Jul 19 - Gibraltar Botanic Gardens Assist In Caribbean Succulent Plant Conservation Work

The Curator of the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, Andrew Gdaniec, has recently returned from a trip to the British Virgin Islands, where he was advising on the conservation of native succulent plants.

 

The visit was first discussed during the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum’s (UKOTCF) 2015 Conference in Gibraltar last summer, to complement the work that is being carried out by the Royal Botanic Garden Kew’s UKOTs team.

 

Andrew joined the Kew team in the British Virgin Islands, where he spent time training staff at the J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens in order to establish an ex situ conservation programme for BVI’s succulent plants.  Succulent plants in the Caribbean face a range of threats, from habitat loss to various exotic insect pests, and conservation initiatives away from their habitats are considered important to their survival.

 

The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens have enormous experience in the cultivation of succulent plants and Andrew offered advice and training in improving collections for conservation, growing media and propagation.  This included field work on the islands, to better understand the plant’s growing conditions.  

 

It is hoped that Andrew’s sharing of his expertise will help to improve J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens’ collections management and conservation of succulents in the British Virgin Islands.

 

The visit was part-sponsored by the British Cactus & Succulent Society (BCSS).