A new era for UK-Chile conservation partnerships has been welcomed following a series of visits around England and Scotland, culminating with a gathering at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), revealing a concentration of activities ranging from the cultivation of plant material for the restoration of native habitats, to formal education initiatives for horticulturists, and workshops in botanical art.

The announcements came during a visit to the UK by Chilean conservationist, Mónica Musalem, who was recently awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s prestigious Veitch Memorial Medal for her outstanding contribution to the advancement of science and practice of horticulture. Mónica has specialised in propagating and cultivating native species from Mediterranean Chile since the mid-1990s.

Accompanied by Josefina Hepp, associate founder of Fundación Chilco and a Research Associate of RBGE, and her colleague Bárbara Greene, Mónica was welcomed to the research institute by Regius Keeper Simon Milne. During an intensive day of meetings, the visitors were hosted by International Conifer Conservation Programme (ICCP) founder Martin Gardner.

The occasion also provided an opportunity to review work being undertaken by RBGE and Fundación Chilco, commissioning and coordinating baseline biodiversity studies, specifically in relation to the roles of Reserva Vodudahue and Fundación Alerce 3000 in establishing 21^st century conservation initiatives.

Recently returned from fieldwork in Chile, Head of ICCP Dr Hannah Wilson and Graeme MacDonald, a specialist in the propagation of Chilean plants, provided a tour of ex-situ conservation plantings in the RBGE Nursery, and also specimens planted out for visitor engagement in the main public Garden, taking an opportunity for Mónica to plant a Prumnopitys andina. In the Glasshouses, currently closed as part of the major Edinburgh Biomes restoration project, the group saw a range of tender Chilean plants including the highly threatened Valdivia gayana. Later, scientists displayed an extensive range of preserved Chilean specimens in the Herbarium.

Reflecting on the day, Mónica commented: “The depth and extent of the living and preserved collections at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, enhanced so much by its staff knowledge, has made a strong impression. I look forward to furthering collaborations and taking forward the conservation of Chilean plants, both in Chile and within the safe sites of RBGE”.

Martin Gardner, meanwhile, explained the importance of developing such collaborations: “From the very beginning of Mónica's illustrious career, her unrelenting passion for working with Chilean native plants has been unprecedented in influencing and promoting their use. She has led a revolution in the way they are incorporated in public and private spaces.

“In this pivotal moment, when we all must double down in our efforts to help conserve every vestige of our natural world, we need people like Mónica who have pioneered effective approaches to help conserve and utilise native species. We need a new sense of purpose and urgency to avert species from becoming extinct in the wild”.

Scientists and horticulturists from both countries now look forward to further collaborations between the three organisations, taking forward the conservation of Chilean plants both in Chile and at RBGE. Actions include advancement of new Safe Sites for Conservation (SSC) in Chile, which is using the ICCP as a model. This will involve working with both public lands and private landowners to establish plantings of some of Chile's most threatened species. The coming months will also see the progression of discussions on the establishment of a School of Horticulture in Chile and new book illustrating the endemic plants of Mediterranean Chile is also in the pipeline.