Botanical Department

Botanical Department

Plants are the foundation of life on Earth and without their ability to capture the sun's energy through the process of photosynthesis there would be no life on our planets. Considered "the lungs of the earth", plants are responsible for almost 98& of the oxygen that we breath.

The scientific study of plants is called Botany and involves the study of plants circle of life, structure, growth, evolutionary relationships, milieu, habitats, diseases, taxonomy, anatomy, and morphology. The word is derived from the ancient Greek (botanē) meaning "to feed" or to graze".

The Palestinian Museum of Natural History and Humankind considers the Botanical Department's work extremely vital for the continuation of natural life and biodiversity in Palestine. Most of the projects realized until now by this department involves interventions and reinterpretations of the threatened floral n Palestine and its relations to other global environments. The approach helps protect against extinction and provides information which might assist in re-introducing plants to their natural habitat.

The department also focuses its programs around conservation targeting a wide range of endangered and threatened plants using advanced range of techniques, including storage and cryopreservation of seeds, embryos and pollen, and micro-propagation, to support both ex situ and in situ conservation projects. The promotion of public knowledge and the appreciation of plants, gardens and nature is pivotal in the work that the museum does.