The Millennium Seed Bank started life as a modest chest freezer housed in an English chapel. It’s now a multi-layered vault housing over 2.5 billion wild seeds, with partnerships all over the world. A living insurance policy for our world’s plants. In this first episode of Unearthed: The need for seeds, Wakehurst ambassador Cate Blanchett dives into the rich history of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank with Kew’s Senior Research Leader in Seed Conservation, Dr Elinor Breman and founding father Roger Smith. She also discovers the extraordinary variety of seeds stored and why — including relatives of staple crops like carrots and potatoes — to safeguard global food systems, explained by Dr Chris Cockel, UK Conservation Projects Coordinator at the Millennium Seed Bank. And we hear from Dan Duval, Senior Seed Collections Officer from the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, who shares testimony for the vital role banked seeds already play in regenerating habitats. You can support the vital work of the Millennium Seed Bank by donating here: www.kew.org/seeds Instagram: @kewgardens Facebook: @kewgardens YouTube: @kewgardens Unearthed - The need for seeds is a Fresh Air production for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Series Producer: Hannah Fisher, Executive Producer: Annie Day, Director of Content: Michaela Hallam. Sound Design by Dan King. With special thanks to everyone at Wakehurst and the Millennium Seed bank who helped with the production behind the scenes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Special episode: With His Majesty the King
The new series of Unearthed: The need for seeds from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew launches with a very special conversation. A long-time champion of nature, His Majesty King Charles III has shown lifelong commitment to conservation and sustainability. As Kew’s Patron, he officially opened the Millennium Seed Bank in 2000 and has taken an active interest in its work ever since. His Majesty joins Kew’s ambassador for Wakehurst Cate Blanchett, and Kew’s Senior Research Leader in Seed Conservation Dr Elinor Breman in the gardens of Windsor Castle, to reflect on the Millennium Seed Bank’s beginnings, its progress, and its vital role in securing the future of plant life on Earth. Unearthed - The need for seeds is a Fresh Air production for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Series Producer: Hannah Fisher, Executive Producer: Annie Day, Director of Content: Michaela Hallam. Sound Design by Dan King. With special thanks to everyone at Wakehurst and the Millennium Seed bank who helped with the production behind the scenes. Image of His Majesty The King by Hugo Burnand.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How does nature network?
How do nature’s wonderful systems all fit together? And how can science help us understand these for better conservation and restoration of species? In the final episode of Unearthed: Nature needs us from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Mya-Rose Craig (AKA “Birdgirl”) takes a tour of mountain systems, weather and climate, migration, cloud forests and coastlines. Find out how Kew are learning from and mapping mysterious and delicate desert ecosystems in South America and hear about an innovative cross-community project in Colombia’s forests. Then ZSL’s Henry Hakkinen reveals some astonishing facts about migratory species Our wonderful world is a delicate balance of systems and conservation can happen at every scale – from back gardens and window boxes to landscapes hundreds of miles wide. But what needs to happen at a policy level to support and inspire the work of individuals and groups who are putting the science into action for nature? Isabel Milligan of Great Yellow is joined by Green Alliance’s Heather Plumpton and WWF’s Nitika Agarwal to ask what governments and the commercial sector must do to support biodiversity around the world. Subscribe to this podcast to catch up on earlier episodes of Unearthed. You can find out more about the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and support their cutting-edge conservation research and training at Kew.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How can we regenerate nature successfully?
