A History of RBG Kew's Seed Work
(page 3 )
1983 - Bank directs collecting to support Kew's Survey of Economic Plants for the Arid and Semi-arid Tropics (later "Lands". Now known as SEPASAL).
Hew Prendergast collecting a common central Australian shrub in Trephina Gorge National Park 1989.
1989 - First full-time seed collector. Part of the scaling up of work put forward by Prof. Mike Bennett (former Keeper of Jodrell).
1990 - Second full-time seed collector supported by Marks & Spencer, and later by an appeal from the Friends of Kew
1992 - Initial draft of a global seed banking project.
1993 - Financial planning for the project commenced, undertaken by Sir Jeffrey Bowman, retired co-chairman of (then) Price Waterhouse World Firm.