Donation Data

The system caters for a wide range of data recorded at the time of seed collection. This ranges from the essential fields of, for example, date collected, name of collector and geographical location to habitat and plant descriptors, sampling data and site details. All plant names are checked against a live version of Brummitt's 'Vascular Plant Families and Genera' and, as an added precaution, against lists of species scheduled as having UK quarantine status or protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Accuracy of data entry is important at this point and particularly with respect to collectors' names, the plant names assigned in the field and field collection numbers as subsequent identification of a specific seed collection amongst the MSBP partners relies on this information. A six digit serial number (plus check digit) is given for the identification of every seed-lot arriving for storage at the MSB. The categories of donation data are:

Categories	Notes
Material Agreements	Details the Access and Benefit Sharing Agreement (ABSA) associated with the accession.
Donor and Collectors
Distribution Policy	Records what restrictions may apply to the distribution of the seeds from the MSB.
Geographical Data	Includes country, province, specific location, latitude, longitude and altitude.
Environmental Data	Includes habitat type and associated species.
Site Notes	Notes on landform, aspect, geology and soil.
Plant Name	Identification by the collector, followed by any further verification details and plant descriptions.
Sampling Data	Number of plants sampled / found in the population and the approximate area sampled.