The Marsh Awards are awarded annually by the Marsh Charitable Trust, in partnership with BGCI, in recognition of excellence by an individual in International Plant Conservation and Education in Botanic Gardens. Nominations open every year, these are judged by the BGCI International Advisory Council before being submitted to the Marsh Charitable Trust for final judging. Thank you for all your nominations….there were some great candidates!

In the past few years the awards has been presented online, so it was of great pleasure to hold the 2022 Awards Ceremony at the 7^th Global Botanic Garden Congress in Melbourne, Australia. BGCI and the Marsh Charitable Trust were pleased to announce Rudy Aguilar as the winner of the 2022 Marsh Award for Education in Botanic Gardens and Amelia Martyn Jenson as the winner of the 2022 Marsh Award for International Plant Conservation.

Rudy Aguilar – 2022 Marsh Award for Education in Botanic Gardens

Rudy has been working at the Belize Botanic Gardens (BBG) since 2010. BBG is a private botanic garden of 45 acres set on former farmland in western Belize in Central America. BBG is dedicated to raising awareness of native biodiversity and developing skills in the local community. The Gardens also participate in research and conservation with local and international collaborators.

When Rudy started his only botanical experience was a year working for a local landscape company. However, proving himself to be a voracious learner, he quickly progressed from garden maintenance to guiding visitors through the gardens, then he became the Education Officer.

In this role Rudy has been the primary educator at BBG, developing courses and programs which train Belizeans with limited educational opportunities from low-income communities in organic horticulture and an appreciation of biodiversity. Presently Rudy is creating a small garden to be used for teaching local people to grow vegetables. 15 families from nearby villages will receive items necessary for starting their own gardens – soil and plants for three 3’x 8’ x 8” raised beds. After two weekends of training at Belize Botanic Gardens, materials will be delivered to participants and they will be monitored during a growing season. The object is to collect data on the feasibility of growing food at home organically in a tropical climate.

Rudy is also responsible for training Belize Botanic Gardens’ small cadre of guides which has resulted in the gardens’ reputation for delivering excellent informative tours of the gardens and the word has spread with many international groups returning year after year to tour the gardens.

Amelia Martyn Jenson – 2022 Marsh Award for International Plant Conservation

Amelia’s research interests are seed lifespan and germination, with a focus on improving seed quality for conservation storage and utilisation of Australian native plant species. She is based at the Australian PlantBank at the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan. Amelia led the development of the Plant Germplasm Conservation in Australia guidelines, 3rd Ed. (the Germplasm Guidelines). The Germplasm Guidelines is Australia’s preeminent publication on germplasm conservation. This update builds on two previous editions, incorporating case studies on 116 genera across 117 families. The review and update involved contributions from more 78 experts across Australia and overseas, delivering a comprehensive overview of the specific techniques required to store, germinate and propagate plant germplasm.

The guidelines have been adopted by the Australian Government and incorporated in the national Threatened Species Strategy 2022-32, and recommended as a key resource for those undertaking germplasm conservation.

My sincere thanks to the Marsh Trust. The Germplasm Guidelines revision and outreach has been a satisfying and challenging project, with contributions of people across the ex situ conservation sector at its heart. Many of these people indeed go above and beyond their professional obligations to ensure plant conservation is effective and timely.
– Amelia Martyn Yenson

Amelia delivered the entirety of this project during the COVID-19 pandemic, operating virtually, often coordinating during strict lockdown periods while concurrently providing home schooling for three children from primary to secondary levels. Amelia has shown absolute dedication to improving the representation and access to world-leading germplasm conservation information, retaining flexibility, resilience and determination throughout the project.

A massive thanks to BGCI for recognising the importance of bringing together so many collaborators and experts to share this important germplasm conservation knowledge in the guidelines, and for recognising Amelia’s incredible efforts to keep us all on track and actually deliver.

– Damian Wrigley, National Coordinator | Australian Seed Bank Partnership