[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4-EkRL-J2M%5D

I wonder if the word Garden is a hinderance. Kew is the plant equivalent of a zoo, yet we use the same word for it as we do for ornamental landscapes around manor houses or hobbies we have in our back yards. It might give the mistaken impression that Kew Gardens are pretty and impressive but ultimately a matter of personal taste than a sanctuary for species revival. This video, launching Kew’s new fund-raising campaign, does a lot to correct that impression.

I’m staggered by the statement that Kew has 90% of the world’s plant species. Also 1 in 5 plants are threatened with extinction. Looking at the IUCN Red list, a depressingly large number of plant species are rarer than pandas. 1821 plants are critically endangered and a further 31 extinct in the wild. For comparison giant pandas are ‘merely’ endangered.

With hope the fund-raising will mean that rare and endangered are not synonyms.