The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden, formerly known as the Royal Botanic Garden is situated in the village of Pamplemousses which lies about ten kilometres North East of Port Louis (Latitude 20o06′ and Longitude 57o34′).
The village “Pamplemousses” bears its name from a Citrus plant commonly called the Pamplemoussier. Pamplemousse plants were introduced from Java by the Dutch and have been growing in the area since. The word ‘pompel’ in Dutch means ‘large’ and ‘limoes’ is the word for ‘lime’ in Malay.
The fruit of the Pamplemoussier resembles a large grape-fruit. It is thick-skinned and slightly bitter.
From the 18th century up to today, the Botanic Garden has been known under several names such as “Jardin de Mon Plaisir”, “Jardin des Plantes”, “Le Jardin National de I’ Isle de France”, “Jardin du Roy”, “Jardin Botanique de Pamplemousses”, and “The Royal Botanical Garden, Pamplemousses”. On 18th September 1988, the Garden was renamed the “Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden” in remembrance of the first Prime Minister of Mauritius.
The Garden achieved international fame in the 18th century, as it became ‘the tropical base’ for experimentation for the Paris Jardin des Plantes. It was once described as “one of the marvels of the world”. The Garden is the oldest Botanic Garden of the Southern Hemisphere. For a long time, it ranked third among all the gardens that could be admired over the surface of the globe.
Today, the Garden covers an area of 33 hectares consisting of scenic attractions and recreation grounds for visitors, but most importantly it is a plant conservatory. Besides the exotic species planted and maintained, there are threatened plant species from the Mascarenes. These plants are important for their scientific, medicinal, economic and aesthetic values. There are 823 species in the Garden which include 445 exotics, 80 palms, 150 medicinal, 60 endemic, 27 spice, 30 religious, and 31 ferns.
The headquarters of the Garden are found in the Chateau Mon Plaisir which was built in 1823. It has been renovated several times over the years.
The Botanic Garden is managed by a Trust known as the SSR Botanic Garden Trust enacted in May 1999. The main objectives of the SSR Botanic Garden Trust are conservation, education, recreation, culture and history.
Rehabilitation of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden, Pamplemousses
A complete programme of rehabilitation at the SSR Botanic Garden has been initiated in January 2024 along three themes: Infrastructural, Scientific and Cultural, the latter encompassing the history, the patrimony, the pedagogy and the communication strategies with the various publics including a new website and production of a video to highlight the history of the Garden and its botanical treasures. Ten strategy goals have been defined including staffing, administrative operations and management system, renovation and maintenance of historical buildings, monuments and infrastructure, master plan of the Garden for short, medium and long term, creation of a visitors’ experience, development of commercial activities compatible with the mission of the Garden, implementation of a suitable Governance model, among others. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been elaborated to reflect overall trend in measures of success. This will include among others: living plant collections and new accessions, recovery of endangered species in the Garden, propagation of new species, horticultural programme, extension of the Garden with different themes such as endemic plants of Mauritius and of the Mascarenes, collection of highly threatened species, children’s garden, orchid garden, etc… Priority will be given to scientific research in collaboration with local institutions as well as overseas ones.
Public awareness and education will be given priority and also be a measure of effective communication about the importance of plants and the environment and to ensure the right balance between recreation and education. Change in attitude of public will be a measure of impact of the management of the Garden.
In terms of infrastructure, the signage of the plant species is being modernised with the inclusion of QR codes on the displays and panels. The various facilities will be totally reviewed because no successful public attraction can function effectively without certain key services such as seating, on-site security to ensure public safety and order, toilets, eateries and weather-proof shelters. The rehabilitation of the existing Château Mon Plaisir, previous Director’s house, the old police post, kiosks and building of new ones, etc. The public will judge the quality of the Garden on these criteria.
The infrastructures such as roads and alleys, pools and ponds, water flow and general landscaping will be priorities. The shade house will be rehabilitated as required for a proper nursery while quarantine glasshouses will be erected to facilitate acquisition of new species and export of local ones on an exchange basis, in collaboration with the National Plant Protection Authorities.
The Château Mon Plaisir which is on the site of the residence of Mahé de Labourdonnais will be turned into the icon of the Garden and will house an exhibition of the famous botanical expeditions in the Mascarenes especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, a conference room, paintings of famous botanists and plants of Mauritius and the region.
In the framework of the rehabilitation project, the SSR Botanic Garden Trust has enlisted the services of an accomplished scientist of international repute and botanist by training. He is the Coordinator of the Rehabilitation project.