Peter Thomson

Manager, Botanic Garden 

What do you do?

I started working at Durham University Botanic Garden as a trainee in 1993 whilst training in horticulture locally at Houghall College. Once trained I joined the University in 1995 as a full time horticulturalist within the Botanic Garden. I was appointed Manager of the Botanic Garden in 2022.

In 2023 the Botanic Garden team were awarded "Outstanding Team" at the inaugural Professional Services Awards, also winning "Best tourist attraction" and achieving Gold in the Northumbria in Bloom awards that year.

How are you involved in this area of science? 

As a Botanic Garden I think we already do a lot of positive work towards achieving our Biodiversity targets, working alongside various other nature partnerships and encouraging schools, community groups, students and visitors to embrace biodiversity.

We are continually changing management procedures to benefit Biodiversity, such as taking part in "No-Mow-May", replacing pesticides in our greenhouses with Biological control, trialling various wildflower areas and altering areas we conservation graze with our flock of Manx Loughtan & Hebridean sheep.

We open our arms to the various University faculties to teach and conduct research, surveying and many student projects relating to Biodiversity within the garden. Many departments have permanent plots to do this research such as Biological Science, Earth Science, Archaeology and many more. This also serves to inform the wider public through interpretation panels of the world leading research taking place within Durham University.

What do you love about this topic?

I have always been passionate about gardening, nature and biodiversity in general, having won awards for my own back garden away from my Job as Botanic Garden Manager. Winning the "Keen to be Green" award in 2021 from Durham County Council in their Beautiful Durham competition (part of Britain in Bloom).

I have built a sedum roof on my shed, rainwater collection systems throughout the garden, installed living green walls on fencing, installed bird boxes/bug hotels and created wildflower areas. I regularly use trail cameras in the Botanic Garden to monitor wildlife so we can improve and not damage local Biodiversity.

How does this work deliver real-world impact?

I see the Biodiversity Strategy and linked research as a small piece in a very large jigsaw, where we all have contributions to make at all levels. We are in a great position with having a popular tourist attraction like the Botanic Garden as part of our University, this gives us an outlet to engage with the wider public showing ways to improve Biodiversity and therefore encourage others to do the same.

Ideas can be taken home and replicated in their own gardens, for instance our newly created bug hotels of various designs, created alongside Durham University Biological Science students.