In this episode of Unearthed: Nature needs us from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew we ask what it means to regenerate and restore degraded forests and landscapes, and why so many tree-planting projects in the past have failed. Mya-Rose Craig (AKA “Birdgirl”) hears from Kew’s scientists including Dr James Borrell, and Dr Kate Hardwick, who are leading the conversation and collaborating with other organisations on how to reforest and regenerate successfully. We visit the Woodland Trust’s Home Farm, one of the largest native woodland creation sites in Southern England, where Forest Research Forest Ecologist Nicola Cotterill is carrying out research into how genetic diversity can help strengthen the ecosystem. Building back ecosystems with genetic resilience is essential if we want species to survive disease, pests, climate change and other changing conditions. But UK woodlands are facing an enormous battle with Ash Dieback. We meet Russell Croft, the Arboretum Manager at Wakehurst, to find out how the team there are managing the effects of this disease in Kew’s own beautiful nature reserve. And Professor Katie Field explores how the past can unveil incredible insights into our forest ecosystems. Further afield, in Thailand, Professor Steve Elliot and the team at FORRU (Forest Research and Restoration Unit at Chiang Mai University) are working with schools to run innovative seed collection and tree planting programmes as part of their version of the “Framework Species Methodology”. As they restore tropical forest ecosystems, Steve explains how all wildlife is prospering from planting the right kinds of species in open areas close to natural forest. Kew’s partnerships around the world enable amazing seed conservation and species reintroduction work to take place and this has extended to the volcanic slopes of Indonesia, at Mount Ciremai. Dr Dian Latifah and Dr Yayan Kusuma from BRIN tell us about this exciting project. Dr Kate Hardwick has worked heavily in the tropics and is Restoration Coordinator for Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Programme. She and Isabella Tree – Wilding author and co-owner of the Knepp Estate in Sussex – unpick the differences between rewilding and regeneration and explore the spectrum of conservation that encompasses these approaches to regenerating our landscapes. Subscribe to this podcast to catch up on earlier episodes of Unearthed and to enjoy a new episode every fortnight. You can find out more about the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and support their cutting-edge conservation research and training at Kew.org. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How can we protect pollinators?
As well as our beloved bees, pollinators include wasps, moths, hoverflies, butterflies, beetles, bats and birds. There are about 1,500 different insect species helping plants reproduce in the UK alone, and without them our world would be less colourful, less nutritious and less diverse. In this episode of Unearthed: Nature needs us from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew hear how pollinator health supports the health of humans and the planet. Dr Mya-Rose Craig finds out how the biodiversity of our habitats can support pollinators against the pressures they face from climate change and human activity. Professor Phil Stevenson busts myths surrounding honeybee conservation projects whilst Professor Adam Hart looks at how we might need to change our outlooks and practises for the good of our pollinating friends. We also dive into the wonder of meadow and prairie habitats with Iain Parkinson at Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden, and with Great Yellow’s Isabel Milligan. Ever wondered how healthy your garden is for pollinators? Advolly Richmond considers how our social history has impacted the plight of plant-pollinator relationships. Then it’s into the landscape at Wakehurst with Dr Janine Griffiths-Lee and Chantelle Lindsay. Nature Unlockedis building a new bee bank here and inviting visitors to contribute to important research. In Dodoma in Tanzania, one researcher tells us how his team have been working with smallholder farmers to gain a host of benefits, including improved yields, via the growing of pollinator-friendly plants in their field margins. Finally, the bug-loving Dr Eleanor Drinkwater chats with Phil Stevenson about the important links between plants and wildlife for environmental biodiversity. Subscribe to this podcast to catch up on earlier episodes of Unearthed and to enjoy a new episode every fortnight. You can find out more about the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and support their cutting-edge conservation research and training at Kew.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
About Unearthed - The need for seeds, with Cate Blanchett
From the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Unearthed returns — celebrating 25 years of the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst, the most biodiverse place on our planet.
Hosted by Cate Blanchett, Kew’s ambassador for Wakehurst, this series explores the story of the world’s largest wild seed bank — a vault and living laboratory where science and conservation meet. From restoring habitats to protecting biodiversity, these seeds hold the promise of our planet’s future.
This is no distant insurance policy. It’s one we’re already relying on — and one that will only grow in importance as our climate changes and biodiversity is lost.
As the Seed Bank marks its 25th anniversary, Cate discovers how its groundbreaking work is already shaping life on Earth — and why its mission has never mattered more.
You can support the vital work of the Millennium Seed Bank by donating here: www.kew.org/seeds
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