<bold><color><param>0100,0100,0100</param><bigger>International tree park invites donation of Botany documents and related books </bold>The Dharma Vana Arboretum (DVA), a non-profit international tree park being developed at Bhongir in Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh, India, appeals for donation of botanical publications such as: - books & monographs - scientific journals - research reports - theses - conference proceedings - off-prints from closed libraries, retired teachers, scientists, forest officers as well as the general public. These documents would be preserved for posterity in the DVA’s research and reference library for the benefit of teachers, research scientists and students. The DVA Library would be developed as one of the finest scientific libraries specialising in dendrology and silviculture not only in India but also in the entire South Asia. Although the DVA’s major focus of collection development is documents about <bold>trees</bold>, it also welcomes works in related fields such as <bold>forestry, horticulture, ethnobotany, soil science, plant taxonomy, entomology, sacred groves, and philosophy. </bold> Spanning 455+ acres, the Dharma Vana Arboretum (www.arboretum.org.in) would conserve thousands of species of plants and over a thousand tree species, many of which are endangered, through innovative horticultural and silvicultural practices that meet or exceed international standards. The DVA will be among the largest arboreta in the world and the largest located in a semi-arid tropical climate. Its primary scientific mission is to collect and preserve threatened and endangered species of indigenous plants, with an emphasis on the Deccan Plateau and the Eastern Ghats. A special focus will be on trees of medicinal, ethnobotanical, aromatic, ornamental, and religious significance, in addition to cultivating trees of ‘no particular’ value. T.V. Prafulla Chandra Research Officer Dharma Vana Arboretum Administrative Office Plot 95/1, Phase 2 IDA Cherlapally Hyderabad 500 051 Andhra Pradesh India Phones Direct +91 40 2726 0930 +91 40 3911 4202 EPABX +91 40 2726 0801 Ext. 202 +91 40 2726 0802 Ext. 202 +91 40 3911 4200 Ext. 202 Fax +91 40 3911 4219 www.arboretum.org.in