Julia Willison

Julia is Director of Education for Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and a member of the BGEN committee.

How long have you been working with plants and the natural world?

Since the late 1980s, which makes it more than 20 years!

Why is helping to connect people and plants important to you?

The truth that plants underpin all our terrestrial ecosystems has made me aware of the deep responsibility we have towards stewarding the earth carefully - for us now and for future generations. Plants can live without us but we can’t live without plants! We are experiencing the sixth extinction and there’s no getting away from it, we are the cause. Connecting people and plants is critical to our future survival.

Tell us about a project you're really proud to have been involved in.

I lead the Growing the social role of botanic gardens project, which is about encouraging gardens to examine their social role and embed a more socially inclusive philosophy in their working practices. Our aim is for gardens to engage with wider social audiences and contribute towards positive social change and environmental awareness about climate change. This is new work in the sector and something I’m proud to be involved in.

Like Gail Bromley from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, I'm also proud of establishing the International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education. This unique course has been running since 1992 and we have had the privilege to train staff in more than 50 botanic gardens worldwide. We are also fortunate to count on the support of several BGEN members who run training sessions on the course. It’s amazing to think that this course is helping gardens to more effectively engage with hundreds of thousands of children and adults in plant conservation.

Finally, what is your favourite plant?

This is a very difficult question as I love so many plants. However, the genus Prunus is one of my favourites – cherry, peach, plums, apricots – not only do they have delicious fruit, they also produce the most wonderful blossom.