News Published: 23 October 2024

The second episode of BGCI: The Understory Podcast is now live, and we are excited to bring you our very first set of interviews. In this episode, we look at the beginnings of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation with stories from Stephen Blackmore and Peter Wyse Jackson. 

There is, of course, a lot to unpack, but we hope that you enjoyed hearing about how the GSPC started and the amazing progress we have seen in the plant conservation sector since. It left us feeling hopeful for what can be achieved in the coming years and decades, and made all the hard work that we do at BGCI feel worthwhile!  

It’s great to highlight the amazing conservation work that is happening in Botanic Gardens and Arboreta worldwide, through the documentation of collections, scientific research, conservation, display, and education – with an emphasis on conserving rare and threatened plant species, compliance with international policies, and sustainable, ethical initiatives. To ensure this quality and encourage the continued growth of plant conservation within botanical institutions, BGCI have their innovative Accreditation Scheme (learn more here). 

The role of botanic gardens has changed throughout their history, with the majority now taking part in vital conservation activities, such as;  

• Horticulture and cultivation of living collections and banking initiatives  

• Research and development to aid conservation 

• Education and communication of threats to plants and the need to protect them plant conservation  

• Conserving local and indigenous knowledge 

Want to know more about the history of botanic gardens and the importance of plant conservation? You can click here for more information. You can also learn about the wide-ranging scope of conservation projects that BGCI is involved with by clicking here. 

Thank you so much for supporting our brand-new podcast, we really hope you enjoyed it. Please remember to like, review, and subscribe, and maybe share it with your friends!  

Thanks, 

Rebecca & Megan 😊 

Other useful links: 

• Want to learn more about Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh? Click here 
• Want to learn more about Missouri Botanical Garden? Click here 
• Has your curiosity been engaged? Why not check out BGJournal (Issue 21.1), which covers Plant Conservation & achieving The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework or the Plant 2020 Report.
• Want to learn more about Eurogard and/or the European Consortium? Click here   
• Want to learn more about PlantSearch? Click here
• Want to learn more about the initiatives that were created in response to the GSPC (as referenced by Peter Wyse Jackson in his interview)? Follow these links for more information.  
  • The WFO Plant List | World Flora Online 
  • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 
  • ThreatSearch | Botanic Gardens Conservation International (bgci.org) 
  • Ecological Restoration Alliance of Botanic Gardens | Botanic Gardens Conservation International (bgci.org) 
  • Important Plant Area (IPA) – Plantlife 
  • Global Tree Assessment | Botanic Gardens Conservation International (bgci.org)  
  • FairWild certification — FairWild Foundation 

Credits & Special Thanks: 

A huge thank you to our guests for this episode; Stephen Blackmore and Peter Wyse Jackson.  

Series 1 of BGCI: The Understory Podcast was written and researched by Rebecca Hansell and Megan Barstow, with assistance from Carly Cowell in the first stages of development. This episode was edited by Rebecca Hansell using Audacity, and originally recorded over Zoom. The music is by elemontary-music and the sound effects are by Trading Nation, both were sourced from Pixabay.