A Seed Conservation Partnership between Tanzanian Seed Conservation Organisations and the RBG Kew Millennium Seed Bank Project

Ex situ conservation of indigenous plants from the dryland regions of Tanzania

Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest point on the African continent: a focal area for MSBP seed conservation work

The Project will focus on the ex situ conservation of indigenous plants from the dryland regions of Tanzania; that is, those areas with agro-climatic characteristics of arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) as identified in Appendix 1 of the National Action Programme to Combat Desertification 1999 (NAPCD). These regions amount to about 61% of Tanzania's total land area.

The Project Partners will target species of high conservation and utilitarian value, specifically species which are endemic, rare, threatened or of known value to local communities. The purposes of collection are scientific, not commercial.

Output 1: Facilitation of the establishment of legal and regulatory frameworks for conservation and sustainable utilisation of plant genetic resources in Tanzania;

Output 2: Identification of target species for conservation and production of guides for their collection;

Output 3: Establishment of appropriately documented, long-term collections of seed and associated herbarium specimens for use in scientific research, education and conservation;

Output 4: Improved capacity of partner institutes to deliver seed conservation of wild plant species;

Output 5: Research priorities established, research capacity improved, and data and information acquired in order to create a better understanding for conservation and sustainable use of wild seeds.

Project targets:

The Project will collect 1,400 priority species;

Major infrastructure improvements to National Genebank and Tree Seed Agency;

1 PhD studentship, 1 MSc Studentship, 4 Technical attachments.