Format: ORAL

sa Krger1,2 Stina Weststrand1,2

1 Gothenburg Botanical Garden, Gothenburg, Sweden 2 Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden

How can we spark peoples interest for the fascinating world that is Botany? The climate and the biodiversity crisis are the main focuses in both education and media. But are we prepared to tackle these important issues? To understand biodiversity, or the loss of biodiversity, it is essential to also know the building blocks of biodiversity species! There has never been a time when species knowledge has been more important than now! How do we spread our knowledge inside and outside the classroom? As a botanical garden, we have a broad platform for communication of botanical knowledge. People arrive happy and excited and (most often) by their own choice, thats a good start! We also have strong presence on social media. By combining the digital content, podcast and personal interaction in the garden at events, lectures and guided tours, we can reach a mixed target group. This is where we can spread and encourage interest in species knowledge; give people the information they didn't know they wanted. We will present challenges and new possibilities on how people can interact with botany!