Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden has been awarded a level IV (4) accreditation by The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum. The ArbNet Accreditation Program is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta based on a set of professional standards. Level IV is the highest level and Kirstenbosch is currently one of 30 gardens accredited at level IV out of 2037 worldwide.
Mr Mpendulo Gabayi, Kirstenbosch horticulturist and tree expert responsible for the arboretum, took on the ArbNet application project in 2019. “During the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC) conference held at Kirstenbosch in August 2018, I met with the president and CEO of the Morten Arboretum/ArbNet from the USA, Dr Gerard Donnelly.
He was fascinated with the standard and beauty of our garden, after a long conversation with him about our tree collection and conservation; he then recommended that Kirstenbosch apply for accreditation on ArbNet. In 2019 we started the application process, which took months of preparation to compile all the information.”
