Combining science, research and conservation, Kew will protect UK orchids, which have been declining in the wild, with many becoming threatened. Of the approximately 50 species of orchids native to the UK, many are rare.
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The main threats to wild orchids in the UK are habitat change, habitat destruction and human predation. For example, the lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus) was reduced to a single plant, largely due to over collection in the 20th Century, and Epipogium aphyllum was refound in 2009 after having not been seen in the UK since 1986. Many of the 56 native orchids are in decline in the UK.
Kew needs to continue it work on saving UK orchids, across its science and conservation teams. Projects include genetic studies and DNA banking, studying the interactions between orchids and fungi - vital for these plants to grow, seed conservation at the