Millennium Seed Bank Project team: Introduction

Millennium Seed Bank Project

Introduction

The Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSBP) was conceived according to the spirit of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (see BACKGROUND) and today, five years after its International Programme began, the Project is a global conservation network, comprising c. 20 partner countries and over 40 partner institutions. With emphasis on conservation practice rather than theory, the MSBP network is actively delivering the targets of the CBD’s Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC). Project outputs include: national checklists (Target 1); species conservation assessments (Target 2); protocols for plant conservation and sustainable use (Target 3); information on threatened plants in situ (Target 7); accessible ex situ collections of threatened species (Target 8); conservation of socio-economically valuable species (Target 9); protocols towards sustainable management of plants and their products that support rural livelihoods (Targets 12 and 13); educational materials that raise public awareness about conservation (Target 14); and capacity building through technology transfer and training (Targets 15 and 16). In many partner countries the MSBP is the leading initiative implementing the targets of the GSPC, and this is reflected in the ACHIEVEMENTS and FUTURE PLANS sections.

The MSBP is managed by RBG Kew’s Seed Conservation Department (SCD). In 2004 a retrospective logical framework analysis of the MSBP was carried out. As a result five main Outputs were identified that will deliver the project Purpose (see Annex 1: MSBP Logical Framework Table). A responsibility matrix was used to map the relationship between SCD’s sectional management structure and the MSBP Outputs, resulting in the formation of five cross-sectional Output groups shown in the table below.

Output	‘Responsibility’	Science and technology themes
1	Performance of country projects and associated conservation networks
2	Seed collection, intake and quality
3	Science and technology programme (S&T)	1. Climate and Reproductive Biology 2. Genetics and Chemical Traits 3. Post-harvest technology 4. Preservation technology 5. Science of ageing 6. Diagnosis of viability and germination 7. Ecophysiology & Morphology
4	Delivery of training and technology transfer
5	MSBP’s public interface

These groups advise the Departmental Management Team (DMT), comprising the Head of Department and the Heads of the five Sections (Collecting, Curation, Information, Technology and Training, and Research) on detailed aspects of managing the delivery of the respective Outputs.

The rationale for the MSBP’s science and technology (S&T) programme (Output 3) is to research identifiable constraints to seed conservation and then to convert that science into seed conservation practice via appropriate information products (see Annex 2, MSBP Draft Dissemination Strategy for more detail), training (see Annex 3, MSBP Training Strategy for more detail) and technology transfer (Output 4). Within this framework seven distinct sectors or themes of S&T input have been identified as listed in the table above. They broadly match the four main activities of seed conservation: collecting; processing; storage and germination. SCD also provides significant advice and support (mostly editorial) in the wider plant and conservation arena (see Annex 4, Seed Conservation Department: provision of expert, independent advice to external bodies (2001-2005)).

Although managed by the SCD, which is based at Wakehurst Place, the Millennium Seed Bank Project is a Kew-wide initiative. The Project employs 15 people in the Herbarium (3 under Herbarium department management, 12 under SCD management), who provide plant diversity data, information and skills to MSBP partners. In addition, strong links have been developed with the Jodrell Laboratory’s SEPASAL project, which provides information on economically important species in Kenya and Namibia. Finally, the Project employs staff from Wakehurst Place Department to provide horticultural services to the MSBP and to partners overseas.

MSBP staff also play significant roles in the following Kew science teams: Malpighiales; Monocots; Drylands: Africa; UK Overseas Territories; Madagascar; Legumes; Drylands: Tropical America; and Large-Scale Syntheses.