Developing a visitor-friendly infrastructure of the “Useful Plants” collection at Lviv National University Botanical Garden

Project: Completed 2021
Funded by The Global Botanic Garden Fund (GBGF)
Project Partner: Lviv National University Botanical Garden

To improve the functioning and fulfill the eco-educational purpose of the “Useful Plants” collection, its informational and interactive support was prepared. Relevant text, photo, and video materials were placed on the internet resource and made accessible via smartphone-readable QR-codes, thus updating the system of collection’s plant signage and information stands.

Project Goals

• Work with focus-groups (children, adults, pensioners, students, teachers) to assess expectations from collection’s signage;
• Preparation of online multimedia materials accessible through QR-codes;
• Testing samples with the focus-groups to ensure their positive reception;
• Production of plant labels and information stands with basic information and QR-codes.

Key Achievements

We have created an information base for the collection with enlightening multimedia materials available online. This extended information (plant botanical and chemical descriptions, practical uses, interesting facts, specimen images) is accessible via smartphone-readable QR-codes placed on plant labels. Additional informational tables were created for the most interesting plants, containing extended information and examples of the plant’s practical use (packets with aromatic herbs, pieces of linen fabric, etc.) to promote comprehension through associative learning. Albeit the war seriously hindered the work with focus-groups, a number of educational tours have been held at the collection site for students and IDP children.

The developed infrastructure and interactive support of the “Useful Plants” collection allows the effective use of its educational potential and dissemination of botanical knowledge, and fosters respect for the plant world and its important role in human life. This ultimately promotes awareness of biodiversity issues both through the direct contact with living plants and access to the online resources. The associated Facebook page, structured according to the principle of an electronic encyclopedia, serves a universal remotely-accessed information source about cultivated plants and their applied aspects. It is also used by the biology students taking the “Greenhouse and Cultivated Plants” course.