One World Conservation Center
One World Conservation Center (formerly New England Tropical Conservatory, abbreviated NETC) is a botanical garden that features a large tropical greenhouse, located in Bennington, Vermont.[1]
| One World Conservation Center | |
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 Flowers of Jasminum sambac, a species of Indonesian flora grown in the One World Conservation Center. | |
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| Location | Bennington, Vermont, USA |
| Coordinates | 42°53′28.00″N 73°12′29.02″W |
| Area | 38 hectares (94 acres) |
| Established | 2003 |
| Website | oneworldconservationcenter |
Location
The Norman & Selma Greenberg Conservation Reserve is located on the east side of Vermont Route 7, 1.3 miles south of the Clock Corner (the intersection of Highways 7 and 9), immediately south from the Lawn Cemetery. The entrance, marked with a marble monument, opens into a parking lot with space for 6 vehicles and for the turn of a school bus. One World Conservation Center (formerly New England Tropical Conservatory), P.O. Box 4715 Bennington, Vermont 05201 USA
History
The Conservation Center was created in 1991 by a group of citizens who were aware of deforestation in rain forests and the resulting extinction of plant species.[2] [3]
In 1995 the board identified Bennington, Vermont as the base place to settle and create future design facilities to appeal to specialists and the general public. With the help of a Community Development Block Grant, the commercialization and economic impact studies were completed and a business plan for their harmonious growth was adopted, step by step. Cooperation with the horticulture program of the Southwest Vermont Career Development Center began in that year, and for several years has included a very popular exhibit of tropical plants in spring.
In 1998 a laboratory greenhouse was created at the NETC. The office was opened in 2001. NETC is currently expanding its presence in Vermont. In November 2003, thanks to a generous donation and a grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, a 96-acre estate in Bennington was acquired.
Called the Norman & Selma Greenberg Conservation Reserve, this reserve has been remodeled with an entrance, parking, trails, exhibits and interpretive activities. The meadow by the road will become the location of the home greenhouse.
The balance that is sought is to establish a connection link between the tropical forests that are exhibited inside the greenhouse with the native forests and fields of New England.
Collections
The collections that it houses in its greenhouse are of tropical plants from the region of Southeast Asia, especially from the area of Indonesia, and ornamental tropical plants.
Greenhouses are a conglomerate of glass structures, classrooms, laboratories, and offices, a harmonious whole in which educational, research, and exhibition programs are coordinated.
Activities
The first research expeditions to the rainforest of the Indonesia system began in late 1995, beginning a 12-year association with botanists from the Bogor Botanical Gardens in western Java.
NETC has worked with the Bogor herbarium for 12 years, during which it has carried out a botanical exploration, especially focused on the tropical forests of the Indonesian mountains, exploring some 45 mountains, a record comparable to that of any western scientific institution.
As a consequence of the proven capacity of the NETC and in collaboration with the Bogor herbarium, and to produce even more relevant work, both organizations have promoted themselves to a much higher level of development of their institutional capacities, with the implementation of the IBETP «Indonesian Botanical Exploration and Taxonomy Project».