KARACHI: A four-day flower show opened on the lawns of Karachi University’s botanic garden on Monday, featuring a number of seasonal ornamental varieties, mostly by commercial nurseries.

Organised by the Plant Conservation Centre of the KU, the event had little to show for efforts made by the centre for plant conservation and propagation.

Speaking as the chief guest, vice chancellor Prof Mohammad Qaiser congratulated the staff for organising the event for the fifth consecutive year and said it was important to have public events that could inculcate love for nature in the public.

“We can’t truly succeed in nature conservation unless we develop love for the environment we live in. Flower shows that touch our aesthetics and imagination indicate that we are a healthy society,” he said.

Rapid deforestation was a key challenge the country faced, he said, pointing out that measures to help save and grow forests could help mitigate the impact of climate change.

“There are 3,500 botanic gardens in the world and there are certain species which only exist in these gardens. Rehabilitation of extinct species is a tough task the world over as the species is exposed to multiple threats in its environment,” he said.

In her speech, Dr Anjum Parveen, head of the centre, said the botanic garden established in 2007 had been working for plant conservation and propagation for many years. A seed bank would also be set up here under a project funded by the Higher Education Commission.

“A number of rare and endemic plant species are being grown here. The garden regularly visited by people from all walks of life is playing an important role in creating awareness of biodiversity and plant conservation,” she said.

In the end, prizes were given away to the educational institutions for winning the flower arrangement competition. Neha Iqbal of Shaheed-i-Millat College secured the first position; Mahnoor of APWA College and Hassan Aqeel of NCR College secured the second and third positions, respectively.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2016