Kew Gardens treetop walkway opens

22 May 2008 07:24am

A treetop walkway standing 60ft (18m) high is being unveiled with the aim of giving nature lovers a close-up look at life in the canopy and to show how important trees are to wildlife and the climate.

The permanent exhibit at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, south-west London, also features an underground look at what happens at root-level beneath the forest floor. The Xstrata Treetop Walkway and the Rhizotron aim to be the highlight of Kew's summer festival celebrating trees.

The walkway runs for 200 yards (182m) through the sweet chestnuts, limes and oaks of the Capability Brown woodland of the arboretum.

It is hoped visitors will be able to spot birds such as nuthatches and woodpeckers and see the insects and lichens that live on the trees. The structure also promises a bird's-eye view of the site and the London skyline, including the Gherkin and Wembley Stadium.

Visitors will be able to get up high after they have experienced the Rhizotron, which shows them the underground world around the roots and how trees interact with micro-organisms in the soil.

Tony Kirkham, head of RBG Kew's arboretum said: "We want to tell the story of a tree's role in diversity in this planet and as a key contributor in capturing carbon to help in the fight against climate change.

"Rates of forest clearing are appallingly high around the world and Kew scientists see the effects of deforestation first-hand on their travels. We are losing trees and forests at an alarming rate. Fewer trees mean more endangered species and poorer quality air."

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, who is visiting Kew on Thursday, said: "The launch of Kew's Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway is a great reminder on International Biodiversity Day of the need to conserve the world's trees and forests, which hold 80% of all remaining land-based wildlife.

The scheme was being launched on the same day as officials from around the world meet in Bonn to discuss ways of halting biodiversity loss by 2010.

Natural England is marking the day with an announcement that it is to channel an extra £5 million of funds to help protect some of England's most threatened species and habitats.

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