Science Strategy
Sustainable Utilisation
Context
The focus of this Programme at Kew is on documenting the traditional uses of plants and exploring new uses to assist policy makers and communities in realising the potential of their plant diversity and natural resources. Kew has a long tradition in exploring and documenting the uses made by people of plants and fungi. The scope and importance of this tradition is reflected in the unique literature about the economic uses of plants and fungi available in the libraries at Kew, and the diversity of "useful" plants in the collections at Kew.
The projects currently covered by this programme can be divided into the two interconnected themes: documentation and exploration. We aim to increase the dissemination of information about the economic uses of plants by effective use of the internet and via outreach programmes. Our exploratory research is governed by adherence to the letter and the spirit of the CBD and aims not only to identify new leads for drug and agrochemical programmes but also to explain the functional importance of plant compounds in animal-plant interactions and the role these compounds have in medicinal plants. We also assist traders and companies to authenticate the plant-derived extracts that they use in cosmetics and medicines. In order to maximise the benefit of these projects to our collaborators, to information providers, such as overseas and UK ethnic communities, and to Kew, we recognise that we need to protect the relevant intellectual property – both for our partners overseas and in the UK, and to protect the primary information held at Kew.
Overall Objective
2. Maximise the value of Kew's work for the sustainable use of plant diversity by developing the relevance, quality and utility of the information that Kew provides, and improving its dissemination through a focus on service, synthesis, partnership with others and more effective use of technology.
Key Measures
2b. Total research publications and compilations
2c. Total species use reports, species conservation assessments and species conservation plans supported.
4. Total staff contact days on projects with UK or overseas collaborators that contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of plant diversity through capacity building, joint research, training and advice.
Comment: These measures seek to assess the support provided by Kew to projects that are largely driven by Kew’s partners and others that are focused on the sustainable utilisation of plant resources. They also reflect Kew's ability to disseminate information about the uses of plants to a wide audience. The output of the research contributes to furthering our understanding of how plants can be used to support communities and contributes to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.