The Biocultural Education and Research Programme, in partnership with Andromeda Botanic Gardens and Coco Hill Forest, will host the third edition of the biennial symposium Plants and Planting for the Future, April 11th -15th, in Barbados. The symposium aims to bring researchers, and professionals, in the fields of ethnobotany, ethnomedicine, drug discovery, food systems and biocultural traditions, together for vibrant exchange and to also share with an interested general audience. Barbados, the most easterly of the islands in the Caribbean archipelago, brings a unique topography, history, and culture for exploration.

Andromeda Botanic Gardens is the most plant diverse site on the island, being home to over 500 species. The newly installed Ethnobotanical Garden will enhance the biodiversity with the introduction of indigenous species including many medicinals. Coco Hill Forest is a developing food forest with the mission of addressing issues of food security and protecting, while building back, the biodiversity that was lost to sugar cane monoculture. Among the species you will see at Coco Hill are bamboo groves, royal palms, indigenous tree ferns, various species of coconuts and bananas, coffee, cocoa, pineapples.