Millennium Seed Bank Project
SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS (2001-2005)
- CBD-compliant Access and Benefit Sharing Agreements signed with 45 institutions in 18 countries. Research Memoranda of Understanding/Collaboration signed with 17 countries, and Contractual Agreements on seed banking in place with 12 European countries.
- Collaborative grants secured worth more than £4 million
- Over 570 people trained in seed conservation techniques and supervisory support provided to more than 20 undergraduates, more than 10 masters students, and 28 PhD students.
- 13,000 seed collections of 8,000 wild plant species added to the Millennium Seed Bank, mainly from partner countries in the drylands; of which more than 50% of species are endangered, endemic or of economic value.
- Over 35,000 germination tests carried out on wild plant collections, protocols developed for 10 key problem families, germination problems resolved for over 1,300 collections, and seed trait data generated experimentally for c. 1,200 species.
- 3,422 seed samples have been sent outside the UK and Europe by the MSB since 2000. Of these, 48% have gone to the poorest countries (>20% of the population living on less than $2 a day). Analysis of how the seed is being used reveals the following key areas: biodiversity (62.1%); agriculture (25.8%); water (8.2%); energy (1.3%); health (1%); chemicals (1%); and atmosphere (0.6%).
- A large-scale synthesis of taxon-based seed biological information created and made available over the web as the Seed Information Database, incorporating information on c. 22,000 species
- Preliminary conservation assessments carried out on 2,000 taxa from 10 Millennium Seed Bank Project partner countries to prioritise and target current seed collection, conservation and studies
- 125 research articles published (>1,400 pp) of which more than 20% were in IF>2 journals, including Science, PNAS and TIPS. 17 books, theses (9 MSc, 1 PhD), and booklets produced (>3,000 pp); including a state-of-the-art review of Seed Conservation: Turning Science into Practice (>1,000 pp). Nine Editorial Boards supported and refereeing undertaken for c. 50 separate journals.
- A departmental-wide review of synergies undertaken to identify cross-cutting ‘output’ groups on: Partnerships; Collections Conservation; Technology Transfer, Public Awareness, and Science and Technology.
KEY ELEMENTS OF FUTURE PLANS (2006 onwards)
- Add 16,000 species to the Millennium Seed Bank, mainly from partner countries in the drylands, of which at least 25% are endangered, endemic or of economic value
- Continue to support research, training and capacity-building activities worldwide to advance the seed conservation effort
- Promote the role of wild seed banks in both mitigation and adaptation to climate change. Modify our collecting programmes to incorporate species assemblages vulnerable to climate change and other anthropogenic effects.
- Continue to provide technical input to restoration and reintroduction programmes in southern Africa, Madagascar, Australia and the USA. Develop our expertise and technical relevance to restoration and reintroduction programmes worldwide.
- Develop and emphasise the use of our seed collections, for example medicinal plants, in areas such as sustainable utilisation and development, in support of the Millennium Development Goals and other similar initiatives worldwide
- Provide a range of integrated conservation services, including skills and data on plant diversity, seed conservation, conservation genetics and horticulture, to a range of partners and customers
- Establish the Millennium Seed Bank as a centre of excellence for wild plant conservation research through the continued development of predictive germination protocols and molecular, biochemical and genetic markers for seed viability, quality and longevity
- Develop a long term vision and funding strategy for the Millennium Seed Bank and the Seed Conservation Department