Kew’s wild botanic garden Wakehurst to become a ‘living laboratory’ exploring benefits of biodiverse British landscapes through new Landscape Ecology Programme.
New Landscape Ecology Programme (LEP) exploring the value of UK biodiversity launches at Wakehurst
Kew scientists will apply their expertise across four research pillars: carbon, pollination, hydrology (the study of water in the environment), and human wellbeing to inform nature-based solutions to critical challenges such as climate change, mental health, and food security
Research will generate critical evidence for government policymakers, conservation bodies, and private landowners to redefine approaches to land management
Celebrating the UN’s theme for International Day for Biological Diversity 2021, 'We’re part of the solution', RBG Kew today launches its Landscape Ecology Programme, an exciting new science research project based at its wild botanic garden Wakehurst in Sussex. The work seeks to generate evidence that will enable diverse landscapes and ecosystems to be used across the UK to develop nature-based solutions to some of the critical challenges facing society, from large-scale natural disasters to health and wellbeing. With the UK government driving significant changes to environmental land management policy, evidence for the vital role of biodiversity is urgently needed to ensure the best possible landscape investments are made for the country.
Following the Dasgupta Review on the value of biodiversity, Wakehurst will transform into a unique ‘living laboratory’, a prime site for Kew scientists to undertake extensive research in a range of species-rich habitats. As a nationally important Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Wakehurst boasts a rich and diverse landscape of native and exotic woodlands, wetlands, species-rich grasslands, designed landscapes and ornamental gardens, leading best practice in sustainable land management. Spanning over 500 acres, and just an hour by train from central London, Wakehurst’s vast living collection of rare and endangered plants in the Sussex High Weald is uniquely equipped to facilitate science in action.
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Posted On: 24/05/2021