Inauguration of Salle André-Bouchard at the Botanical Garden - A posthumously conferred honour

MONTREAL, June 12, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The exhibition hall at the Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre will henceforward bear the name of André Bouchard, curator of the Montréal Botanical Garden - a Montréal Space for Life - from 1975 to 1996. In the presence of the mayor of Montréal, Mr. Gérald Tremblay, as well as Mr. Guy Breton, rector of the Université de Montréal, Mr. Charles-Mathieu Brunelle, executive director of the Space for Life, Mr. Gilles Vincent, director of the Montréal Botanical Garden, and members of Mr. Bouchard's family, guests were witness to the unveiling of the stele bearing the name of the great scientist, biologist, ecologist and communicator, who passed away in 2010.

"Mr. Bouchard contributed greatly to the development of the Montréal Botanical Garden and to boosting the status of our city as a hub for research on biodiversity," stated the mayor of Montréal. "I'm therefore happy to see that the Centre is honouring his memory and establishing a concrete setting for passing his knowledge on, which will benefit our citizens and visitors to our city."

For the director of the Montréal Botanical Garden, Mr. Gilles Vincent, "There could be no other option than the name of André Bouchard to designate the Biodiversity Centre exhibition hall. He was a person of great leadership qualities, and he was responsible for the scientific credibility that the Botanical Garden enjoys beyond our borders."

An impassioned and committed citizen of Montréal, André Bouchard born in 1946, was the link for a long period of time between the Botanical Garden and the Université de Montréal, where for many years he was professor and researcher in the Department of Life Sciences. He also served as curator of the Botanical Garden for over twenty years, was co-founder of the Amis du Jardin botanique de Montréal, occupied the position of interim director of the Botanical Garden for a short spell and directed the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale (IRBV: Research Institute in Plant Biology). He trained a multitude of researchers and was involved in several large-scale projects that helped shape the international prominence of the Botanical Garden.

"It's thanks to scientists like André Bouchard that the Space for Life is looked on today as an international reference in the area of biodiversity with its roughly 250 researchers, associate researchers and students, who together contribute to the celebrity of Montréal," affirmed Charles-Mathieu Brunelle, executive director of the Space for Life.

Starting June 22, the Montréal Botanical Garden will be hosting the 1000 Days for the Planet Base Camp in Salle André-Bouchard. The public will be invited to follow along "live" with Jean Lemire and the crew of the Sedna IV and to discover the importance of preserving biodiversity by way of interactive installations, videos and a variety of artifacts.

The André-Bouchard exhibition hall takes its place alongside the Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre's research laboratories and scientific collections. Inaugurated in March 2011, this new Centre incorporates ultramodern facilities dedicated to the preservation and the enhanced status of Québec's natural heritage.

Information:
Karine Jalbert, Communications Coordinator
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]

Francois Ouellet, Communication assistant
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]

Visual available on request