Two talks from The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh
Bhutan Through the Eyes of George Bogle: The First British Diplomat to Bhutan by Jamyang Choden
Jamyang explored the historic journey of George Bogle, the first British envoy sent in the late 18th century by the Governor General of the East India Company to Bhutan, en route to Tibet to establish diplomatic and trade relations. She also highlighted Bogle’s observations of Bhutan’s people, landscape and government at the time.
Jamyang works at the National Biodiversity Centre in Thimphu, currently residing in Edinburgh. During her time in the UK, she is engaged in digitising and transcribing George Bogle’s archival material and conducting an in-depth study of his writing, aiming to bring new insights into the important historical encounter.
Bhutan Then, Now, and Tomorrow: A Visual Journey - Tshering Dorji and Dr David Long
For centuries the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan remained unknown, which helped to keep its landscapes, architecture, traditions and culture extraordinarily intact. Modern development was initiated in 1961. The talk presented a visual journey of Bhutan’s development seen through its cultural and environmental landscapes.
Tshering Dorji is a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh (and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh) specialising in Bhutan’s grassland ecosystems. Tshering worked in various capacities in the Royal Government of Bhutan with his first placement as a plant collector for the National Herbarium and more recently as a forester in the Department of Forests and Park Services.
Dr David Long, based at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, is a taxonomist with expertise in bryophytes and in the vascular plant flora of the Sino-Himalayan region. He worked extensively in Bhutan as a plant collector since the 1970s. His work culminated in a 9-part Flora of Bhutan, which he co-edited.