Biodiversity life stories - people and plants

Local resident Sam Bridgewater is familar to the festival as Head of Conservation and Wildlife at the Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust.  Less well-known, perhaps, is that he previously spent 15 years as an academic researcher at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, and at the Natural History Museum, London.  

With his research hat on, Sam is co-author of Flora Celtica - Plants and People in Scotland (2013), which explores the wide variety of ways that native plants have been, and continue to be, used in Scotland.  The book is based on information given by the public, as well as on detailed research, and covers a wide range of plant uses.  It explores their diverse roles - in diet, healthcare, culture, housing, language, environment, crafts and more - and documents the continuously evolving relationship between the Scots and their natural environment.

Drawing on this wealth of knowledge, Sam's presentation will be based…