Kew Gardens

Kew Awarded World Heritage Site Status

Gardens join the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal amongst the world's treasures

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has been awarded World Heritage Site status by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris, as an internationally unique cultural landscape. UNESCOï¿½s recognition of the importance of Kew refers to its significance for the science and utilisation of plants, the remarkable collections of plant diversity from all over the world, and Kewï¿½s importance in the history and development of garden landscapes.

Professor Peter Crane, Director of Kew said ï¿½At Kew, ground-breaking science and vital conservation work is only made possible by a wonderfully rich heritage. Not only do the gardens provide opportunities for public enjoyment and enrichment, but the behind-the-scenes scientific work based on unrivalled collections is important to help maintain the environment for future generations. Being awarded World Heritage Site status is hugely exciting for us. It is a stamp of approval that puts us in the company of the best of the best and it brings with it increased prestige and public awareness. But most importantly, it embodies a commitment to maintain an organisation and place that is truly special ï¿½ and world class. Crucially for our staff, this recognition supports what we have already achieved as well as what we plan to do in the future. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Defra for their continuing invaluable support for our work and for jointly nominating us for World Heritage Site status with DCMS.ï¿½

Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants, world-class herbarium and important scientific facilities, as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda. There are also two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace, managed by Historic Royal Palaces.

UNESCO made their announcement of the award this morning following the joint nomination by the UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in February 2002. With its new status, Kew joins other sites of outstanding universal value across the world from the Taj Mahal to the Tower of London.

Speaking at the time of the announcement, Defra Minister Lord Whitty said ï¿½This deserved accolade further underlines Kew's unrivalled global reputation for its collections of plants and its scientific work. The gardens give pleasure to a million visitors each year while contributing on a major scale to the conservation and understanding of biodiversity. World Heritage Site status will raise even higher the profile of Kew's unique and important role.ï¿½

Kew is a major international visitor attraction and is located in 132 hectares of landscaped gardens. Last year more than one million people visited the gardens, including more than 122,000 children who visited with their parents or in school groups. Many other ï¿½virtual visitorsï¿½ gained access to the resources of Kew via the website (www.kew.org). Kew attaches great importance to education: specifically education about environment and sustainability, which is a key objective for Defra. This is also the focus of Kewï¿½s largest ever summer festival ï¿½Go Wildï¿½, which is currently running at the gardens as well as Kewï¿½s other estate at Wakehurst Place, West Sussex.

July 4, 2003