United Kingdom
September 3, 2014

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has today announced that the Government will continue current levels of funding for the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew until at least April 2015.

The funding will enable the world-renowned scientific research at Kew Gardens to continue as well as preserving its status as one of the country’s finest tourist destinations. In a speech to the State of Nature conference organised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Deputy Prime Minister said:

• Kew is one of the most important scientific and environmental institutions in the world. That is why I am so pleased to announce today that I have secured £1.5 million to maintain government funding for Kew Gardens until at least April 2015 so its vital work can continue.

• This is something that I know a lot of people have been campaigning for and is a significant step towards protecting the future of our environment.

Government funding for Kew will now be maintained at the same level as it was for 2013 to 2014, until at least the end of the 2014 to 2015 financial year.

Established in 1840, Kew Gardens is one of the world’s most important botanical research and education facilities. It is home to over 30,000 living plants, millions of preserved plant specimens and, through the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, is helping to save the world’s rarest plants from extinction. It hosts the world’s largest collection of living plants, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Millennium Seed Bank is of global scientific significance, and scientists at Kew are heavily involved in research in the vital fields of biodiversity and climate change.

Website: http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs

Published: September 8, 2014