In a two-day conference that brought on board architects drawn from several countries in the world under the banner of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), the architects said that they play a critical role in an array of fields, including climate change, social inequality, and biodiversity.

“The theme is exciting and thought provoking. It is founded on the need for landscape architect professionals to reach out beyond their professional and cultural boxes and learn from other cultures and disciplines in order to develop holistic solutions to our current borderless challenges,” said IFLA President Dr. Bruno Marques.

The delegates at the conference observed that despite the huge number of landscape architects, which currently stands at more than one million globally, there is still a need to create awareness and recognition of the profession.

“We need to leave no one behind when it comes to such conversations. Inclusion and social justice are important dimensions in sustainable and equitable development. We need to act local, think global and beyond borders the three sub themes of the Congress,” observed AAK president Florence.

They have called for quality education for landscape architects as one way of scaling up quality service in the sector.

IFLA says it seeks to scale up collaborations with universities on the continent to make this a reality.