The UN predicts that two out of three people will live in cities by 2050. But will these cities be good places to live? And can they ‘do good’ to our living planet? Our research project – The Good City – aims to find out…
Next to the Front Range and within sight of the Library and Herbarium two small squares of lawn have been transformed into flower-rich ‘living lawns’ as part of…
As the second BioBlitz approaches on 9 June our thoughts are turning to the wild plants and animals that find a home at the Botanics. An incredible 999…
Could you identify these pollinators? A brand new, free, online course launches in March 2018. ‘Keep Edinburgh Buzzing’ is a joint venture between the Royal Botanic Garden in…
Leonie Alexander of Edinburgh Living Landscape writes: One of the best times to visit the Garden is after hours and on three recent consecutive nights I came…
Lichens are extraordinary organisms. Easily overlooked, and often un-noticed by many people, lichens colonise trees and many other surfaces (walls, pavements, railings) in our urban areas. Did you…
Congratulations on completing your Lichens – Making the Invisible Visible Air Pollution Survey We hope you enjoyed the experience and that through exploring your local area in new…
Just one of the amazing things about lichens is… You don’t have to go to a tropical rainforest, the Caledonian Forest or the far west coast of Scotland…
Outdoor Air pollution Air pollution is a huge global environmental health issue, as recognised by the World Health Organisation. The air quality in Scotland is generally very good,…
The idea formed quite early on in my TCV Natural Talent Traineeship based at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to develop a specific tool kit to help people…
How a particularly grand piece of street furniture such as this one has not been captured on Google Maps I do not know… Almost invisible to the casual…
A trip to the borders ensued for this surveying site – with Peebles being my destination. After a beautiful but rather bumpy breezy trip on the front seat…
Under a glorious canopy of blossom I find the Stirling’s automatic air pollution monitoring station, (part of the Automatic Urban & Rural Network). A rather battered looking station,…
Some sites are very quick to survey. Unfortunately this isn’t a good thing. It’s quick only because there are literally NO LICHENS to survey. Trees surveyed in this…
As part of the Edinburgh Living Landscape (ELL), the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is exploring Lichens as Air Quality Indicators. This is a joint project between The Conservation…
Regularly hitting moderate levels for pollution, as monitored and recorded by the 91 Air Quality Monitoring Stations that are situated across Edinburgh and the central belt of Scotland,…