Deputy Director Nancy Pascoe and Senior Terrestrial Warden Keith Grant are in Cartagena, Colombia this week with Dr. Colin Clubbe of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew attending the Botanical Bridges Congress.
The team are sharing information about two Darwin Plus funded projects (DPLUS 183 & 196) that are researching plant genetics and using this data for reforestation projects and conservation planning.
The visit included a day at the Jardin Botánico "Guillermo Piñeres" which houses a collection of more than 300 plant species of the Colombian tropical dry forest and ornamental plants from other tropical regions of the world. It also includes one of the last remaining virgin native forests in the region.
The old city of Cartagena de Indias is a UNESCO site and is a beautiful place of great art and culture.
It was so important to represent the BVI's Joseph Reynold O'Neal Botanic Garden at this regional conference which included 120 participants from 47 institutions in 23 countries!
