Does the initiative to hand over the botanical garden to the government come from the ministry?

There have been reports that an agreement has been reached with the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change regarding the transfer of the Botanical Garden located in Tashkent to the balance sheet of the city administration. The Ministry reacted to these reports.

It was noted that the Ministry of Ecology, together with the Academy of Sciences, introduced a draft decision on 'Improving the activities of the Botanical Garden named after Academician F. Rusanov, including strengthening its scientific potential, improving its material and technical base, applying their experience in the regions, and establishing branches.'

In the project, the enrichment of the existing plant species composition of the Botanical Garden, the breeding of wild-growing and introduced plant species belonging to foreign flora grown in artificially created conditions, and their use in various fields depending on the natural and climatic conditions of the region, as well as the establishment of nurseries for experimentation and implementation, are included in the Red Book of Uzbekistan.

Additionally, the report highlights the preservation and reintroduction of rare and disappearing species of Uzbekistan's flora to natural conditions and the preservation and enrichment of the gene pool of local and acclimatized medicinal plants.

Let us remind you that on October 7 of this year, when the government's decision to transfer the Botanical Garden from the Academy of Sciences to the capital's administration was announced, it caused widespread public objection.

In addition, the Academy of Sciences strongly opposed the transfer of the Botanical Garden to the city administration.

After that, the State Assets Management Agency announced that the Botanical Garden would not be transferred from the Academy of Sciences to the Tashkent city administration.
In turn, Saida Mirziyoyeva, assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, reacted to this situation on her social media page. She emphasized that the Botanical Garden is not an entertainment place; it is the 'lungs' of Tashkent that the whole city breathes every day.

For information, the Tashkent Botanical Garden was founded in 1943 as a research institution specializing in fundamental and applied research. More than 2,400 species and varieties of plants from different regions are grown in the garden, which covers a total area of 66 hectares. According to the weight of existing scientific collections, it is the leader in Central Asia.