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The Andean Project, Chile

The Andean Project aims to help maintain the culture of the mountain peoples of the Andes, restoring and improving their traditional agricultural, pastoral and croft skills, and using research and marketing projects to promote self-help.

The most important activity of the project is the creation of a Botanical Garden in San Pedro de Atacama, to develop methods for conservation and management of medicinal plants and species which are used locally for their healing properties; safeguarding amd restoring plant species threated by extinction, biological control of agricultural pests, recuperation of the Andean irrigation systems and cultivation techniques and improvement and development of vegetable and plant varieties that must resist high salinity and water stress.

The Andean Project has received backing of senior members of the Chilean government and of the FAO. The Eden Project has also played an important role in assisting the project, by creating the Botanical Garden design. The Project has a committee based in London, where it is both a Registered Charity 01913022 and a Company limited by Guarantee, with the equivalent legal status in Chile.

BGCI Study on CITES and Medicinal Plants

A study on the role of botanic gardens in managing the medicinal plants in CITES, has been undertaken by a MSc student from Imperial College London in association with BGCI.

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