Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens at risk as report warns of climate change damage
Warning issued over climate threat to Princes Street Gardens and vital heritage landscapes
Edinburgh’s iconic Princes Street Gardens and other treasured historic green spaces across the UK are under increasing threat from climate extremes, a new report warns.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England warn that historic parks, gardens and cemeteries are vulnerable to severe damage from intense rainfall, heavy storms and harsher droughts.
These impacts, driven by climate change, are affecting all aspects of the nation's heritage landscapes, destroying trees and plant collections, and damaging paths, terraces and lakes.
The report notes that historic parks and gardens, including Princes Street Gardens in the Capital, alongside Chiswick House, Kew and the Royal Parks in London, employ more than 32,000 people and contribute £2.9 billion to the UK economy annually from international visitors alone.
However, they are already being hit by increasingly extreme weather, with paths and drainage systems no longer fit for current conditions, trees lost to high winds, and entire plant groups threatened by disease.
The research identified differing threats across the country, noting that sites in the north are experiencing heavy rainfall, flooding and storm damage, while those in the south east are battling drought stress and dying trees.
Many park and garden managers are unprepared for the severe impacts of climate change, the report found, with staff warning a lack of funding is stopping them from implementing vital changes.
While sites are responding practically where possible—such as altering plant species to make them more resilient—managers warn they are spending increasing amounts of time on emergency responses rather than standard maintenance.
The report, providing a snapshot of a sector covering 2,800 sites, also warned that smaller locations are often the most vulnerable due to their limited ability to fund and plan adaptation work.
Drew Bennellick, head of land, seas and nature policy at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “It’s clear our historic parks, gardens and cemeteries are facing unprecedented challenges due to climate change, and without urgent guidance and advice, many of these precious landscapes will suffer and change beyond recognition.
“As an organisation we are known for saving historic buildings, but the natural landscapes they sit in are equally, if not more, vulnerable to the shifts we are seeing in our climate, and equally as valuable.”
Erika Diaz Petersen, principal national landscape adviser at Historic England, said the research highlights the severe challenges owners face regarding flooding, high winds, and pests.
She added: “We look forward to working with the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other stakeholders to empower managers of historic parks, gardens and cemeteries to ensure these places live on and can be loved for longer in a changing climate.”
The report comes as parts of the UK suffer from severe drought, with Rosie Fyles, head of gardens at London's Chiswick House and Gardens, warning their site is “scorched” and their ability to minimise negative effects on their 1,800 trees is "quite limited".
Darren Share, director of parks at the Royal Parks, said consecutive heatwaves and the driest July on record showed it "is a moment of urgency" to create climate-resilient parks for future generations by diversifying plant species and improving water management.