia

• Total area 50ha (125 acres) with currently one area being fully developed and landscaped

• In 1996, the Park represented a 17% increase of the green area in Istanbul

Memorial Park officially opened to visitors on 5th May 2002

In April 2003, the Park became a Botanic Garden

Mission Statement

The mission of the Nezahat Gökyigit Botanic Garden is to explore, explain and conserve plants.

Mission Statement ContextThe mission of the Nezahat Gökyigit Botanic Garden

is to provide a "green lung" in remembrance of Mrs Nezahat Gökyigit, for the people of Istanbul to relax in an aesthetic, horticultural, botanical and educational place with the emphasis on conservation:

• to stimulate public awarness of the importance and the value of plants on which all life depends.

• based on the rich plant life of Turkey, promote scientific and horticultural research and training.

• to provide a plant information centre through the development of documented collections.

Mission Statement Context (cont.)

• to support the conservation of the earth's biodiversity through the protection and sustainable use of endemic, rare and endangered plants.

• to encourage research on economic and/or useful plants, to collate, preserve and disseminate information on the uses of plants.

• to identify and highlight plants which will tolerate arid conditions thereby contributing towards the global struggle against soil erosion and desertification.

From biological devastation...

... to a Botanic Garden

Gazebo

Rock Garden

Pergola

Bulb Frames

Educationalschoolvisits

Workshops

International collaboration

Royal Botanic Garden, EdinburghRoyal Botanic Gardens, KewGöteborg Botanic Garden

The Nezahat Gökyigit Botanic Garden is funded by the ANG Foundation under the umbrella of the TEMA Foundation.

Funding