Science
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is an internationally renowned centre of excellence in plant biodiversity research and biodiversity conservation.
Our mission is “exploring and explaining the world of plants for a better future”.
Research and conservation work
Scientists and horticulturists at RBGE deliver a wide programme of research and conservation work on plant and fungal diversity. Our major goals are:
- To conserve plant biodiversity in the face of global environmental change and mass extinction,
- To provide baseline taxonomic/botanical data as a foundation science,
- To understand the evolutionary processes that have given rise to the world's botanical diversity.
Director of Science: Prof Pete Hollingsworth
Deputy Director of Science: Dr David Harris
Our programmes:
Our four scientific research programmes are Tropical Diversity, Major Floras, Genetics & Conservation, and Cryptogamic Plants & Fungi.
Our themes:
The three main cross-cutting themes of our science work are Scottish Biodiversity, Plants & Climate Change, and Conservation.
Our resources:
Herbarium, Research Plant Collections, Library & Archives, and Scientific & Technical Services. Several databases are searchable on this site.