Meet the Task Force

Paul Smith

Secretary General, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)

paul.smith[at]bgci.org

Paul is the Secretary General of the BGCI, which coordinates and monitors the progress of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, the first target-oriented work programme of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

With a career spanning 30 years working in conservation and botanic gardens, Paul has trained as a plant ecologist and is a specialist in the plants and vegetation of southern Africa. He chairs Forestry England’s Arboreta Advisory Committee and is a Trustee of the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

Paul is the recipient of the New England Wildflower Society’s Medal for Services to International Plant Conservation and the David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration.