INDIGENOUS PLANTED TREE CIRCLE at
GULLELE NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDEN, ADDIS, ETHIOPIA
GULLELE NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDEN, ADDIS, ETHIOPIA
Increasing biodiversity, social equity and well-being at Ethiopia's national botanic park system
Measuring and mapping how paving stones and flora are to be laid out in Gullele National Botanic Garden June 2022
ABOUT GULELLE BOTANIC GARDEN
Gullele Botanic Garden was established in 2010 and extends over 705 hectares of land located in the north-west of the city. The garden is jointly operated by Addis Ababa University, and the local city government. Gulelle Botanic Garden follows the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) particularly focusing on the preservation and consolidation of water, using clean energy, addressing climate and preserving life on land.
Learn more about Gullele National Botanical Garden
https://journals.rbge.org.uk/rbgesib/article/view/313/1793
https://gullelebotanicgarden.yolasite.com/
PLANTING THE GULELLE EARTH OBSERVATION TREE CIRCLE
Since botanic gardens are designed for the conservation of a variety of plants and are active with learning and education much more than public parks, when special project advisor, Nura Beshir, approached staff about the planting about a tree circle on site to promote biodiversity, human well-being and climate there was great interest from management. Gulelle Botanic Garden already is involved in extensively as a world class science research centre with activities that incorporate living plant collections for research, conservation, education and display purposes. The proposed Tree Circle fit well in terms of the garden's own mandates of supporting local climate action, building stronger communities and increasing the quality of life of residents by improving the natural world around through social and environmental justice.
ABOUT GULELLE BOTANIC GARDEN
Gullele Botanic Garden was established in 2010 and extends over 705 hectares of land located in the north-west of the city. The garden is jointly operated by Addis Ababa University, and the local city government. Gulelle Botanic Garden follows the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) particularly focusing on the preservation and consolidation of water, using clean energy, addressing climate and preserving life on land.
Learn more about Gullele National Botanical Garden
https://journals.rbge.org.uk/rbgesib/article/view/313/1793
https://gullelebotanicgarden.yolasite.com/
PLANTING THE GULELLE EARTH OBSERVATION TREE CIRCLE
Since botanic gardens are designed for the conservation of a variety of plants and are active with learning and education much more than public parks, when special project advisor, Nura Beshir, approached staff about the planting about a tree circle on site to promote biodiversity, human well-being and climate there was great interest from management. Gulelle Botanic Garden already is involved in extensively as a world class science research centre with activities that incorporate living plant collections for research, conservation, education and display purposes. The proposed Tree Circle fit well in terms of the garden's own mandates of supporting local climate action, building stronger communities and increasing the quality of life of residents by improving the natural world around through social and environmental justice.
Homage to Malveich, Tree Circle, Lucien den Arned (photo November 2022)
Professor Huhana Smith is a contemporary Maori artist, academic and Head of School of Art, Whiti o Rehua School of Art, College of Creative Arts at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand - she forwarded the following image below for inclusion on our project website. This Tree Circle will become an orchard or food forest over time.
Professor Huhana Smith is a contemporary Maori artist, academic and Head of School of Art, Whiti o Rehua School of Art, College of Creative Arts at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand - she forwarded the following image below for inclusion on our project website. This Tree Circle will become an orchard or food forest over time.
Fig Tree Circle, Kuku, Horowhenua, Aotearoa New Zealand (2022)
Of note figs were one of the first crops cultivated by humans and have long been valued for their nutrition, flavour and versatility. Figs are not cultivated widely in New Zealand, as they are both fragile and have a short shelf life as a fresh fruit. For many growing a fig tree in New Zealand is the best way to have access to an annual, or biannual, supply of fruit, to be enjoy freshed or preserved.
Professor Huhana Smith states as part of her university work and art making processes that she’s interested in further contextualizing and conceptualizing Indigenous perspectives that support Nature
We are extremely honored Professor Smith has been able to create a specific Tree Circle in response to our global call. Thank you!
