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| The 3rd Global Botanic Gardens Congress opens in Wuhan, China |
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The 3rd Global Botanic Gardens Congress has opened in Wuhan, China. Following a wonderful evening of fireworks and celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of BGCI and the 50th anniversary of the Wuhan Botanical Garden, the scientific programme is now underway.
The opening ceremony, chaired by the Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Chen, included among others, welcomes from the Mayor of the City of Wuhan, Mr Li, the Chair of BGCI’s Board of Directors, Baroness Walmsley and the Vice Chair of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
The opening plenary address was provided by Professor Peter Raven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden who introduced us to the exciting concept of a World Plant Database. This was followed by a presentation on the status of the Chinese Strategy for Plant Conservation, a strategy that is nearing completion and is being developed as China’s national response to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. The final plenary of the first day of the congress was provided by Dr Wijnstekers, the Secretary-General of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), which concentrated on the role of CITES in ensuring sustainability in the international timber trade.
The scientific sessions of the congress have now started in earnest, and delegates are presenting their latest results and discussing key issues around the general theme of the congress – building a sustainable future. One of the main concerns of the congress is to assess progress towards the targets of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.
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