Curator

**NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDEN OF WALES**

The National Botanic Garden of Wales (the Garden) is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity dedicated to the research and conservation of biodiversity, to sustainability, lifelong learning and the inspiration of our visitors and the wider community.

Officially opened in 2000 the Garden is a national treasure, and this bilingual institution and premier tourist attraction is loved and cherished by all that visit. The Garden attracts around 170,000 visitors each year and plays a key role in the region’s tourism and visitor economy.

The Great Glasshouse, designed by Lord Norman Foster and Associates, is the largest single-span great glasshouse in the world and one of Wales’ most iconic landmarks.

NBGW is also respected around the world for the role it plays conserving and protecting some of the most threatened plants on the planet and valued for its efforts in improving the health and wellbeing of the people and communities of Wales. The NBGW is the first botanic garden in the United Kingdom to be recognised by Botanic Gardens Conservation International with all three levels of conservation accreditation, including Advanced Conservation Practitioner, being awarded.

The Garden emerges from the pandemic as a multi award winning site, including the Institute of Chartered Engineers (ICE) People’s Choice Award for its restored historic landscape, and with an enhanced reputation as an international centre for horticulture, science, conservation and sustainability. As a centre of excellence in conservation and research, the National Botanic Garden of Wales provides funded apprenticeships, training opportunities and extensive school programmes. Our collections and research are part of a global community of botanic gardens - playing for Wales on a world stage. We have a vital role in making discoveries and providing training and knowledge transfer for the benefit of people, wildlife and the environment. Together with universities, the Welsh Government and non-government partners, various disciplines are being brought together to make new discoveries that combat the loss of biodiversity. For example, our Saving Pollinators research uses DNA barcoding to track those plant species that pollinators use and our findings form the foundation for our advisory services and training on the conservation of pollinators.

With around 100 staff, 200 volunteers and 16,000 members, the National Botanic Garden of Wales is a vibrant passionate community of people dedicated to make an impact with everything we do

**OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES**
The Garden’s 10 Year Strategic Plan is available on request and is summarised below:
**Vision**

A world that values biodiversity, protects plants and the planet.

**Mission**

The National Botanic Garden of Wales is dedicated to the research and conservation of biodiversity, to sustainability, lifelong learning and the enjoyment of the visitor.

**Strategic Objectives**

1. Be an internationally renowned centre for biodiversity conservation and research.

2. Develop and maintain the horticultural and other collections to the highest curatorial and presentational standards.

4. Be a successful visitor destination of international standing that contributes to the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales.

5. As an iconic Welsh institution, contribute to promoting the status and recognition of Wales at an international level.

6. Continue to build and secure a financially sustainable organisation to maximise delivery of the core mission activity of the Botanic Garden.

The role of the Curator is central to the delivery of the Garden’s mission, and as an ambassador for the Garden within the botanical, horticultural, heritage and educational arenas.

**HORTICULTURE AND ESTATE**
The National Botanic Garden of Wales has conservation accreditation through Botanic Gardens Conservation International and delivers world-class research, conservation, education and horticulture on behalf of Wales. The 568-acre estate features diverse plant collections grown in a range of environments, including the largest single-span glasshouse in the world, the Great Glasshouse, which contains an outstanding collection of Mediterranean climate plants. A series of themed areas exhibit the diversity of plants to visitors, including the native Welsh plants, Wallace,
Boulder, and Apothecary gardens. The historic double-walled garden contains a systematics garden, as well as a demonstration vegetable garden. The formal garden is encompassed by Waun Las National Nature Reserve. The Reserve is a diverse landscape including certified organic farmland, woodlands and historic designed parkland.

The _ex-situ _and _in-situ _collections are curated using the IrisBG system and are a cornerstone of the conservation, research and education programmes of the organisation.

The horticulture team consists of the Curator and 20 full and part-time staff o