Millennium Seed Bank - Saving Seeds For Future Generations

The millennium seed bank is located at Wakehurst Place in West Sussex. It has recently celebrated banking 10% of the world's seed population, and now hold 24,200 species. The seed bank works with 50 partners around the world, and hopes to have banked 25% of the world's seeds by 2010.

It is estimated 60,000 to 100,000 species of plants are currently threatened by extinction. Not only are these plants valuable in their own right, many animals depend on them for their survival. Many plants are threatened by forest clearance, over usage and climate change.

Roughly 70% of the world's population rely on traditional plant remedies for medication. With only 1/5 of plants screened for use in medicine production, many new cures may be found in the remaining species.

The seed bank is currently helping communities that have seen their local species die out in natural disasters. The bush fires of 2009 in South Australia destroyed all the Nematolepis Wilsonii plants currently growing in the wild. The plant's only grew near the Yarra river, about 80km east of Melbourne. Fortunately some seeds had been stored at the Victoria seed bank, and duplicated to the millennium seed bank. Now the seed banks are growing new plants which will be replanted in their natural habitat.

The MSB also helps local communities through projects like the Useful Plants Project. This aims to help communities store and propagate plants which are useful to their wellbeing. They help in the identification of target species, by research and consultation with local people. This means plants that are most useful to the community are prioritised.  Seed collection and conservation is carried out locally, and through the MSB. The conservation capabilities of communities are helped by improving facilities, and providing training.

Seeds are provided for sustainable development research to countries around the globe. Australia, Pakistan and Egypt have used MSB seeds for research into counteracting dryland salination and combating desertification. Pakistan and Brazil have used their seeds to research threatened medicinal plants and improving and controlling the quality of essential oils. Canada, Mexico and Israel have used seeds for understanding the poisoning of livestock by 'locoweeds' and exploring unconventional forage legumes.

Images © RBG Kew & T.Tholkes

Published - Thu 22nd Oct 2009 12:35:01