On February 6, 2025, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh went to visit the National Botanical Garden, Godavari, Nepal. The royal couple were in Nepal to celebrate the close ties between the two countries and reinforce their shared interests in youth opportunity, healthcare, equality for women and girls and, conservation and biodiversity. During the visit, they planted a magnolia sapling in the garden next to two trees that were planted by the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1986. While the couple were at the Garden, representatives from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh launched a new botanical training scheme that will equip Nepali horticulturists with cultivation techniques to conserve biodiversity.
The training programme was funded by a generous donation from a Nepali benefactor with deep family ties to Scotland and Nepal. This donation will enable Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to deliver a certified course to 16 Nepali horticulturists in collaboration with the Government of Nepal’s Department of Plant Resources, who manage the National Botanical Garden. The course will introduce professional methods and techniques for the cultivation of ex-situ plant collections. These skills can then be applied to conservation efforts in the region.
Image: RBGE's Mark Watson with Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Hon. Rupa Bishwakarma, Minister of State for Forests and Environment of Nepal.
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s strong connection to Nepal dates back to the early 19th century. Dr Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, an Edinburgh-trained medic, made the first scientific collections of plants in Nepal, recording over 1,200 species, and his material is the starting point of botanical research in the country today.
The Department of Plant Resources and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh have a long history of collaboration. For over 25 years, botanists from both Gardens have been collaborating on the Flora of Nepal, a comprehensive record of Nepal’s diverse array of plants. This documentation provides data that underpins conservation and sustainable plant resource use, such as environmental studies, climate change modelling and conservation planning. The Flora of Nepal is also in collaboration with other national and international partners such as the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology and Tribhuvan University. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh also works with partners in Nepal on restoring degraded forest, combating invasive alien species and working with villagers and community forest user groups in sustainable development.