1. 7K E W A U T U M N 2 0 1 5K E W. O R G / N E W S
N E W S
Award recognises outstanding services to conservation
Andrew Jackson, who recently announced
his early retirement after 12 years as
director of Wakehurst, has been awarded
an MBE for services to conservation in this
summer’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Andrew has written a regular column for
Kew magazine for the past six years. He
originally joined Kew in 1983 as a student
on the Kew Diploma. During the course he
worked on conservation projects in Africa
and at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens,
where he saw first hand the importance
of wild plants to the quality of human life.
It was this experience that led him to
decide to pursue conservation as a career.
After completing his Master’s degree,
Andrew returned to Kew to help conserve
some of the most endangered species on
the planet, including the café marron tree
(Ramosmania rodriguesii).
In 1989, Andrew became Wakehurst’s
conservation and woodlands manager,
working to safeguard British wild plants and
wildlife, including the rare Plymouth pear and
native dormice. He established Europe’s
first nature reserve dedicated entirely to
the conservation of ferns, mosses, lichens
and liverworts in 2002, and was appointed
the first director of Wakehurst in 2003. He
was also responsible for the Millennium
Seed Bank from 2006 to 2008.
‘The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and
all of its partners around the world have
given me the opportunity to roll up my
sleeves, get my fingernails dirty and do
something personally to give hope for
the future to some of the world’s rarest
plants,’ says Andrew. ‘I will now give my
time as a volunteer to help Kew conserve
and use plants to enhance the quality
of our lives.’
Richard Deverell, director of Kew, says,
‘I am thrilled to hear that Andy’s incredible
35-year conservation career – both in the
UK and internationally – has been
recognised by this much-deserved MBE.
I have never met a more dedicated, hard-
working or loyal public servant. Closer to
home, Andy has left an incredible legacy
at Wakehurst, turning it into a horticultural
gem, with one of the most important
botanical collections in Europe. His
expertise in habitat conservation has
ensured that the wild areas of Wakehurst
have flourished, and he has ensured future
generations have the chance to visit a
place of beauty and be inspired by the
power of nature and the power of plants.’
—
You can read Andrew’s final Wakehurst View
column on p58 and discover more about
Wakehurst’s conservation plans on p40.
Learn from the experts
Check out the new autumn
and winter courses brochure
at kew.org/learn or pick up
a copy at Kew today
Kew offers a wide range of courses
and workshops, so why not learn
a new skill this autumn? Whether
you’re interested in plants and
photography, would like to watch
kingfishers in their natural habitat,
or want to try out botanical
illustration, Kew’s adult education
programme can help. This autumn
and winter you can choose from an
iPad art workshop, wine tasting in
time for Christmas, gardening for
beginners and two orchid-growing
courses. You can even buy gift
vouchers as Christmas presents.
Take a look at the What’s On
section (p66) or download the
brochure at kew.org/learn.
Photos:JeffEden,RBGKew
Andrew Jackson
is delighted to
receive an MBE in
recognition of his
conservation work