Science & Conservation at Kew
Kew is well known as a World Heritage Site with 250 years of history. Here, we introduce you to Kew's Breathing Planet Programme - the strategy which is at the heart of our work.
Kew's Breathing Planet Programme (pdf) | Help Kew: Adopt a seed for £25
Helping the planet breathe
Kew's Breathing Planet Programme consists of seven roads to a more resilient planet. Find out more about our work here.
The latest news and blogs
Launching the UKOTs Online Herbarium
by: Sara Barrios, UK Overseas Territories team blog 22 May 2012
We are bringing the unique and amazing plants that grow in the UKOTs, including those from the Caribbean, a little closer to you in celebration of International Day of Biological Diversity. Just a shame we can't bring the Caribbean weather too!
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Investigating the plants of the Caribbean... on the outskirts of London!
by: Andrew Budden, UK Overseas Territories team blog 15 May 2012
Andrew Budden, one of Kew's volunteer interns, describes how information from preserved specimens of Caribbean plants helps to assess the conservation status of plants native to the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories.
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Swapping seeds in the name of food diversity
by: Vanessa Sutcliffe, Millennium Seed Bank blog 21 Mar 2012
Join Vanessa Sutcliffe, Millennium Seed Bank Training Specialist, as she gets ready to organise the next Great Seed Swap taking place at Wakehurst on Saturday 20 October 2012.
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World's smallest waterlily brought back from the brink of extinction at Kew
18 May 2010
Kew’s top propagation ‘code-breaker’, horticulturist Carlos Magdalena, has cracked the enigma of growing a rare species of African waterlily. The 'thermal’ lily (Nymphaea thermarum) is believed to be the smallest waterlily in the world, with pads that can be as little as 1 cm in diameter.
Director (CEO and Chief Scientist) of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to return to Australia
14 Sep 2011
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew announced today that Director (CEO and Chief Scientist), Professor Stephen Hopper FLS will step down in autumn 2012 after six years in the job.
World's first night-flowering orchid is discovered
22 Nov 2011
Botanists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis have described the first night-flowering orchid known to science on the island of New Britain, near New Guinea.
Forgotten forests - the magnificent Mount Mabu
Originally discovered in 2005, Mount Mabu was placed on the conservation map in 2008 when Kew's Jonathan Timberlake, and colleagues from partner organisations visited the area for the very first time. Watch this video and discover why Mount Mabu is so special, find out more about the plants and animals we found and gain an insight into what it's like to be on expedition.
Making a difference around the world
Explore Kew's interactive map and find out how our science and conservation work is making a huge difference in the UK and around the world.
Find out about the new discoveries Kew's science teams have made across plant science and mycology, how the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership is driving vital global conservation work and how our innovative research into the use of plants is helping communities worldwide.
All life depends on plants - and not just those we value most. The health of the planet - and our future - depends on the immense wealth of different species of plants and fungi that grow in the Earth's many and varied habitats.
Why you need Kew
More than one in five of the world's plants are threatened with extinction. We all rely on plants for food, clean air and water, but they are more threatened than birds, and as threatened as mammals. We need to understand more about how plants adapt to environmental change, and how to use them in ways that are sustainable. Much of Kew’s work is focused on these challenges.
- Explore the state of plant life around the world
- Local plants for local people
- Kew video - Perspectives on biodiversity
- Support Kew's work by adopting a seed for £25
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