One World

This week has been extremely busy and intense! Dinner in Wuhan with Kang was delicious. It was definitely the best food I've had so far. And wonderful company!

Tuesday's sessions were primarily about plant conservation issues with climate change. The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) has 16 targets and goals associated with things like deforestation and habitat destruction. But when they were written just a couple of years ago, global climate change was not the threat that the scientific community sees it as today. Now many plant conservations and ecologists are realizing that a much bigger number of plants need to be protected for the future because of the amount of unknowns associated with our changing climate. This called for much debate and heated discussions! The director of the Forest Research Institute in Malaysia expressed his concerns for the 3rd world, or developing, countries and their ability to meet any of the goals set out by GSPC. But Stephen Blackmore, Regius Keeper at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, reminded us all that it is dangerous to use terms like "3rd world" when discussing plant conservation. In his eyes, we are one world. I took from this the idea that we must work together at all levels, as individuals and governments to protect our only planet through the conservation of plants and therin the future of humanity. In the words of Dr. Stephen Hopper this morning, "Act globally, think locally."

After another delicious dinner in Wuhan with Kang a group of us went back to the hotel for drinks and further discussions of climate change. A horticulturist from the UK says much of Europe is optimistic about the ability for humanity to make a change in the positive direction because they have seen their governments make changes that have helped. Things like taxing cars, fuel, renewable energy and recycling have really improved their way of life. Several Americans at the table expressed their feeling of doom-that the damage to our earth is irreversible and humanity is on an unstoppable path to its own destruction. Others remarked that much of the world blames America for the amount of greenhouse gases that are significantly contributing to climate change-and yet it is Americans who seem the most pessimistic for change. Maybe we are the ones who actually have the chance to make the most change.

We also had a North American meeting where David Galbraith handed out the North American Plant for Plant Conservation, which is really a reiteration of the global strategy. It will be launched sometime in the next month or so, with perhaps something formal at this year's AAPGA meeting in Washington, D.C. in June.

Yesterday was a day off of the conference and a day tour in Wuhan. The botanical garden was beautiful, but I wish I'd had more time there. I hope to go back tomorrow if I can find some time. And last night was a formal banquet and then an acrobatic show for the delegates. It was amazing.

3rd Global Botanic Gardens Congress

Yesterday we left our tour guide, Katy, and flew to Wuhan. Our plane was a little late, so we missed the opening ceremony at the Wuhan Botanical Garden. We'll be back there on Wednesday, though. I'm staying at the hotel right across the street from the conference.

This morning's opening comments were inspiring to say the least! There are dozens of journalists covering this event. When we arrived there was even a red carpet. It is hard for me to describe in this blog the energy and excitement here. There are people here from all over the world. Joan Walmsley, the Chair of the BGCI Board gave the most exciting opening speech. She reminded everyone in the room that the world's greatest challenge right now is our own making. The rate of plant, animal and clean water destruction is our own doing. Our future wars will not be about land or religion, but rather about water. She told us all in the room that because politicians are solely focused on reducing emissions, and not understanding the fragility of ecosystems the way botanists, conservationists and horticulturists do, that we must all become politicians. We must devote our time and work in influencing the government officials around the world about the true meaning of conservation and sustainability. How exciting! I couldn't believe I was in the same room with all of these people. She announced the possibility for the next Conference in 2010 to be in Dublin, Ireland. Although she said this isn't finalized and that other countries should discuss and submit their application. Philadelphia anyone???!!! She also announced the opening of a BGCI office in China. The details haven't been worked out, but this was really exciting news.

After the opening remarks I met an American who commented on how lucky I was to be here at such a young age. I'm definitely one of the youngest people here! He said he'd wished he had the opportunity to go to something like this 23 years ago when he first started his career in horticulture. He is headed on a plant exploration trip in Southern China after the conference. There are just so many interesting and exciting people here!

I met up with Claire and she introduced me to Kang! Many of you may remember him from his time at the Scott Arboretum. He showed us pictures of his new baby. He seems like a wonderful person and I'm looking forward to spending more time with him this week.

This afternoon's topics were about various networks of botanic gardens around the world and their history. Steven Clemants from BBG also spoke about The North American Botanical Garden Strategy for Plant Conservation and its role in conserving plant diversity. We will get a copy of this tomorrow at the North American regional meeting. I also met David Galbraith, who is the chair for the North American Partnership for Plant Conservation. He works a the Royal Botanic Gardens in Hamilton, Canada. We learned about various plant networks globally, including two in both South East Asia (SEABG) and East Asia.

After break I attended a workshop on managing living collections for conservation using technology. Several great speakers talked about databases and collaborations around the world. Mike O'Neal and Kerry Walter from BG-Base spoke about their tool. David Aplin of the National Botanic Garden of Belgium spoke to us about the use of bar codes in his garden. He encouraged us all to implement this technology in our gardens to ensure quick and accurate data collection and retrieval. Exciting!

Tonight: dinner in Wuhan with Kang! Today was a wonderful start to the Congress.

Magnolia Conservation

A new report published by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and another organization called the Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has identified 131 wild magnolias that are in danger of extinction. Worldwide, there are 245 species. You can download the report, titled the Red List of the Magnoliaceae from BGCI. Here's the link:
Download the Red List of the Magnoliaceae

Listen to Sara Oldfield, Secretary General of BGCI, on NPR's All Things Considered.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9453862

At the conference this week, the BGCI will be launching China's Strategy for Plant Conservation which will hopefully strengthen the conservation efforts of Chinese magnolias. I am so excited to be a part of this conference! The Red List report shows the amazing amount of work that BGCI has already done in developing a strategy for the conservation of Magnoliaceae. I look forward to posting additional information that I learn from the conference concerning this work.

