What is biodiversity?

The biodiversity of an ecosystem leads to delicate interactions between plants, fungi and animals. This enables us to grow food, make medicines, harvest clean water and air. Scientific research is also uncovering secrets about how plants regulate the environment we live in.

Kew scientists have posited that 2 in 5 plant species are now at risk of extinction.

The cycad Encephalartos woodii can be found in our Temperate House, but it’s actually extinct in the wild. Since it arrived at Kew in 1899 it has been all alone.

Deforestation, climate change, pollution, over-exploitation of land and proliferation of invasive species, pests and disease are the chief causes of biodiversity loss. Here at Kew we are working incredibly hard with international partners to protect biodiversity. 

In countries like Madagascar and Colombia we partner with local institutions to identify and document new species. Our scientists go on expeditions and we are building a knowledge bank to answer questions around food security. 

In Indonesia our scientists are working with partners to identify the most important areas for plant diversity. We are exploring remote places to help find and document species new to Western science.

We also bank seeds as an insurance policy for the future. Our Millennium Seed Bank contains 2.4 billion seeds from more than 189 countries making it one of the largest conservation projects of its kind. Banking is one solution to counter the extinction of species.