Getting precious seed on hold

Abstract

Ambitious plans for the world's largest seed bank for wild plant species are now a reality with the recent opening of the Millenium Seed Bank (MSB) at Wakehurst Place in southern England under the direction of the world-famous Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew near London. With the infrastructure in place, one of the key goals for the coming years is to collect seed from a substantial proportion of the world's flora. By 2010, the MSB aims to have in store 10% of the world's known seed-producing flora (around 24,000 species). Although located in the UK, and with a head start on collection of seed from local species, one of the main aims of the MSB will be to collect seed from the world's semi-arid ecosystems which represent some of the most globally fragile and vulnerable regions. Alongside seed collection, major research projects are under way to look at the mechanisms of seed dormancy and methods to delay the decline in viability of seeds which survive only for short periods under natural conditions, building on work already developed at Kew and at other centres. The MSB will work with many organisations in other countries under the guidelines established under the Convention on Biological Diversity, which respect national sovereignty and support national biodiversity conservation strategies. The MSB is also establishing a major training program in seed conservation. Public access is provided with an interactive exhibition and large windows connecting the display with the seed processing and research labs where members of the public can watch seed conservers and researchers in action.Fig. 1