RBGE's Deputy Director of Horticulture, David Paterson, has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours for services to UK-China co-operation on conservation. David is project manager of the Lijiang Field Station and Botanic Garden in Yunnan Province, south-west China, a joint plant conservation initiative by RBGE and the Kunming Institute of Botany.
Acknowledging his award, announced on the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List, Paterson says it comes at an important juncture for the Lijiang project - the Scottish-Chinese collaboration has entered the next stage of its 20-year challenge to establish an operational botanic garden on the Yulong Xue Shan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain). "I may be picking-up this award, but it is all about a team effort and the efforts of a unique group of people," he commented.
George Anderson, retired Head of the RBGE School of Horticulture and current President of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, was also awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours for services to horticultural education.