Seed Banks Save Plants

Seeds safe in cold storage

The main benefit of seed banks is that they provide insurance against the loss of species in the wild. This is important given the many threats that face plant species growing in the wild.  

Seed banks provide options for the future conservation and utilisation of plants. Even if they are lost in the wild, plants will always be available for human utilisation, for medicines, crop improvements, building materials and so on.

Seed banks can provide a source of material, of high quality and genetic diversity, for the potential recovery and restoration of threatened species and ecosystems. Several MSBP partners are already using their seed collections in this way.

Seed banks can provide a controlled source of plant material for research. Material is quickly and easily available to researchers without the need to carry out expeditions or over-exploit wild populations. Terms and conditions can be attached to the supply of this material, which ensures the fair and equitable sharing of any subsequent benefits.

Skills, knowledge and data from seed banks support wider plant conservation aims.

Effective germination and propagation protocols are developed for species conserved in seed banks - knowledge and skills that are fundamental to in situ conservation.

A Plantago seedling

Research into seed storage behaviour maximises the application of seed banks, and can enable the sustainable use of species that might otherwise be at risk. For example, the bark of Prunus africana is highly valued and could be used for the treatment of prostate cancer. In Burkina Faso the tree is becoming endangered due to over-harvesting. A method for germinating its seeds has been developed by staff and partners of the MSBP. This could lead to the establishment of plantations, counteracting the over-harvesting of the wild plants.

Information generated from the MSBP is publicly available on the MSB Seed Information Database (SID).