Cooperation project between the Korea National Arboretum and the Munich Botanical Garden
The Korea National Arboretum
is situated in Gwangneung forest in Gyeonggi province. Gwangneung is an ancient
royal forest that surrounds the mausoleum of King Sejo of the Chosun dynasty.
The Arboretum has benefited from these beginnings under royal protection as this
led to a strict management over the last 500 years.
The Gwangneung Arboretum, which belongs to the Korea Forest Research Institute,
was established in 1987 and is open to the public. In 1999, it became the Korea
National Arboretum (KNA). The Arboretum comprises 15 specialized garden areas,
a forest museum, a forest zoo, a herbarium and a seed bank.
In 2005, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Munich Botanical
Garden and the Korea National Arboretum. It comprises the following mutual goals:
- Exchange of staff members for research and training
- Exchange of living or dried plant material
- Joint research projects
- Exchange of publications and information
Since 2003, Till Hägele from the Munich Botanical Garden has repeatedly
visited KNA to give advice on the engineering of new glasshouses that are
currently being constructed by the Korea National Arboretum.
In addition, Mrs. Hye-Young Jin, from the Korea National Arboretum, came
to Munich in 2005 to improve her knowledge of tropical plant cultivation.
The new greenhouse complex is scheduled to open in September 2008. The
following pictures show impressions of the new greenhouse complex.
Images
The beginning of constructing a new greenhouse (2003)
The greenhouse skeleton (2006)
The almost completed new greenhouse (2007)
Inside the new greenhouse (2007)
