Interview: China increasingly significant in global biodiversity conservation, says British plant charity

by Xinhua writers Zhao Jiasong, Yu Aicen

LONDON, May 22 (Xinhua) -- China's rich plant diversity and expanding botanic garden network are giving the country an increasingly important role in global biodiversity conservation, the new secretary general of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) has said.

Carly Cowell, who took up the post earlier this month, made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua in London ahead of the International Day for Biological Diversity on Friday.

China has made notable progress in plant conservation, botanic garden development, scientific capacity-building and international cooperation, Cowell said, adding that its experience offers useful references for the wider botanic garden community.

In an era of biodiversity loss, she said, botanic gardens are among the institutions best placed to identify threatened species, understand where they occur, conserve them and help restore their populations.

Home to about 10 percent of the world's higher plant species, China is supporting botanic gardens to conserve, study and better understand its flora, including the roughly 15 percent of native species considered threatened, while also supporting countries facing similar conservation challenges, Cowell said.

"The work that China is doing, and the work that botanic gardens in China are doing, is really significant in this global community for plant conservation," she said.

Recalling her visits to China, Cowell said the country's vast ecological and geographic diversity struck her the most. That diversity is reflected in its botanic gardens, each with expertise shaped by local environments and research strengths, she said, noting that she saw a strong sense of pride among Chinese scientists, horticulturists and conservation practitioners in the country's natural heritage.

"Whether it is a germplasm researcher, someone doing DNA sequencing, or a horticulturist testing propagation protocols, I have seen the same love and pride in China's plants, and the same passion to see them thrive and grow," she said.

Thanks to strong government support for science and plant conservation, China's botanic gardens have done significant work in restoration, mapping critically endangered tree species, working with local communities, cultivating threatened species and reintroducing them into both botanic gardens and natural habitats, she said.

"The advances have been huge in China," Cowell said, citing developments in data, artificial intelligence and related technologies that help streamline conservation work, which she said the wider BGCI network can learn from.

Seed banking and germplasm conservation are other areas where China plays an important role, Cowell said. She noted that China maintains seed banks for its own plant material and is also helping other countries establish seed banks and share seeds for long-term conservation.

"What has been wonderful to see is not just the sharing of material, but the sharing of expertise -- how to collect seed, clean it, store it and grow it," she said. "Without the participation of China, it would not be as effective. It would not be global."

Looking ahead, Cowell said botanic gardens in China and elsewhere can pay closer attention to conservation horticulture, genetic diversity, urban greening and pest and disease monitoring.

"China's biodiversity conservation is advancing. There is support at many levels for biodiversity conservation in China," Cowell said.

Noting that the BGCI has an office in China, Cowell said, "We are excited about our collaboration with Chinese gardens continuing into the future." Enditem