Storing Seeds for Others

Working with the Millennium Seed Bank Project

Seed banking is a simple, cost-effective tool for ex situ plant conservation, and can make a significant contribution to the achievement of Target 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. The MSBP is keen to support international plant conservation initiatives through collaboration.

The criteria for accepting samples are that they:

1.       Have been collected legally (with appropriate permission from both landowner and government) and, if imported, that this has taken place legally (i.e. that plant health and CITES legislation has not been contravened).

2.       Are of wild provenance.

3.       Are in reasonable quantity (small collections of a few hundred seeds, particularly from non-endangered populations, cause many processing and maintenance difficulties).

4.       Are recently harvested (collections that are more than a month or two old may well be dead).

5.       Are well documented and include at the very least: date collected, collector(s) and accurate location (preferably with a map reference or latitude / longitude) and, ideally, sampling, ecological and other data.

The Millennium Seed Bank Project collecting protocol can be found in the Field Manual (pdf).

Training, technology transfer and staff exchanges are other options available to prospective collaborators, subject to discussion.

 

The benefits

The MSBP offers a wide range of seed conservation services to its international partners, uptake of which varies according to their own expertise and the seed conservation infrastructure available to them. At the most basic level the Millennium Seed Bank acts as a duplicate storage facility for organisations wishing to back up their existing seed collections. Partners who store seed material in the MSB receive a detailed assessment of quality and germinability, in addition to the knowledge that the duplicates will be curated to the highest possible standards. This is backed by significant research effort and Kew's botanical expertise. Other options that can be discussed include training - both formal, through taught courses, or informal through staff exchange - technology transfer, capacity building and joint collecting expeditions. Storage of seed material in the MSB is covered by a simple agreement, which allows the partner to select what can and cannot be done with the material. It also confirms that the material was collected in accordance with local, national and international legislation.

Access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is determined to honour the letter and spirit of the CBD, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and other international, regional, national and sub-national laws and policies concerning biodiversity. In support of the CBD, the MSBP recognises the sovereign rights of states over their own biological resources and the authority of national governments to determine access to genetic resources, subject to national legislation. The interests of other stakeholders and rights holders, including indigenous and local communities and farmers, in biological resources and associated information are also acknowledged.

To discuss ways in which the MSBP might help your project, please contact:

Steve Alton or Clare Trivedi
RBG Kew, Seed Conservation Department,
Wakehurst Place
Ardingly
West Sussex RH17 6TN
United Kingdom

Tel: 00 44 1444 894119
Fax: 00 44 1444 894100
Email: s.alton@kew.org or C.trivedi@kew.org