Guardians of the Forest – Screening and Discussion with Claire Eggermont

This interactive memory challenge invites participants to test their memory while exploring practical ways to preserve biodiversity based on Geneva’s municipal strategy. Players match “before-and-after” images that illustrate individual and institutional actions, and each correct pair reveals concise information explaining the measure. The activity examines themes such as habitat restoration, species-friendly practices, urban greening and policy responses, helping participants understand the impact and rationale behind everyday and organisational conservation choices.

This workshop explores the traditional process of assembling a herbarium specimen, inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s collections. Participants learn scientific techniques for pressing and mounting dried plants on old paper, practice botanical labelling and nomenclature, and select specimens to create a personal herbarium sheet. The session examines preservation methods, identification principles and the historical context of Rousseau’s approach, combining practical skills with scientific insight to produce a lasting botanical object.

In French.

This session takes listeners on a journey through herbarium and living plant collections, highlighting rare medicinal and aromatic species listed under CITES. It examines how researchers and international collaborators from Brazil, Madagascar and South Africa investigate habitat threats, document species and implement field projects. The talk explores conservation strategies that safeguard biodiversity while supporting traditional health practices, cultural heritage and local livelihoods by connecting scientific research with on-the-ground protection efforts.

In French.

Yves Lottaz, aromatologist, and the mediation team bring practical expertise in scent analysis and plant extracts based on scientific research and collection work.

The workshop challenges participants to identify seven natural extracts — barks, spices and seeds — and to recognise the molecules that define each plant. Combining herbarium specimens, chemistry and perfumery, the session examines how these species contribute to health, heritage and daily aromas.

In French.