Also, for more information on Magnolias, check out the Magnolia Society International website:
http://www.magnoliasociety.org/

The Great Wall, Beijing Botanical Garden

Yesterday we started off with a long ride out of the city of Beijing to the Great Wall of China. We visited just a small section of it by going on a really beautiful gondola ride. It was so crowded on the wall that a couple of us took a dirt road path to avoid the crowds. And when I say crowds here, I mean crowds!! Thousands and thousands of people scrambling up areas that were so steep they didn't even have steps. It was amazing.

After lunch it we were off to the Ming Tombs. This is an underground burial space with 13 tombs spread over 15 square miles during the Ming Dynasty. The most beautiful spot in this area was known as the Sacred Way, which is a very long walkway leading up to the Ming Tombs. This area was landscaped with an allee of weeping willows that had their newest, greenest leaves on. The weather has been absolutely perfect here. Since I've been here I've seen several types of trees leaf out and every day feels warmer and more like spring. I'm looking forward to seeing what the weather is like in Wuhan.

Today was another really busy day starting off with a quick trip to visit the Pandas in the Beijing zoo. I'm traveling with the Director of Horticulture at the San Diego Zoo, so it was really interesting to hear his perspective on what we were seeing. He spoke of the difficulties in zoo horticulture, such as soil compaction within the habitats and building sound structures for the animals that also blend into the landscaped habitats. The animals and horticulture were beautiful, but I couldn't help but wish I was viewing the Pandas in a more authentic environment. Perhaps in Yunnan province...

We also visited the Summer Palace, which was the summer home for the emperor. It was an amazingly beautiful spot with a huge lake that we took a ferry ride across. After lunch we were off to the Beijing Botanical Garden. We were all really excited about this part of the trip. Apparently, so were all 15 million Chinese who live in Beijing! So maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but today was a special day when all of the flowering peaches were opening. So it was a popular place to be. It felt a little bit like the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in terms of how many people were there. I spent most of the time in the Conservatory which was really huge with some amazing features.

And tonight we saw the Peking Opera! What a sight! The costumes and makeup alone were breath-taking. The acrobatic feats were unbelievable. I really couldn't believe my eyes.

Tomorrow we have a few spots to visit in the morning and then we are off to Wuhan for the reception party at the Wuhan Botanical Garden for next week's conference. I'm looking forward to meeting up with Claire and hearing how her time was in Shanghai. The pictures are of the Sacred Way at the Ming Tombs, The Great Wall of China and our tour guide, Katy (Yen), at the Beijing Botanical Garden.

Beijing

Today was absolutely jam packed! We started off with breakfast at the hotel, which was a buffet with both Chinese and western food. Although I couldn't really say which of the options was western! The kiwi fruit juice was the highlight for me. Then it was off to Tian'an Men Square. The traffic was unbelievable. There are an estimated 2 million cars on the road, with new ones being added each day. And although it looks there are no traffic laws at all, our tour guide assured us that there are 3 things that any Chinese driver must have: skill, patience and luck!

Our tour guide had plenty of time to talk to us about Beijing while we waited in traffic. One of the funnier things that she said was how important it was for our group to stay together and not get lost because to her we all look the same (with "big noses"!). It was an overcast and slightly rainy morning in Tian'an Men Square. We then made our way to the Forbidden City, which was completely amazing and huge. A person could easily spend 3 days exploring the over 8,000 rooms, but we had only this morning to check out the highlights. My favorite part was the Imperial Garden. I wish we could have spent more time there, as it was the most interesting to me. But I got some good information and pictures:

We also saw the Temple of Heaven which is one of the largest temple complexes in China. The emperor made all of his sacrifices here, at The Round Altar. Which, not surprisingly, is a tourist's favorite photo op. In addition to the incredible Temple, it is also a park where Chinese people practice tai ji quan ("Supreme Ultimate Fist"), which is a graceful form of kung fu, in the morning and afternoon. Many people were there relaxing, singing, playing music and various games.

We experienced a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. And then dinner at the restaurant where Peking Duck originated. They cut the duck into 108 pieces, no more no less. Numbers play a very big part in Chinese culture.

I've taken tons of photos and will be posting them soon hopefully! The entire website is in Chinese characters so I've got a bit of a learning curve. Tomorrow we are off to the Great Wall and then the Beijing Opera.

Greetings from Beijing!

I arrived to Beijing safe and sound this afternoon. A very uneventful plane ride was followed by an extremely exciting taxi ride to the hotel! Every inch was gardened in some way. The highway was lined with literally thousands of containers growing colorful annuals. They all seemed to be connected to a drip irrigation line.

I met some of the other tour participants for dinner this evening and so far they are from Mexico, England, America and Slovakia. I can't wait to get to know them more over the next few days! My apologies for a quick entry today. I've been awake for 25 hours and I think it's time to end this day!

Tomorrow I hope to post pictures and details of the Forbidden City and more adventures in Beijing!

Trip preparations

Well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the wonderful nurse at the Worth Health Center here at Swarthmore, I'm not required to get any vaccinations before my trip to China! But to be on the safer side, I've gotten a tetanus shot and have started my Typhoid vaccination. The Arboretum has also given me the amazing privilege of using their top of the line camera to ensure quality photographs throughout my trip. So I'm brushing up on the operational details of the camera and hoping to try some new photo techniques before I head out.

I'm getting extremely excited! I haven't starting packing yet, but I plan to get a head start this weekend to make sure I've got all that I need.

Hopefully my next entry will be from Beijing! Until next time.