Dr Jorge Paiva, eminent scientist and Portuguese botanist, was principal investigator in the Department of Botany, University of Coimbra, where he also taught. He worked for three years in London at Kew Gardens and at the British Museum of Natural History. Dr Paiva is well known for his unambiguous defence of the environment, and is an active member of various associations and national and international committees.
The garden was planned in 1985, started in 1986 and is maintained by a team of teachers at the School. It is a garden of woody plants indigenous to Portugal (Continent), meaning, Portuguese trees, shrubs and subshrubs. There are more than 1650 specimens of about 250 native taxa.
The garden, and this talk about it, is organized according to the natural phytogeographic areas of Portugal. The garden is not only a teaching tool, but also a practical demonstration for Environmental Education, so the pupils of the School get to know the native plants, observing them in flower and fruit.
As Dr Paiva explains, his English is not perfect and there is some audience participation during the talk which helps him tell the story.
With grateful thanks to the teachers of the Secondary School of Barcelos – João Lourenço, Gloria Barbosa, António Oliveira & Armanda Figueiredo
Escola Secundária de Barcelos, Av. João Paulo II, Apartado 166, 470-304 Barcelos
“Dr Jorge Paiva, eminent scientist and Portuguese botanist, was principal investigator in the Department of Botany for Mediterranean Gardens - here he talks about a unique native plant garden created in 1986 by the Secondary School of Barcelos” an illustrated talk for the MGAP Spring Conference May 2015
This online version of the talk has been produced and sponsored by the Mediterranean Gardening Association of Portugal.
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