Ted Chapman

UK Native Seed Hub Coordinator

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Department

Enhanced Partnerships

Team

Millennium Seed Bank Partnership

I lead the UK Native Seed Hub, a cross-departmental project funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to bring together Kew’s science, seed collections and horticultural expertise to support conservation in the UK. We supply native seed and plants to support habitat restoration and species reintroduction projects, using our dedicated production site and nursery facilities at Wakehurst. We work with colleagues across Kew Science to provide research and evidence-based advice to conservation organisations, government agencies and businesses, and are proud to provide seed-testing and advice to Kew’s Grow Wild project.

I am responsible for managing the project’s budgets and work plans, but am often in the field harvesting seed, surveying and collecting data, reviewing progress and providing practical assistance to our partners and clients. I also have research interests in native seed origin and quality and the conservation and restoration of calcareous grassland

  • MSc Environmental Management (Countryside and Protected Area Management), Birkbeck, University of London, 2014
  • RHS General and Advanced Certificates in Horticulture, Capel Manor College, 2007
  • BA (Hons) History, University College London, 1999

  • UK Native Seed Hub (Legacy)

    Mobilising Kew's seed collections, facilities and expertise "to enhance the resilience and coherence of the UK's ecological network by increasing the quality, quantity and diversity of native plants and seeds available for conservation and habitat restoration." This project has now concluded.

  • UK Seed Banking

    Capturing, protecting and restoring plant diversity in the UK, expanding the national repository for native seeds and making our collections, data and expertise available to support research, conservation and restoration work.

  • Seed traits for tree production

    This project combines research and technical development to investigate germination traits in UK native trees; to understand how these traits vary; and optimise commercial seed quality using high-throughput screening techniques.

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