In brief
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, showcases a 17,000‑species collection and a 1985 time capsule scheduled for release in 2085, while fresh from COP17, the garden underscores urgency to halt biodiversity loss. Its famous Palm House, a living rainforest amid London’s cold, faces structural decay that threatens its tropical collection.
On 31 October 2026, a group of visitors entered the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, guided by the Asian news agency Xinhua, to see how the historic site preserves the world’s plant diversity. Leaders of conservation organizations and Kew staff explained that the garden’s 1,700‑year‑old emblem – the Palm House – serves as a living rainforest while researchers keep a time capsule buried beneath a blue tile in the Princess of Wales Conservatory.
The capsule, buried by British naturalist David Attenborough in 1985, contains seeds from endangered species that were saved after declining wild populations. By the time the sealed box is opened in 2085, scientists warn that several of the plants inside may already be extinct in their native habitats. The capsule represents a tangible reminder of the urgency stressed at the 17th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan.
During the tour, staff members praised Kew’s extensive seed bank, which holds samples from some 17,000 plant species worldwide. The garden’s conservatory was one of the first in the world to gather and preserve such a broad catalogue, and its holdings are now integral to international research and restoration projects.
Living rainforest amid winter
“LIVING RAINFOREST IN LONDON” is the phrase that greets visitors when they step inside the Palm House, an elegant Victorian greenhouse built in 1848 that shelters over 1,000 tropical and subtropical plants. The house’s air‑conditioning and humidity system maintain temperatures and about 80 percent humidity to support species such as the Eastern Cape giant cycad from South Africa and Australia’s pandanus tree, whose above‑ground roots tower over people.
Leaf, a staff member, explained that the Palm House’s climate control is “essential for the survival of tropical plants from around the world.” He said the garden had to clear plant collections outside the house during the autumn as temperatures fell, to let the cooler‑weather species flourish.
p>Leaf said that to conserve the tropical plants from around the world, the Palm House maintained consistently high temperatures and humidity levels of around 80 percent.
However, the Victorian‑era structure itself is in need of repair. The ornate iron framework shows rust, and large sections of the protective coating have peeled away. Despite major restoration projects in the twentieth century, the building continues to deteriorate, threatening its valuable living collection.
Kew officials announced that the Palm House is scheduled to close for renovation next year. “We have to address the structural issues,” the staffer added, noting that the garden’s mission to conserve plant diversity cannot be compromised by the building’s condition.
Outside the Palm House, visitors witnessed how the monarch’s former private collection, begun in 1759, now serves as a global scientific repository and public exhibition space. Kew’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003 underscores its importance in both botanical research and public education.
As the tour concluded, Kew’s role mirrored the appeals made at COP17: to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and to live harmoniously with nature by 2050. The garden’s living rainforest and seed bank offer hope, but the decaying glass house serves as a warning that preservation efforts must keep pace with climate and human activity.
