Botanical Gardens and Their Role in Plant Conservation (PDF)

David Galbraith completing his B.Sc. and M.Sc. at University of Guelph and Ph.D. at Queen's University at Kingston, in Canada. His early research focused on evolutionary ecology of aquatic vertebrates. Following a post-doctoral fellowship in Canterbury, England, he served as executive director and curator of a small AZA-accredited center for endangered wildlife species conservation. In 1995 he joined Royal Botanical Gardens (Canada) to develop biodiversity projects among botanical gardens across Canada in response to the Convention on Biological Diversity. In 2006 he was appointed RBG's Head of Science, overseeing library, archives, and herbarium, research, and use of RBG resources by outside researchers. He has published many contributions on conservation policy, management, and history of botanical gardens. In 2002 Dr. Galbraith was honored by the American Public Gardens Association with their annual Professional Citation for his innovative work in public horticulture. He was named Hamilton Environmentalist of the Year in 2010 for his efforts to protect nature. Dr. Galbraith has always been passionately engaged in biology, history, cultural heritage, and the arts, and is fascinated by how all of these intersect within botanical gardens. He is an adjunct biology professor at McMaster University, a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and a Fellow International of the Explorers Club.