News published: 28 June 2023

The Marsh Awards 2023 – Winners Announced!

On an annual basis, BGCI operates The Marsh Awards for International Plant Conservation and Botanic Garden Education sponsored by The Marsh Charitable Trust.

The Marsh Trust was established in 1981 and runs a portfolio of awards which recognise the contribution of dedicated individuals working in different sectors – to improve the world we live in.

There are 2 awards available that offer professional recognition and a £1,000 prize. Potential awardees are nominated by their peers through the BGCI Membership network, and then the winners are judged by the BGCI International Advisory Council and the Marsh Charitable Trust.

The winners for 2023 are:

Marsh Award for International Plant Conservation – Santiago Madriñán

Santiago is Professor of Botany & Director of the Jardín Botánico de Cartagena, Colombia.

Highlights from their nomination include:

“Through the mentorship of Dr. Santiago Madriñán, the Cartagena Botanical Garden is now a well-recognized center for plant conservation and education, promoting the study of the biology of native plant species, with the most important herbarium collection of the Colombian Caribbean Region, a seed bank of native species, a research nursery where propagation protocols are being produced and the resulting plants are used for restoration and landscaping projects in the region. The garden has changed from a recreational park to a proper botanic garden with labeled plants in several living collections managed by professional gardeners, open to the public with an educational focus for both the public, as well as school and university students, and prospective gardeners.”

“Santiago Madriñán has championed with unparalleled dedication and sacrifice a regionally, nationally, and internationally recognized institution dedicated to holistic plant conservation.”  Kenneth Feeley (University of Miami).

Marsh Award for Education in Botanic Gardens – Paulina Xóchitl Rendón Pujol

Paulina is Coordinadora de Educación Ambienta at Jardín Etnobotánico “Francisco Peláez R., A.C.”.

Highlights from their nomination include:

“We stress above all the importance of the outreach work that Paulina has developed. The centre of the educational work is in the Garden itself, but it is in the educational initiatives that go beyond the physical limits of the Garden that Paulina has been pushing at the boundaries of what a botanic garden means. That is the real excitement and challenge of her work.”

“In spite of the very limited economic resources of the Garden, Paulina has led an extremely creative development of the Garden’s educational programme that is important not just for the Garden itself but also opens up new vistas for thinking about what Botanic Gardens can do with their educational programmes. Particularly exciting is the extension of the Garden’s programme into rural areas and the whole field of agroecology and, with that, the practical critique of the use of agrochemicals and the damage that they do to regional biodiversity and the environment.” Eloína Peláez-Valdés (Jardín Etnobotánico “Francisco Peláez R.”).

Congratulation to both winners!

The winners will be honoured and receive their awards at a special online event on 27 July 5pm BST. Join us to learn more about Santiago and Paulina’s work.