Seed banks offer the opportunity of conserving large amounts of plant diversity, cheaply and effectively at least to the end of this century. This technology has mainly been applied over the past 50 years to conserving the diversity within the relatively few domesticated (crop) species, thereby making it available for varietal improvement. However, over the past two decades, there has been increasing interest in the use of this technology to conserve non-domesticated (wild) species. Such collections are a resource for habitat restoration and afforestation by enabling species to be put back where lost or in creating new plant communities adapted to future environmental conditions. They are also a huge untapped resource for research and new technology, not least in agriculture and horticulture. The purpose of the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership is to combat potentially catastrophic threats to human wellbeing by safeguarding wild plant diversity and enabling its sustainable use through global partnership. This dedicated website also offers the possibility to browse among several “projects” carried on around the issue of conservation and germination of seeds.

Type of Case
Website

Publisher
Kew Royal Botanic Gardens

Region
Global

Biome
All

Forest Type
All forest types (natural and planted)

Primary Designated Function
Conservation of biodiversity