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Duchess of Cambridge visits the Museum's Wildlife Garden
The Duchess of Cambridge visited the Museum today to meet local school children and hear about how the Urban Nature Project will redevelop the Museum's Wildlife Garden and work with organisations across the UK to inspire the next generation to care for the nature that surrounds them.
Her Royal Highness paid a visit to the Museum's Wildlife Garden and the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity (AMC).
The Duchess of Cambridge met with the Museum's Director, Doug Gurr, as well as the head of the AMC Dr John Tweddle, Executive Director of Engagement Clare Matterson and Executive Director of Development Fiona McWilliams.
During the visit, Her Royal Highness also met with a group of local school children and joined in with family activities as part of a programme being developed to engage young children and families in outdoor learning.
With children in the UK only half as likely to visit green spaces as the generation before, never has it been more important to find new ways to connect young people with the nature that surrounds them.
The Duchess interacted with some local school children and participated in family activities
The Duchess of Cambridge and Dr John Tweddle attach a monitoring device to a tree in the Wildlife Garden ©The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
The Duchess of Cambridge also helped set up a new remote monitoring device in the Wildlife Garden which will be used to monitor wildlife, while finding out more about the vital scientific work being carried out by the AMC in monitoring the biodiversity of urban spaces.
The Wildlife Garden is located in the western grounds of the Museum. This little urban oasis is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, including an incredible diversity of insects, flowers, bird and trees, as well as a family of foxes that raise their cubs within its confines.
The next few years will see the garden greatly expanded and improved as part of the Urban Nature Project, creating a fully assessable green space in the heart of London. The project will also engage with communities around the UK to develop new ways to increase access to nature for all.
The AMC, open to the public and located in the Museum's Orange Zone, helps visitors to identify any plants, animals and fossils they may have found and brought in. It also provides training in wildlife identification so that people can start documenting UK species and participate in citizen science projects.
The Urban Nature Project will see Museum's five-acre site in South Kensington transformed into a welcoming, accessible and biologically diverse green space in the heart of London.
The existing Wildlife Garden will be extended to double the area of native habitats within the grounds, providing a fabulous setting for our historic building. Museum staff will also work with organisations across the UK to inspire the next generation, create new opportunities for young people in cities and help everyone to learn about humanity's impact on the natural world.
