Science Strategy
Baseline Plant Diversity
Context
Recognising and describing the basic units of plant and fungal diversity, cataloguing that diversity, and identifying specimens, have been the mainstays of Kew’s scientific programmes since the mid-nineteenth century. Sometimes described as alpha taxonomy, and often seen today as "unfashionable", this work remains fundamental to all research and communication about plants – including work on the sustainable utilisation and conservation of plant and fungal resources.
While maximising the relevance and utility of Kew's baseline diversity research programmes it is important, at the same time, to increase the speed of the work so as to put it on a time-scale appropriate to the urgency of the current environmental crisis.
Overall Objective
2. Maximise the value of Kew's baseline plant and fungal diversity research, such as providing basic information on the units of plant diversity and their distribution, for the conservation and sustainable use of plant diversity, by developing the relevance, quality and utility of the information that Kew provides, and improving its dissemination through a focus on service, synthesis, partnership with others and more effective use of technology.
Key Measures
2a. Total visits to Kew’s website.
2b. Total research publications and compilations.
2c. Total species use reports, species conservation assessments and species conservation plans supported.
2d. Total habitat conservation assessments supported through contributions of information or advice.
Comment: These measures seek to assess the published output of Kew’s baseline plant and fungal diversity research as well as their relevance to conservation and sustainable utilisation objectives.