City garden staff to nurture hope in war zone

IT is a garden which is set to blossom in one of the most hostile environments in the world.

Staff from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh have been working to set up a new botanic garden in war-torn Afghanistan.

They recently returned from a trip to examine the site and provide expert advice to local students and horticulturalists.

They now hope staff from Kabul University's agriculture faculty will soon be able to visit Edinburgh for further training.

Tony Miller, the RBGE's expert on the flora of Arabia, and Matthew Hall, an expert in Middle East plants, were among the staff who travelled to Kabul recently to oversee the project.

Mr Hall said there was very encouraging progress being made on the site of the garden.

"There is a lot of enthusiasm for the project there, and while Afghanistan might look like a very dry, barren place, it in fact has a rich diversity of flora, with estimates suggesting there are about 5,000 species native to the country, a lot of which have yet to be fully studied," he said.

"The site chosen for the garden is ideal for growing most of the plants, although some of the mountain species may require specialist facilities.

"We are currently looking at providing short training courses for staff over there about how to set up the garden, and we are hopeful that at some point in the future staff can come over to Edinburgh to visit the garden here."

The patch of land where flowers and trees will eventually form the heart of the garden is currently looking barren as it is winter in Afghanistan.

The uncultivated ground will soon flourish, however, and space for greenhouses and flower beds is already being sketched out.

Mohammad Yasin Mohsini, Dean of Kabul University's agriculture faculty, said the garden would be a popular asset to the campus and an essential resource for students across several disciplines.

"The plan is under way but is far from being completed, so we appreciate help from foreign institutions," he said. "We need a botanical garden to teach horticulture, as well as forestry, biology and even medicinal studies."

The creation of the garden would help restart research into local plant life, which has been effectively stopped for over 30 years due to the ongoing conflicts.

It will provide an important resource for students, particularly those interested in medicinal plants, as well as a garden for the public to visit.

Mr Hall said despite the ongoing conflict – which saw a local hotel attacked by suicide bombers during their stay – the city generally felt very safe.

"Obviously the attack was quite concerning, but it didn't happen anywhere near us and, generally, the feeling around the capital is that it is a very safe place," he said.

"Unfortunately I wasn't able to get out to the country to study some of the local wild plants, but I am hopeful that next time I go back that will be a possibility."