Exploring Visitor Perception and Botanical Learning Experience in Two Potential Ancillary Botanic Gardens (ABGs) Sites in Lebanon

Abstract

In today's world, where society is increasingly disconnected from nature, botanic gardens have emerged as important urban venues for reestablishing this connection. The significance of botanical gardens lies beyond botanical learning and conservation, as these institutions contribute to wellbeing. Therefore, considering their role in fostering connections with plants and nature and their contribution to the well-being of residents, botanical gardens are indispensable today, particularly when more than half of the world's population resides in cities and leads stressful lives detached from nature. However, the number of botanic gardens in the world is low, and their distribution is skewed as they are mostly present in countries with a history of botanical explorations and advanced economies. To address this limitation, the development of ancillary botanic gardens (ABGs), a complementary category of botanic gardens that are created in established green spaces owned and run by various public or private institutions, was proposed. Despite the comprehensive nature of these guidelines, significant gaps in understanding remain. This study aims to investigate how visitors will perceive ABG in terms of botanical learning and wellbeing and to what extent this perception is influenced by different ABG typologies through focus group discussions in two different sites. Focus group discussions were conducted with youth scouts and analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed favorable ABG experiences along two themes, namely knowledge experience and ABG site experience. Additionally, it revealed similar feedback despite the different ABG typologies. Overall, this study shows that while institutional green spaces may vary in typology, retrofitting these spaces into ABGs could provide educational and wellness benefits.