Despite covering only one acre, the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Garden is a remarkable place. Its blend of carefully-managed habitats sits on the doorstep of leading experts in a variety of taxonomic groups, and as a result its wildlife has been the focus of an unprecedented level of recording. However, there is an ongoing battle for the future of this little oasis, and the Garden remains under threat. Peter Marren explains why the Garden is so special, and why the campaign to save it is so important.
In the December 2015 issue (BW 27: 100–102) I reported on the Wildlife Garden at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London. At that time the Garden was under threat from the Museum’s plan to landscape its grounds in order to facilitate queuing. As things stood, the Garden would be effectively destroyed. But the 22-year-old Garden was well liked and the plan accordingly disliked.