Plants are essential to everyone's lives. Welcome to Plantlife.
Speaking up for wild plants for 21 years
Plantlife comes of age
November 24 2010
David Bellamy at number 10 Downing Street, 1989. © Plantlife
Plantlife was born on 24 November 1989, when 300 founder members, led by Professor David Bellamy formally launched the charity at the National History Museum.
21 years later we are still speaking up for wild plants and we plan to continue doing so for many years to come.
“I am proud of Plantlife’s achievements over the last 21 years,” says Plantlife’s Chairman Peter Ainsworth. “We started small and now run conservation projects and campaigns across the UK, and have influence internationally. We have achieved notable successes in our campaigning work, for example on preventing peat extraction and highlighting the problems caused by invasive species."
Other vital work includes promoting the beauty, diversity and importance of wild plants, and encouraging children and adults to get out and active. Future projects will focus more on landscape scale conservation.
None of this would have been possible without our members - the lifeblood of Plantlife - and we would like to thank them all for their ongoing support over the last 21 years.
"If we get the conservation of wild flowers right, then all wildlife will flourish" added Mr Ainsworth. "Wild plants are not just the foundation of all life on Earth; they make a huge contribution to human wellbeing. We trust the present Government will recognise this, and we stand ready to apply our expertise nationally and locally to enhance the heritage and future of our amazing natural environment."
As a charity, Plantlife has often tried to “punch above its weight” with its work ensuring that plants are included in national and international conservation strategies. But we come of age in a year when spending cuts in government departments and a possible sell-off of public land assets may mean that it is even harder to keep plants where they belong – at the top of everyone’s agenda as the basis for all life, supporting wildlife from bugs and butterflies to birds and mammals.
For more information, please contact:
Sue Nottingham Press Office T 01722 342757/ M 0786 1655438 / E .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).