Propagation of native Colombian Caribbean tropical dry forest tree species

Project: Completed 2021
Funded by The Global Botanic Garden Fund (GBGF)
Project Partner: Jardín Botánico de Cartagena ‘Guillermo Piñeres’

The project was aimed to implement a composting system in the Cartagena Botanical Garden that allows for the sustainable use of plant residues generated by gardening practices. After an experimental phase was completed, four composting centers, consisting of three composting bins each, were installed within the garden.

Project Goal

To propagate at least 1,000 seedlings of 10 native tropical dry forest species, whereof at least three are evaluated by IUCN as vulnerable (VU).

Key Achievements

Seeds from 13 species were collected. In total, 66,209 seeds were collected, with the largest amounts corresponding to Cedrela odorata (67%), Pachira quinata (9%), Bulnesia arborea (8%), and Bursera simaruba (7%). A total of 4,674 seeds were planted and the rest were stored in the JBGP seed bank to evaluate storage behavior. As a result, 2,165 seedlings were obtained, which were transplanted into bags and are currently growing in the JBGP plant nursery. The goals for number of seeds collected (>2,000), number of seeds planted (>1,500), and number of seedlings transplanted (>1,000) were surpassed with 3,310%, 312% and 217%, respectively.

The transplanted seedlings will be left in the plant nursery until they have reached a height of at least one meter. They will then be used in reforestation projects, or native landscaping initiatives. This way, degraded ecosystems can be restored, and the plant populations of endangered species will be strengthened. The propagation of more than 2,000 seedlings of native tree species has contributed significantly to the Cartagena Botanical Garden’s mission to generate knowledge about the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest and to lead activities to restore degraded ecosystems.