Conservation activities

Through its activities and projects, RBG Kew’s UKOTs Programme contributes directly to biodiversity conservation in the UK Overseas Territories and to the implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

The Programme encompasses a diverse range of activities involving staff from different disciplines at Kew including horticulturists, botanists, fungal biologists and conservationists. On-going activities include genetic diversity studies, micropropagation of threatened plants from St Helena and storing the seed of species from Territories in the Millennium Seed Bank.

Project work within the Territories brings together staff from Kew, local partners and other international conservation organisations, each contributing different specialist skills or knowledge. Among the fixed-term projects in Territory are assistance with the redevelopment of the botanic garden on Montserrat and biodiversity assessments in the British Virgin Islands.

An integral part of all conservation activities in the UKOTs Programme is providing training in biodiversity conservation to build capacity within our partner organisations in the UKOTs. Community involvement in local biodiversity and associated conservation issues is also crucial to the success of projects.

We are active members of various organisations which undertake conservation activities in the UKOTs including the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum and the IUCN/SSC South Atlantic Islands Plant Specialist Group.

Activities at Kew

Studying conservation genetics: understanding the genetic make-up of threatened species to inform conservation activities

Developing conservation collections of UKOTs species: discovering the most effective methods of growing and propagating plants from the UKOTs so that they can be maintained in cultivation

Developing specialised preservation and propagation techniques for UKOTs species: using Kew's specialist technical knowledge to propagate plants that cannot be grown conventionally from seed or cuttings

Seed banking: storing seeds under cold dry conditions to extend their life spans

Providing botanical advice: identifying, naming and determining the family relationships of plants from the UKOTS

Producing conservation assessments (red-listing) of plants: assessing the level of threat faced by plant species within the UKOTs using the IUCN Red List criteria

Creating a UKOTs botanical resources bibliography: generating a database of literature and other resources relating to plants from the UKOTs so that they can be retrieved easily

Creating a UKOTs plant species and specimens database: cataloguing and photographing Kew's herbarium specimens from the UKOTs

Generating and sharing information: publishing data and other information resulting from Kew's UKOTs activities so that it is accessible to colleagues within the UKOTs and conservation community

Providing scientific advice on CITES and CBD issues for the UKOTs: supporting partners in the UKOTs with information on species listed under CITES and scientific advice on implementing the CBD

Activities in territory

Bermuda

British Virgin Islands

Montserrat

Turks and Caicos Islands