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BGCI > Garden

MSSBG - M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

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India - Kerala - Wayanad

Institution Code: SWAM

International Agenda Registration: Yes

BGCI Member: Yes

The frontage view of the Garden
The frontage view of the Garden

About the MSSBG - M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

This Garden in 8 ha has been established to conserve and make available seed/planting materials of the local community use-specific and culture-oriented plant species, as well as the “lost crops and species” of the plant genetic resources like jack and mango, roots and tubers, legumes, medicinal plants, and the diminishing NWFPs of the Western Ghats-a global biodiversity hotspot. It is also to serve as an educational and training facility for the children, youth, teachers, and parents to know more about the native flora, learn the value of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and address man-animal conflicts.

Main Address:
MSSBG - M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
Community Agro-biodiversity Centre
Puthoorvayal P.O., Kalpeltta
Wayanad
Kerala 673 577 India

Telephone: 04936-204477
Fax: 04936-207019
URL: https://mssbg.mssrf.org/
Primary Email: office@mssrfcabc.res.in

Staff Details

  • Director's Name: Dr. Nadesapanicker Anil Kumar
    Curator's Name: V.V. Sivan
    Plant Records Officer's Name: Salim Pichan
  • Total Staff:
    Horticultural Staff Number: 5
    Educational Staff Number: 5
    Research Staff Number: 10
    Administration Staff Number: 4

About the Garden

  • Institution Type: Botanic Garden
  • Status
  • Status: Private: Yes
    Status: Educational: Yes
    Status: Trust: Yes
  • Date founded: 2001
  • Physical Data
  • Natural Vegetation Area: Yes
    Natural vegetation area: Size: 8 Hectares
  • Landscaped Area: Yes
    Landscaped Area: Size: 1 Hectares
  • Total Area: 8 Hectares
    Latitude: 11.3530
    Longitude: 76.0555
    Annual Rainfall: 3000 mm
    Altitude: 800.00 Metres
  • Additional Locations
  • Satellite Garden Names: Nandakumar Garden, Madakkimala, Kalpetta, Wayanad, Kerala. The Garden is in one and a half-acre of land with 13 trees altogether harbouring 1000 odd trees comprising 164 species. 37 species among them are under the Rare, Endemic and Threatened (RET) category.
  • Locality: Information
  • Locality: Garden Name: M S S B G
  • Local Address: C/o M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation Puthoorvayal P.O
  • Locality: City: Kalpetta
  • Locality: State: Kerala

Features and Facilities

  • Herbarium: Yes
    Herbarium: Number of Specimens: 2000
    Arboretum: Yes
    Arboretum Size: 1
  • Micropropagation/ Tissue Culture Facilities: Yes
    Seed Bank: No
    Published Plant Catalogue: No
    Computer Plant Record System: No
  • Open to public: Yes
    Friends society: No
    Retail Outlet: Shop: No
    Retail Outlet: Plant Sales: Yes
    Disabled access: Yes
  • Number of Volunteers: 5

Plant Collections

  • Cultivation Taxa Num: 800
  • Special Collections:The Garden currently has 400 individual mature trees of nearly 100 RET species. An ‘Orchidarium’ with over 75 species of orchids, a RET Plants Conservatory with over 112 species from the RED data book, a ‘Wild Food Species Garden’ with over 120 species which signify important food and medicinal possession of the tribal and rural communities of Wayanad. It also hosts an Ayurvedic garden of over 500 species. The Garden currently in 10 ha of land in the foothill of a forest is in the pursuit of expanding the Garden’s area into another 100 acres by way of involving 100 custodian farmers in and around Wayanad, essentially for the conservation of RET species. The new botanical garden plays a significant role in addressing the issue of under-nutrition. The Garden’s live collections of nutri-rich food species intend to contribute the horticultural remedy to the nutritional malady. The garden conserves many crop wild relatives that are nutritionally and culturally important. The present Garden has already had collections of over 200 such category species.
  • Invasive Species Monitoring: Yes
    Invasive Species Policy: No
    ABS Policy: No
    Plant Collection Policy: Yes

Conservation Programmes

  • Conservation Programme: Yes
    Medicinal Plant Programme: Yes
    Ex Situ Conservation Programme: Yes
    Reintroduction Programme: Yes

Research Programmes

  • Plant Breeding: No
    Conservation - Biology: Yes
    Conservation - Genetics: No
    Ecology: Yes
    Ecosystem Conservation: Yes
    Education: Yes
    Ethnobotany: Yes
    Exploration: Yes
    Floristics: Yes
    Restoration Ecology: Yes
    Systematics and Taxonomy: Yes
    Agriculture: Yes
    Land Restoration: Yes

Education Programmes

  • Visitor/Education Centre: Yes
    Education Signs in Garden: Yes
    Public Lectures/Talks: Yes
    Education Booklets/Leaflets: Yes
    Guided Tours: Yes
    Permanent Public Displays: Yes
    Special Exhibitions: Yes
    Courses for General Public: Yes
    Education Programme: Yes