ИСТИНА

The concept of Education for Sustainable Development arrived in Russia relatively recently, and there is still no officially approved ESD strategy. Debate on the principles, aims and objectives of ESD is leading theoreticians and practitioners towards an understanding of the enormous role that botanic gardens can play in this process. The gardens themselves, however, have so far been slow to get involved. In most cases, the ESD concept is being introduced in the gardens by outsiders, sometimes generating opposition and conflict over the need to adopt new ways of thinking. This is primarily the legacy of Russian botanic gardens’ history of providing traditional education for university students and school pupils. A second reason is the lack of trained and competent specialists willing to introduce the new educational concept. And thirdly, the gardens need to change their funding and administrative policies to create a platform for implementation of the new strategy. Garden-based education began to attract attention following the adoption of the International Agenda for Botanic Gardens in Conservation in 2000, which defined ESD as a priority activity. With the assistance of international grant programmes and the financial support of major companies promoting ESD in Russia, some gardens have successfully launched projects based on the new principles. These successes have generated interest amongst the garden community and set precedents. The growing body of experience has highlighted problems, while at the same time demonstrating clearly the benefits ESD brings, such as enhancing the role of botanic gardens in society and increased funding.