Capacity building and training in developing countries

Sharing our expertise to further global knowledge

The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is one of our oldest continuing research institutions. The research our scientific experts conduct is fundamental in the global knowledge about botany, ecology and conservation. Our teams have discovered critical and unique information about our environment and we use this expertise to build capacity and train those in developing countries.
 

Tropical diseases – sharing knowledge in French Polynesia

Our resident fungi and disease expert, Senior Research Scientist in Plant Pathology, Dr Edward Liew has produced, shared and collaborated on some of the world’s leading research in plant diseases.
 
In recent years Dr Liew has participated in some fascinating pathogen studies including a global project following the etiology, epidemiology and pathogen diversity of the vanilla stem and root rot disease. This led him to offer his expert advice to students enrolled in l’Universite Paris Sud, based in French Polynesia.  
 

Biodiversity of Papua New Guinea

Shelley James, Manager Collections of the National Herbarium of NSW has focused her research on the biodiversity and biogeography of the flora of the Pacific and Melanesia.
 
Collaborating with the botanists and collections staff at the PNG National Herbarium, Shelley has been helping to generate and share plant diversity and collections data from Papua New Guinea to assist with the understanding and protection of the flora of the region. The National Herbarium of NSW shares information through the Australasian Virtual Herbarium and the PNG Plants database and website.
 

Regional capacity building

In recent years, Seed Bank Curator has delivered training in Vietnam, Laos and New Zealand. As countries develop their own Botanic Gardens and Conservation networks they can benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the Royal Botanic Gardens staff. In late 2017 Graeme Errington contributed to a specialist seed conservation course to assist New Zealand conservationists with the response to a new plant disease incursion.
 
Our team share their expertise across developing countries around the world, building capacity, supporting learning and training local scientists in the best ways to understand and conserve their flora.