News and Events
New Books
Compositae Conference
The Proceedings of the International Compositae Conference, Kew, 1994 were published by Kew in September as a two volume set:
Vol. 1. Compositae: Systematics (eds D J
N Hind & H J Beentje) presents a review of the state of
research in many tribes and the results of extensive semantide
research;
Vol. 2. Compositae: Biology and
Utilization (eds P D S Caligari & D J N Hind) provides a
valuable reference for agronomists, pharmacognosists and
horticulturists.
Set ISBN 1 900347 00 8 Price £75.00
Orchids of Samoa
The Orchids of Samoa (by P Cribb & W A Whistler) is a
detailed up-to-date identification guide to the 100 plus species
native to this remote volcanic archipelago in the south Pacific.
Keys are provided to all the genera and species, and most of the
species are illustrated.
ISBN 1 900347 01 6 Price £15.00
People and Plants Handbook
People and Plants Handbook. Issue 2. Protecting Rights (by G J
Martin, A L Hoare & D A Posey) has just been jointly
published by WWF, UNESCO and Kew. It deals with the legal and
ethical implications of ethnobiology, particularly issues such as
intellectual property rights of indigenous peoples,
bioprospecting and research agreements. The Handbook is meant to
act as a source book for information on ethnobiological matters,
providing contacts, identifying funding sources and networks,
briefly describing active projects and discussing relevant and
forthcoming issues concerning ethnobiological work in the
broadest sense.
For further details or to order any Kew books write to the Mail
Order Department at Kew.
Prince Charles launches appeal
HRH, the Prince of Wales, and Sir David Attenborough launched
the Millennium Seed Bank Appeal on 31 May 1996. The Millennium
Seed Bank project, which was granted £21.6 million by the
Millennium Commission last December, aims to conserve seed
samples from 25,000 species by the year 2010 in a specially built
bank. A near complete representation of UK native seed-bearing
plants will also be banked. To mark the Appeal's launch, Prince
Charles planted a Plymouth pear tree (Pyrus cordata) in the
Gardens. This is one of Britain's rarest native species and its
seed is conserved in the present Seed Bank.
Prince Charles, the Director
and Sir David Attenborough at the launch of the Millennium Seed
Bank Appeal presenting one-year old beech seedlings to children
from families connected with the regional offices of Orange, the
Bank's Premier Sponsor.
The Kew Foundation has already received
commitments from companies, trusts and individuals for £5.3
million against their £7.3 million target for the Appeal. Kew is
delighted that Orange, the telecommunications company, has become
the Premier Sponsor and will be contributing £2.5 million over
the next ten years. Glaxo Wellcome, British Airways, Shell, Tate
& Lyle, Marks & Spencer and English Nature, amongst many
others, have also given their support. However, there is still
some way to go and the public are being invited to help by
sponsoring a species for a minimum donation of £15. In return
the donors will receive a Certificate of Sponsorship. Various
media are supporting the Appeal and it will be featured in this
December's issue of BBC Gardener's World Magazine and the BBC TV
programme Blue Peter next Spring.
Contact: Alison Mitchell (0181-332 5919)
The Orchid Action Plan
Phragmipedium besseae
The Orchid Action Plan, compiled by Dr Alec Pridgeon and
published this September, is the first plant action plan to be
produced. Of the 20 contributors, Kew staff members Dr Phillip
Cribb and Dr David DuPuy provided regional treatments for many
nations of Africa and Asia. The plan chronicles the threats to
certain species but more importantly to critical habitats with
extraordinarily high orchid diversity and endemicity. It also
explores and recommends specific ways that national and local
government legislators, scientists, the Orchid Specialist Group
of the IUCN's Species Survival Commission, and orchid hobbyists
can all help to reverse present trends. The facts presented
supplement and update the information available to conservation
organizations and agencies around the world so that they can
lobby their own governments more effectively. The plan was
launched at the 15th World Orchid Conference in Rio de Janiero,
14-23 September 1996, at which Drs Phillip Cribb, Alec Pridgeon
and Tony Cox presented papers.
Contact: Dr Alec Pridgeon (0181-332 5360)