Further resources
Professor Smith's arts and university profile
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huhana_Smith
https://creativetime.org/summit/author/huhana-smith/
https://www.massey.ac.nz/student-life/māori-at-massey/ko-wai-mātou/professor-huhana-smith/#english
How to grow figs successfully in New Zealand - varieties, climate and propogation challenges
www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/home-property/nz-gardener/90734958/how-to-grow-figs
Of note figs were one of the first crops cultivated by humans and have long been valued for their nutrition, flavour and versatility. Figs are not cultivated widely in New Zealand, as they are both fragile and have a short shelf life as a fresh fruit. For many growing a fig tree in New Zealand is the best way to have access to an annual, or biannual, supply of fruit, to be enjoy freshed or preserved.
Professor Huhana Smith states as part of her university work and art making processes that she’s interested in further contextualizing and conceptualizing Indigenous perspectives that support Nature
- "It’s really taught me how to run my life and my work. It’s about whakawhanaungatanga [building relationships] and working collectively – but just as importantly, acknowledging and using the pukengatanga [knowledge] of whenua, that deep understanding of place. There’s so much knowledge that just radiates out of the ground – and what I do is work out how to bring it all together and direct it into getting action done.”
We are extremely honored Professor Smith has been able to create a specific Tree Circle in response to our global call. Thank you!
Further resources
Professor Smith's arts and university profile
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huhana_Smith
https://creativetime.org/summit/author/huhana-smith/
https://www.massey.ac.nz/student-life/māori-at-massey/ko-wai-mātou/professor-huhana-smith/#english
How to grow figs successfully in New Zealand - varieties, climate and propogation challenges
www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/home-property/nz-gardener/90734958/how-to-grow-figs
In 2021 we joined up with Collective Zurciendo el planeta (literally “Darning the planet”) - a Latin American arts collective that believes in mending the planet through incremental changes at home, which in turn can impact and change ourselves and our cities and our governments. Lucien den Arend
In recent years Zurciendo el planeta has sought to use arts projects to help illustrate the urgency of the climate crisis and to motivate needed change to assist in the protection of our environment. For COP26 the Zurciendo el planeta Collective created a large scale embroidered forest installation for the streets of Glasgow.
In recent years Zurciendo el planeta has sought to use arts projects to help illustrate the urgency of the climate crisis and to motivate needed change to assist in the protection of our environment. For COP26 the Zurciendo el planeta Collective created a large scale embroidered forest installation for the streets of Glasgow.
For the Trees for Life project - Zurciendo el planeta were able to
1) turn their textile forest installation in Glasgow into an interactive e-installation developed with the artist team of 'Trees for Life' for temporary exhibition in Dundee. This endeavour illustrated the importance of trees to our wider environmental health and well being.
2) offered the Dundee public an opportunity to participate in the development of a large scale textile embroidery artwork about tree species found in Latin America and that are often seeded elsewhere. This work was directly developed for the City of Dundee in conjunction with the 'Trees for Life' project team in order to help inform the public about the importance of both local and foreign flora used to increase forest density in our local environments.
3) encouraged others in their own network to plant a tree circle - see the call in Spanish on their webpage at https://zurciendoelplaneta.org/planta-un-circulo-de-arboles-con-nosotros/
1) turn their textile forest installation in Glasgow into an interactive e-installation developed with the artist team of 'Trees for Life' for temporary exhibition in Dundee. This endeavour illustrated the importance of trees to our wider environmental health and well being.
2) offered the Dundee public an opportunity to participate in the development of a large scale textile embroidery artwork about tree species found in Latin America and that are often seeded elsewhere. This work was directly developed for the City of Dundee in conjunction with the 'Trees for Life' project team in order to help inform the public about the importance of both local and foreign flora used to increase forest density in our local environments.
