People
Williams, China
| Job Title | CBD Education Officer |
|---|---|
| Department | Herbarium |
| Section | Dicot Systematics |
| Science Teams |
Conventions and Policies |
| Joined Kew | 2001 |
| Foreign Language(s) | French. |
Qualifications & Appointments
MA, Edinburgh Univ., 1991
Dip. Law, City Univ., 1993
Called to the Bar, 1994
LLM, SOAS, London Univ., 1998.
Role
Application of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at Kew and training of staff and partners.
Research into implications of the CBD on the work of Kew and botanic gardens in general. Providing support for Kew staff and partners in implementing the CBD, particularly its provisions on access and benefit-sharing (ABS). This has included the development of a staff intranet guide and model documents and agreements for use across the institution. Work with UK government, particularly Defra, includes preparing for and attending international meetings. Working with the wider botanic garden community to create guidelines for best practice in access to genetic resources and fair and equitable benefit-sharing. Working with BGCI and University of Bonn Botanic Garden to create a website providing guidance and case studies on best practice. Preparation of ‘The CBD for Botanists: an introduction to the Convention on Biological Diversity for people working with botanical collections’. This takes the form of a presentation pack and CDRom, is available in English, French and Spanish and has been widely distributed. Developing education and training modules on the CBD and its implementation in botanic gardens for Kew staff, and also for students on the Kew Horticultural Diploma, on International Diploma courses and other University courses in the UK and abroad.
Projects
Conservation and Monitoring of Meso-American Orchids
DNA Banking, Phylogeny and Conservation of the South African Flora
Selected Publications 2001-2005
Latorre García, F., Williams, C., ten Kate, K., & Cheyne, P. (2001). Results of the pilot project for botanical gardens: principles on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing, common policy guidelines to assist with their implementation and explanatory text. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 83 pp.
Williams, C. (2001). The principles on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing: a pilot project for botanic gardens. Botanic Gardens Conservation News 3(7): 32-34.
Williams, C., Davis, K. & Cheyne, P. (2003). The CBD for Botanists: an introduction to the Convention on Biological Diversity for people working with botanical collections. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Darwin Initiative. 94 pp + CD-ROM. (available in English, French and Spanish).
Selected Publications pre-2001
ten Kate, K. & Williams, C. (1999) Common policy guidelines for participating botanic gardens on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing. Submission by the Government of the United Kingdom to the Intersessional Meeting of the Operations of the Convention, UNEP/CBD/ISOC/INF.2, Montreal, 28-30 June 1999.