Dr Paulina Hechenleitner V.
Paulina is a plant taxonomist and conservation horticulturist specializing in Chilean flora, including the Juan Fernández Archipelago, and more recently, Peru. She has been a research associate for over 22 years (2003). She was the first Chilean awarded a six-month horticultural scholarship at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (2001) and the first Chilean MSc student in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants at RBGE (2006–2007).
Based in West Sussex near Nymans and Wakehurst, she leads collaborative conservation projects through RBGE, Logan Botanic Garden, and Wakehurst. Formerly directing Science and Education initiatives at Jardín Botánico VerdeNativo (JBVN), she continues to support international research, horticultural student placements at JBVN, and the implementation of The Global Biodiversity Standard (BGCI) in Chile. She is a member of the BGCI Global Conservation Consortium for Nothofagus and Conifers, co-founder and UK Steering Director of Fundación Chilco, and serves on the Steering Committees of Huarango Nature and the Plant Records Committee of Red Chilena de Jardines Botánicos (ReChJAB).