EXCLUSIVE ONLINE REPORT

Seedbanking to Protect Biodiversity

James Wood

A large proportion of conifers and flowering plants shed seed that can be stored. The storing of seed is not a novel concept. It’s something that humans have been doing since the early inception of agriculture. What has changed is that today we have the understanding and technology to hold seed for extended periods of time, from a few decades up to several hundred years. These ‘seed banks’ act as an insurance policy against loss of distinct plant taxa. Initially developed to stockpile valuable agriculture varieties manipulated by mankind over several thousands of years of cultivation, the last four decades have seen a new focus developing on the conservation of ‘wild’ species that originated through millions of years of evolution.

Seeds are travellers in space and time. In many species seeds are shed dry, and the embryos held within remain in a state of suspended animation – not alive, not dead, just waiting for moisture to reawaken them. Denied water, this state can last several years before the seed eventually succumbs to ageing. Seedbanking exploits the potential of this suspended condition. Dried seed can be placed in subzero storage, (typically -20°C) greatly reducing the ageing effects. Because the seed is dried, it is safe from potentially lethal damage caused by internal ice formation. To maximise shelf life, seed conservationists need to find populations right at the point of dispersal, dry the seeds quickly and gently, remove unhealthy seeds and then place them into strictly temperature-controlled storage.

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James Wood has worked in and around seed banking for twenty years. Previously employed at Kew’s Millennium Seed-bank, he is now manager of RTBG’s Tasmanian Seed Conservation Centre.

www.rtbg.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=224

www.kew.org/science-conservation/conservation- climate-change/millennium-seed-bank/

www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_drori_why_ we_re_storing_billions_of_seeds.html

www.bbc.co.uk/news/10603656

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