We are delighted to welcome Campus Naturaleza – a pioneering conservation initiative at the University of Concepción, located approximately 500 km south of Santiago, Chile as a new CUBG conservation partner.
This new partnership builds on CUBG’s active relationships with international botanical institutions, including Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa and Zagreb University Botanical Garden, Croatia – with the aim of fostering meaningful, reciprocal collaborations that enhance the diversity and value of our collections for research, conservation and education. It also supports our global partners in achieving their own conservation goals.
Campus Naturaleza, which translates as ‘Nature Campus’, is a visionary project dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Chile’s native ecosystems. It integrates ecological restoration, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, biocultural education and human wellbeing – all rooted in science and community engagement.
CUBG and Campus Naturaleza plan to embark on long-term projects focused on collecting seeds, plant material and ecological data in Chile. The partnership will also support Campus Naturaleza’s efforts to conserve plant species in Concepción through its restoration and conservation programmes. It also aims to conserve species from Chile through ex-situ collections.
As part of the collaboration, CUBG will bring back seeds of key species to grow at CUBG, creating a display of Chilean flora that highlights and supports the innovative ongoing conservation at Campus Naturaleza. This collections will contribute to ex-situ conservation and support future research into Chile’s extraordinary flora.
“We have long been interested in exploring the feasibility of cultivating Chilean plant species as part of our long-term climate change adaptation strategies. Campus Naturaleza represents an inspiring model from which the world can learn, and it is a privilege to be part of the journey initiated by Professor Cristian Echeverría Leal and his colleagues.”
Seed collecting expedition in Chile - meet the team
In March, CUBG’s Expedition Botanist, Matthew Jeffery, and Glasshouse Team Leader, Luigi Leoni, worked alongside Campus Naturaleza’s other collaborators from Oslo and Gothenburg Botanic Gardens on a seed‑collecting expedition across several regions in Chile. They focused mainly on the Andean Mediterranean temperate deciduous Nothofagus forest.
Matthew was particularly excited to explore this area, as it spans a wide range of climates and landscapes — from cooler moist temperate forest to Mediterranean lowlands and dry alpine peaks. This diversity offers a rare chance to find plants that may be well adapted to the current and future climate conditions in Cambridge.
The varied landscapes where plant collecting took place
“Together with CUBG, we are projecting a model of international cooperation based on evidence, reciprocity and a vision for the future”.
Last summer, Dr. Cristian Echeverría Leal, Academic of Forest Sciences and Director of Campus Naturaleza, visited CUBG and toured our Herbarium and plant propagation facilities. He exchanged ideas with our team on plant conservation, education and research – sharing each organisation’s aims and exploring how our aspirations align.
Dr. Echeverría Leal commented:
“This alliance with CUBG represents a decisive step in the internationalisation of Campus Naturaleza UdeC. It is not just about exchanging seeds or technical knowledge, but about building a long-term scientific collaboration that strengthens the conservation of chilean flora from a global perspective. From southern Chile, we contribute territory, experience in ecological restoration and community commitment; together with CUBG, we are projecting a model of international cooperation based on evidence, reciprocity and a vision for the future”.
He added, “Chile is a biodiversity hotspot with high levels of endemism and growing vulnerability to climate change and human pressures. International partnerships are essential to strengthen the generation of applied knowledge. This collaboration with CUBG allows us to project Chilean flora onto global ex situ conservation scenarios, while advancing ecosystem restoration”.
Examples of plants collected that are well suited to the Cambridge climate
As nature faces mounting threats, botanic gardens are increasingly recognising their role in facilitating in-country conservation and research across diverse species and habitats. We’re excited about the potential to grow representative Chilean species here in the Garden – expanding our ex-situ conservation efforts and contributing to future research on Chile’s rich and diverse flora.