3) encouraged others in their own network to plant a tree circle - see the call in Spanish on their webpage at https://zurciendoelplaneta.org/planta-un-circulo-de-arboles-con-nosotros/
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OTHER ONGOING CONTRIBUTORS & ACTIVITIES
4) a tree circle is being planted to help stabilize an embankment in an upcoming off grid community outside of Mexico City at Granja Beró
5) a proposed 'tree circle' is under consideration for a public plaza in Argentina
6) Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Canada) is unveiling a small scale agroforestry tree circle on its campus grounds
6) Finland's largest farming and forestry union, MTK, is considering the possibility of how to incorporate a large scale tree circle as part of its commercial operations and replanting Autumn schemes. This action is pending. Of note MTK has already been involved in the past in collaborating with ecological artists to create pioneering art for World Summits, including Agnes Dene's Tree Mountain (1996). For more information see below
4) a tree circle is being planted to help stabilize an embankment in an upcoming off grid community outside of Mexico City at Granja Beró
5) a proposed 'tree circle' is under consideration for a public plaza in Argentina
6) Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Canada) is unveiling a small scale agroforestry tree circle on its campus grounds
6) Finland's largest farming and forestry union, MTK, is considering the possibility of how to incorporate a large scale tree circle as part of its commercial operations and replanting Autumn schemes. This action is pending. Of note MTK has already been involved in the past in collaborating with ecological artists to create pioneering art for World Summits, including Agnes Dene's Tree Mountain (1996). For more information see below
PAST ECOLOGICAL TREE ARTWORKS
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TREE MOUNTAIN
TREE MOUNTAIN
Finland's MTK union assisted in the development of Agnes Dene's Tree Mountain. This artist's project took 14 years from the original design concept in 1982, to its commissioning by the Finnish government at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 to its completion in 1996 in Finland.
From the artist's website:
The process of bioremediation restores the land from resource extraction use to one in harmony with nature, in this case, the creation of a virgin forest. The planting of trees holds the land from erosion, enhances oxygen production and provides home for wildlife. This takes time and it is one of the reasons why Tree Mountain must remain undisturbed for centuries. The certificate the planters received are numbered and reach 400 years into the future as it takes that long for the ecosystem to establish itself. It is an inheritable document that connects the eleven thousand planters and their descendents reaching into millions, connected by their trees. This family is the original green generation, the term that became so popular recently in people's terminology. This family from around the world are proud custodians of the trees that bear their names and grow through the centuries to a lush manmade virgin forest. Tree Mountain is a collaborative work, from its intricate landscaping and forestry to the funding and contractual agreements for its strange, unheard-of land-use of four centuries. The collaboration expands as eleven thousand people come together to plant the trees that bear their names and remain their property through succeeding generations. The trees can change ownership/people can leave their tree to their heirs, or transfer it by other means, even be buried under it, but Tree Mountain itself can never be owned or sold, nor can the trees be moved from the forest. The trees are made by nature, the mathematical positioning created by the human intellect to form a true alliance of man and nature.
From the artist's website:
The process of bioremediation restores the land from resource extraction use to one in harmony with nature, in this case, the creation of a virgin forest. The planting of trees holds the land from erosion, enhances oxygen production and provides home for wildlife. This takes time and it is one of the reasons why Tree Mountain must remain undisturbed for centuries. The certificate the planters received are numbered and reach 400 years into the future as it takes that long for the ecosystem to establish itself. It is an inheritable document that connects the eleven thousand planters and their descendents reaching into millions, connected by their trees. This family is the original green generation, the term that became so popular recently in people's terminology. This family from around the world are proud custodians of the trees that bear their names and grow through the centuries to a lush manmade virgin forest. Tree Mountain is a collaborative work, from its intricate landscaping and forestry to the funding and contractual agreements for its strange, unheard-of land-use of four centuries. The collaboration expands as eleven thousand people come together to plant the trees that bear their names and remain their property through succeeding generations. The trees can change ownership/people can leave their tree to their heirs, or transfer it by other means, even be buried under it, but Tree Mountain itself can never be owned or sold, nor can the trees be moved from the forest. The trees are made by nature, the mathematical positioning created by the human intellect to form a true alliance of man and nature.
