- RBG Kew launches 5-year strategy to help stop biodiversity loss and develop sustainable nature-based solutions to some of humanity’s biggest global challenges
- Kew’s 350 scientists will focus on this critical aim, emphasising that the climate crisis cannot be tackled without tackling biodiversity loss
- Professor Alexandre Antonelli, Director of Science at RBG Kew says: “The next few years provide a closing window of opportunity for societies to protect and sustainably use Earth’s remaining biodiversity and to restore what we have degraded”
Today, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew unveils its new Science Strategy 2021 – 2025, setting out a series of ambitious commitments to urgently help stop biodiversity loss and accelerate understanding of the potential of plants and fungi to help address challenges such as food insecurity, climate change and deforestation.
Building on more than 260 years of unique scientific experience, Kew has set out five new scientific priorities to fulfil the organisation’s new mission outlined in ‘Our Manifesto for Change 2021-2030’ published earlier this year – ‘To understand and protect plants and fungi for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth’.
- Ecosystem Stewardship: Conducting innovative research into evidence-led protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, while seeking nature-based solutions to societal challenges.
- Trait Diversity and Function: Understanding plant and fungal traits, to help conservation, increase resilience to global change, and explore potential benefits for human health and well-being
- Digital Revolution: The large-scale digitisation of specimens and integration of data systems to increase the global value and use of RBG Kew’s collections for science, conservation, and education
- Accelerated Taxonomy: Using new technologies to push the frontiers of taxonomic research, accelerating the characterisation and identification of species
- Enhanced Partnerships: Cultivating current and new scientific, educational and commercial partnerships within the UK and across the world to maximise scientific excellence and on-the-ground impact
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Posted On: 29/09/2021