People around the world depend on plants for medicine
Simon Milne has a vital job to do as Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Alex Corlett finds out more.
FOR 350 years Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden has been at the forefront of plant research and preservation. It’s known internationally as a valuable source of expertise and a key player in the research and preservation of species from around the world.
With an average term of over 20 years, the folk who occupy the top job in the garden – that of Regius Keeper – tend to stay the course.
The latest in line, Simon Milne, is only the 16th Regius Keeper in the entire 350-year history – and it was no ordinary job interview to get the role.
“I am appointed by the Queen at the recommendation of the First Minister, and it’s my job to be the Chief Executive of the Royal
Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and Keeper of the National Botanic Collection.”
Simon’s former jobs include being Chief Executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust and manager of a botanical collection in Hampshire – after serving as a Royal Marine for 22 years.
“The garden was established in the seventeenth century – 1670 to be exact – by two doctors, Messrs Balfour and Sibbald.
“Their interest was to gather together and research the use of plants in medicines, so they formed a garden near what is now the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
“They would catalogue and supply plants for medicinal purposes.
“It was established for health needs, and really the overall role of the Botanics hasn’t changed that much.”
The site of the garden has changed a few times, in ways that reflect the history of Edinburgh itself.
It was once on the plot of Waverley Station, and eventually ended up on a spot just off historic Leith Walk.
“Its importance just grew in those days, particularly in teaching. If you were studying to be a medic then, you had to learn botany.
“In the twentieth century we took on three other gardens – Dawyck, near Peebles, Benmore in Argyll and Bute and Logan near Stranraer.
“Now we have 30,500 species and one of the most important plant collections in the world.”
Nowadays, the focus of the garden has changed.
Conservation of rare and important species is a major concern in the
21st century.
“We’re addressing what we call a bio-diversity crisis: the loss of plants.
“One in five plants around the world is threatened with extinction, but all known life depends on plants.
“We work with thirty-five countries, but with conservation it’s also crucial to be talking to the public – inspiring people about the natural world, getting them to understand the importance of plants and the threats they are under, but also to appreciate them and enjoy them.”
“We also take in students: nursing students, PhD students. We want to produce the future’s world-leading botanists.”
Simon believes that, in addition to their value as a visitor attraction, it’s also the role of these gardens in preserving knowledge and species that makes them as important today as they ever were – if not more so.
“The majority of people around the world depend on plants for medicine and so much of that knowledge has been lost.
“So many plants have been lost as well, so I would say that the need for botanic gardens has never been greater.”
Many people who work for the RBGE are out in the field, finding species in their native habitats.
Although they will often bring seeds home to Edinburgh for preservation, sometimes they’re able to preserve the actual habitats by proving that they are home to rare species.
“Examples would be Oman, Nepal and New Caledonia, where, in the case of development, we are able to pinpoint where the real hotspots are and the extent of those areas.
“Our research provides that data and therefore governments can make decisions on where they can set up that protected area.
“The world continues to be exploited, so it’s not a question of being able to save every area, it’s a question of finding the parts of the country which will have the most impact.”
Seed collection is a part of their work, and the
RBGE contributes to the famous seed banks that store our plant heritage for worst-case scenarios, though importing seeds from a country requires their permission.
“In places where we have collected seed, like Indonesia and China, we do it with park collaborators in those countries.
“We’ll often grow from those seeds. Natural catastrophes can happen, so it’s very good that the genetic material is held elsewhere.
“Not all seeds can be put in seed banks. Seed banks are a very important part of the insurance policy, but it’s not the total answer.
“Some seeds, like the monkey puzzle family, you can’t put into preservation.
“It is about identifying, influencing and taking steps to help preserve. We are exporting our expertise into training people in the Middle East and in Nepal.
“We’re based in Scotland, but we’re exporting innovative science and innovative horticultural expertise and giving Scotland a really big place in the world in terms of plant conservation.”
It’s no mean feat to achieve this level of cooperation across borders – the botanical world is probably more harmonious than the political one.
“It’s plant diplomacy! We work with Russia, China and Indonesia and it’s very exciting, because to a certain extent you transcend political boundaries, working to a common purpose.”
Although the gardens are making a difference all over the world, Simon is keen to stress that some of their most exciting projects are also happening within the local community.
“Whilst we talk about our global work, when you visit the garden here in Edinburgh you can see the community groups coming into the garden.
“Groups range from children with special needs to a Bangladeshi women’s group and dementia groups – a whole range of folk right across the community.
“In terms of health and wellbeing, working with the plants is a wonderful way of building up communities – and it happens out in the field in places like Nepal as well as here in Leith.
“Getting people to engage with plants is not just about conservation and research, it is also about helping individuals and communities.”