Millennium Seed Bank Project
Background
The Millennium Seed Bank Project was conceived, developed and is managed by the Seed Conservation Department of RBG Kew. The Project is funded by the UK National Lottery, corporate and private sponsors, and comprises two phases. Phase 1 (1997-2000) aimed to build the Millennium Seed Bank, and collect and conserve the British flora. This has been achieved, with the building completed in 2000, and 96% of the British flora now conserved in it. Phase 2 of the Project, the International Programme, is a nine year global conservation programme (2001-2010). The two principal aims of the International Programme are to:
· Collect and conserve 10% of the world’s seed-bearing flora (some 24,000 species), principally from the drylands, by the year 2010.
· Develop bilateral research, training and capacity-building relationships worldwide in order to support and to advance the seed conservation effort.
The International Programme is based on the development of collaborations with partner institutions all around the world. These partnerships have as their basis the precepts of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in which resources and responsibility are shared equitably by all parties through technology transfer, benefit sharing and capacity building. The MSBP currently has formal links with seed bank and conservation institutions in c. 20 countries, including: Australia; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Canada; Chile; China; Egypt; Italy; Jordan; Kenya; Lebanon; Madagascar; Malawi; Mali; Mexico; Namibia; Saudi Arabia; South Africa; Tanzania; the USA; and is in the process of developing partnerships in many other countries throughout the world.