Should BotSoc change its name?

Amid gasps of incredulity at the BotSoc’s AGM in Durban on 14 October 2011, I urged the new Council to consider examining whether the name of the Botanical Society of South Africa is appropriate. Many professional botanists are not members because they consider it an organization for amateurs. However, we seem to fall between two stools because the public are generally deceived by the name into believing that it is a body of professional botanists. During voluntarily participation in many member recruitment efforts over the years, I have found the comment that presents itself most often is ‘no thanks, we are only indigenous plant enthusiasts and gardeners, not botanists’.
Every gardener who has an interest in indigenous plants is in fact a potential member and, with support for our flora growing at an unprecedented rate, it is a tragedy that our membership is declining. The KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Branch, which does not have the advantage of garden concerts to attract members, only has in the region of 250 members. Some other conservation organizations have already bitten the bullet and altered their names to keep up with changing circumstances; the Wildlife and Environment Society (WESSA), for example, found that its old name inappropriately gave the impression that its only interest was wild animals. All the bird watching clubs in the country also changed to incorporate the more suitable name of BirdLife. Contrary to predictions by those routinely resisting change that such a step would cause the death of the respective organizations, the name changes were in most cases used positively to promote membership.
Finding a new name for BotSoc would not be a problem, but it should definitely contain the words indigenous and plants. Someone suggested that we should run a competition for a new name. This could make the public aware of our objectives too.
To re-phrase a well known TV advert:
We can change to see our mainstay grow,
or we can stay as we are for the rest of our lives
and watch BotSoc membership dwindle away!
Charles Botha