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
Displaying the letters of Augustine Henry
by: Virginia Mills, Library, Art and Archives blog 03 Feb 2012
The Directors' Correspondence team has just put some of the letters of botanist Augustine Henry on display in Kew's Library Reading Room. Find out why we chose him as our subject and how the display brings together material from many of Kew's behind-the-scenes collections.
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The Millennium Seed Bank joins seed swap events
31 Jan 2012
Following the success of our Great Seed Swap, held at Wakehurst Place on 17 September 2011, the Millennium Seed Bank is supporting seed swap events around Sussex and further afield this year.
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Kew is recruiting a new Director
30 Jan 2012
After six years at Kew, the current Director (CEO and Chief Scientist), Professor Stephen D. Hopper FLS will be returning to Australia to take up a Chair in Biodiversity at The University of Western Australia.
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Welcome to Stephen Hopper's blog
by: Prof. Stephen Hopper, Director's blog 04 Dec 2009
A successful 250th anniversary year for Kew.
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World's smallest waterlily brought back from the brink of extinction at Kew
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.
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Director (CEO and Chief Scientist) of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to return to Australia
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.
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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
