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The RHS comments on the Government's Environmental Improvement Plan for 2023 launched today

Alistair Griffiths, Director of Science and Collections at the RHS, comments on the Government's Environmental Improvement Plan for 2023 launched today

"It’s a huge missed opportunity that the UK's army of 30 million gardeners, and the 655,000 hectares gardens represent, aren’t central to the government's drive to champion nature in the Environmental Improvement Plan.
 
"We know that gardens promote biodiversity and can help us to be more climate resilient, for example by reducing flood risk, cooling in summer and capturing pollutants, as well as benefitting health and wellbeing. What we need to see is a greater investment in R&D funding for the role gardens and cultivated plants can and will play over the coming decades, strict planning requirements with regards to the provision of green space including more support for preventing front gardens being paved over, and learning and development to build green skills and ensure that these all important cultivated plots of land can be properly protected for the future."
 
                                                                           -ENDS-

Notes to editors

For further information contact Laura Scruby in the RHS press office: [email protected]
 
About the RHS
 
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) was founded in 1804 and is the UK’s largest gardening charity.
 
The RHS vision is to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place via its inspirational gardens and shows, science research and advisory, extensive library collections and far-reaching education and community programmes. With over 600,000 members the RHS also shares its horticultural knowledge and expertise with millions of people every year through its website and publications.
 
In 2021, the RHS launched its Sustainability Strategy, committing to be net positive for nature and people by 2030. The supporting RHS Planet-Friendly Gardening Campaign will continue to harness the power of the UK’s 30 million gardeners to help tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis.
 
We are solely funded by our members, visitors and supporters.
 
For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk
 
RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.