History of the Lowveld NBG

The Lowveld National Botanical Garden is one of the nine National Botanical Gardens managed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The Garden is located along the R40 White River Road, five minutes drive from Nelspruit, the hub of Mpumalanga. It is within close proximity of the province's main tourist destinations, including Swaziland and Mozambique.

Founding of the Garden

It was established in 1969 after the Nelspruit Municipality noted that the Garden would be best suited to promote tourism, education and conservation of the diverse flora of the region. It was officially opened by the Administrator of the Transvaal on 10 September 1971. The 169 ha it occupies was donated by the local municipality and the Board of HL Hall & Sons. Of the 169 ha, only 25 ha is cultivated or landscaped whilst the rest is natural or low maintenance area.

Archaeology of the Garden

Although it was established in the twentieth century the Garden's history dates back to prehistoric times. Hominids once roamed the area and carved tools from stones, many of which were found in the Garden. Rock paintings in the surrounding area prove that game was plentiful during prehistoric times. The Garden is thus an interesting archaeological site.

Infrastructure Development

The infrastructural development of the Garden was initially confined to the eastern side of the Crocodile River. The guesthouse was completed in 1973. Whilst the offices, together with the store rooms, were completed in July 1974. In 2003 funds were secured from Tsogo Sun Casino and the former Dept. of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to construct the Visitors' Centre on the western side of the Crocodile River. The Visitors' Centre houses the restaurant, the Garden entrance gate and the conference/multi functional room.

The suspended aerial pedestrian bridge, which links the Visitors' Centre to the main garden, was also added. In 2004 the then Environmental Education Centre (now Biodiversity Education and Empowerment Centre) was built using funds from the Poverty Relief Fund through the Extended Public Works Programmes. SAPPI and the Botanical Society donated the Centre's furniture and the teaching aids respectively.