news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/scien...6593333.stm
Britain's "Noah's Ark" for plants has just collected its billionth seed.
The Millennium Seed Bank will present the seed, from an African bamboo, to Chancellor Gordon Brown, as it seeks funds to continue operating after 2010.
Part of the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) at Kew, the bank already stores material from 18,000 species, some of which have become extinct in the wild.
Seed banks are seen as an essential part of plans to curb the rapid loss of biodiversity, in Britain and worldwide.
If policymakers are serious about funding adaptation to climate change, seed banks are a key part of that
by 2010, Kew plans to have amassed seeds from 30,000 species, representing 10% of the world's plants.
"Now we're starting to think about where we go beyond 2010," the project's head Paul Smith told the BBC News website.
"And we want to get to 25% of species stored away by 2020. If policymakers are serious about funding adaptation to climate change, seed banks are a key part of that."
Dry world
Seeds are collected by Kew's partner organisations around the world and sent to the RBG site at Wakehurst Place in Sussex.
They come from all over the globe, although British varieties are particularly well represented, with seeds from 88% of its native flora sequestered away.
Most of the seeds can be preserved by careful drying, after which they are stored at minus 20C. A few need more specialised, tailor-made treatment.
Some will last like this for millennia, others for decades; these will be planted and germinated before their expiry date comes up, and the seed of their offspring collected and stored anew.
But the idea is not to hide them away for ever. Where species have gone extinct, or are teetering on the edge, Kew's stores are used to replenish wild populations.
One British example is strapwort (Corrigiola litoralis), a critically endangered native of southwest England now found on only one nature reserve, which Kew's stocks are helping to keep alive.
Minimum investment
The billionth seed comes from the African bamboo species Oxytenanthera abyssinica, a plant used in Mali and other West African countries for building, furniture, and wine-making.
Its presentation to Mr Brown is aimed at persuading the Chancellor and prospective Prime Minister to continue funding the Millennium Seed Bank after 2010.
It is a key year in conservation, marking the target date by which, under the UN biodiversity convention, the world's governments are pledged to have halted and begun to reverse the seemingly inexorable biodiversity decline.
"Scientists are always asking for money," conceded Dr Smith. "But what makes us different is that we have a proven methodology here, we have the network and we know how to do what we do.
"This costs about £2,000 ($4,000) per species; so to collect a quarter of what's out there would cost about £100m ($200m).
"With threats not only from climate change but also deforestation, changes in land use and so on, seed-banking is the bare minimum."
Britain's "Noah's Ark" for plants has just collected its billionth seed.
The Millennium Seed Bank will present the seed, from an African bamboo, to Chancellor Gordon Brown, as it seeks funds to continue operating after 2010.
Part of the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) at Kew, the bank already stores material from 18,000 species, some of which have become extinct in the wild.
Seed banks are seen as an essential part of plans to curb the rapid loss of biodiversity, in Britain and worldwide.
If policymakers are serious about funding adaptation to climate change, seed banks are a key part of that
by 2010, Kew plans to have amassed seeds from 30,000 species, representing 10% of the world's plants.
"Now we're starting to think about where we go beyond 2010," the project's head Paul Smith told the BBC News website.
"And we want to get to 25% of species stored away by 2020. If policymakers are serious about funding adaptation to climate change, seed banks are a key part of that."
Dry world
Seeds are collected by Kew's partner organisations around the world and sent to the RBG site at Wakehurst Place in Sussex.
They come from all over the globe, although British varieties are particularly well represented, with seeds from 88% of its native flora sequestered away.
Most of the seeds can be preserved by careful drying, after which they are stored at minus 20C. A few need more specialised, tailor-made treatment.
Some will last like this for millennia, others for decades; these will be planted and germinated before their expiry date comes up, and the seed of their offspring collected and stored anew.
But the idea is not to hide them away for ever. Where species have gone extinct, or are teetering on the edge, Kew's stores are used to replenish wild populations.
One British example is strapwort (Corrigiola litoralis), a critically endangered native of southwest England now found on only one nature reserve, which Kew's stocks are helping to keep alive.
Minimum investment
The billionth seed comes from the African bamboo species Oxytenanthera abyssinica, a plant used in Mali and other West African countries for building, furniture, and wine-making.
Its presentation to Mr Brown is aimed at persuading the Chancellor and prospective Prime Minister to continue funding the Millennium Seed Bank after 2010.
It is a key year in conservation, marking the target date by which, under the UN biodiversity convention, the world's governments are pledged to have halted and begun to reverse the seemingly inexorable biodiversity decline.
"Scientists are always asking for money," conceded Dr Smith. "But what makes us different is that we have a proven methodology here, we have the network and we know how to do what we do.
"This costs about £2,000 ($4,000) per species; so to collect a quarter of what's out there would cost about £100m ($200m).
"With threats not only from climate change but also deforestation, changes in land use and so on, seed-banking is the bare minimum."
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Re: As the seed vault grows...
Tue, May 1, 2007 - 4:55 PMThis is a very good idea. They should do something similar with frozen sperm and egg cells for animal species in danger of extinction. Yes, I know why that's not enough by itself, but it would be a step forward to restoration should they go extinct. -
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Re: As the seed vault grows...
Wed, May 2, 2007 - 3:32 PMAs far as I know, frozen eggs and sperm are only viable for a short time, right? Plus, you have to breed an animal and let it become adapted to the environment, save it's "seed", breed the next year, and then the next year. Basically, the logistics is staggaring, because you can't simply just freeze them and expect them to be able to survive if used to create a new life in say 300 years or so, because the environment will be drastically changed. This is basicaly what we do with our seed bank in America in order to recover from some catastrophic event. -
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Re: As the seed vault grows...
Wed, May 2, 2007 - 7:07 PMGenetic engineering might help solve that problem of long term genetic viability -- that if we wipe ourselves out in the first place?
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Re: As the seed vault grows...
Mon, February 4, 2008 - 7:50 PMIn the end of the world I'd rather be giving out warm sperm than all trhat frozed stuff. If It's an EOW thed I better be gettin some, dammit!
Stashing frozen semen would be handy if in a few generations we realized that 3 gens back we had infected our species with a significant genetic defect. They'd thaw a new generation. Like a species backup. I keep by backup DVDs in the freezer, should be good enough for my grand children too.
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Re: As the seed vault grows...
Wed, February 20, 2008 - 2:25 PMI like projects like this. Seems like people could grow trees in a lab to "adolescence", then re-plant near similar trees. Keeps shade, oxygen, critters, and earth energy satisfied is my conclusion....
