The International Treaty highlights the vital role of botanical gardens at a workshop held at Kew Gardens

How can botanical gardens and agricultural gene banks help turn conserved plant diversity into positive changes for food systems?

This question was at the heart of a workshop held on 13 May 2026 at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Convened jointly by the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the event brought together gene banks, botanical institutions, policymakers, scientists and international experts to explore how conservation can better serve use.

Bridging botanical gardens and gene banks

While gene banks have long safeguarded crop diversity—often away from public view—botanical gardens play a uniquely visible and complementary role in their common goal to address biodiversity loss. 

The workshop highlighted ongoing international efforts led by the International Treaty and RBG Kew, to strengthen connections among botanical gardens, agricultural gene banks, farmers, scientists and plant breeders. The discussions also referred to initiatives such as the Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants (GCCFP), which catalyses research on food plants.

Turning conservation into action through the International Treaty’s Multilateral System

The United Kingdom ratified the International Treaty in 2004, and today several institutions are engaging with the Multilateral System, including the Germplasm Resources Unit of the John Innes Centre, the University of Reading, the United Kingdom Vegetable Genebank at the University of Warwick, and the James Hutton Institute.  

‘’The United Kingdom's gene banks are lifeboats for our food system, preserving the plant diversity and resilience traits we'll need to face climate change and future food shocks,’’ said Dame Angela Eagle, Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs at DEFRA. ’’This week, Secretary Kent Nnadozie of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Plant and Agriculture visited Kew Gardens to work with DEFRA and the United Kingdom's leading gene banks - strengthening our collective ability to share plant genetic material with the world.’’

Participants from seed banks across the country, including members of the United Kingdom Plant Genetic Resources Network, highlighted how the International Treaty’s Multilateral System enables the responsible sharing of plant genetic resources and associated data, ensuring materials held in collections and in the public domain are actively used for research, breeding and training in food and agriculture. They also noted that the International Treaty’s Multilateral System is consistent and supportive of existing obligations to share benefits set out in the CBD and its Nagoya Protocol.

Participants from these and other institutions, including DEFRA, responsible for British policy on biodiversity, also discussed ways to strengthen collaboration to facilitate research and the use of plants in the domains of food and agriculture.

“The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture exists to ensure that plant genetic resources are conserved but also used,” said Kent Nnadozie, Secretary of the International Treaty. “To do that effectively, we need to reach beyond traditional agricultural institutions. Universities and botanical gardens help extend the International Treaty’s impact by connecting plant diversity with education, research, culture and broader society, enlarging the community that understands and supports its sustainable use.”

Making collections visible and relevant for people

Plant diversity is essential to food security, human health, nutrition and culture, and underpins agricultural sustainability, yet it is being lost at unprecedented rates as climate change and other challenges accelerate biodiversity decline. Many gene banks are located at research or agricultural stations. Botanical gardens connect plant collections directly with people, making them powerful communicators of biodiversity challenges and trusted spaces for public engagement. Each year, more than 2.5 million people visit Kew Gardens and Kew Wakehurst. 

Kew Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, is home to the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) which holds collections of over 40 000 wild plant species from 190 countries and states. The workshop highlighted how botanical gardens can contribute far beyond conservation alone. The MSB’s collections are used worldwide to restore degraded ecosystems, support crop and forage research, and advance climate‑adaptation science.

“Botanic gardens like Kew Gardens and Kew Wakehurst play a crucial role in bringing the importance of plant diversity to life,” said Charlotte Lusty, Head of Seed Collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. “Banking seeds in our seed bank is only the first step. We won’t conserve species by keeping them in a freezer - they need to be planted, studied and shared. By putting our collections to work through research, partnerships and public engagement, we can help ensure our collections support resilient food systems for generations to come. This will be done responsibly, fairly and in line with international governance standards.”

A shared responsibility for the future

Looking ahead, ensuring long-term food security will require sustained global cooperation to share seeds and other plant material, along with data and knowledge, across borders.

“Plant genetic resources only fulfil their purpose when they are actively connected to people and places,” said Professor Geoffrey Hawtin, World Food Prize Laureate. “In the face of climate change, this diversity is essential for adaptation and resilience. By reaching millions of people each year, botanical gardens help ensure that plant diversity and its knowledge remain alive, accessible and relevant for a more resilient future.”

The workshop also took place ahead of the launch of a new publication on the International Treaty’s Multilateral System, highlighting how the System functions in practice and why it remains essential for global research, plant breeding, capacity development and multilateral cooperation.