Millennium Seed Bank Partnership facts for kids
The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (also called MSBP or MSB) is the biggest plant saving program in the world. It used to be known as the Millennium Seed Bank Project. This amazing project is run by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK.
The main idea behind the MSBP is to create a "backup plan" for plants. They do this by collecting and storing seeds from wild plants. This helps protect plants from becoming extinct. Think of it like a giant, frozen vault filled with tiny plant treasures!
The project started in 1996 after getting a special grant. It's now located in the Wellcome Trust Millennium Building at Wakehurst Place in West Sussex, England. Inside, there are huge underground vaults where seeds are kept super cold at -20°C. This keeps them safe for a very long time.
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Saving Seeds Around the World
The Millennium Seed Bank works with many other groups globally. They send teams on expeditions to collect seeds, especially from plants that grow in dry areas. When they collect seeds, they try to keep some in the plant's home country. They also send copies of the seeds to the MSBP in the UK for safekeeping.
This teamwork helps countries meet big goals, like the Global strategy for plant conservation. It's all about protecting Earth's amazing plant life.
The special building for the Millennium Seed Bank was opened in 2000. Visitors can see how the seeds are cleaned and prepared through windows. You can also see the entrance to the underground vaults where the seeds are stored.
In 2007, the MSBP reached a huge milestone: they banked their one billionth seed! This special seed was from an African bamboo plant called Oxytenanthera abyssinica.
By 2009, they had stored seeds from 10% of all the world's wild plant species. One of these was a wild banana called Musa itinerans. As of 2015, they had stored seeds from over 34,000 wild plant species. That's more than 13% of all wild plant species on Earth!
Goals of the Seed Bank
The main goals of the Millennium Seed Bank are:
- To collect seeds from 75,000 different plant species by the year 2020. This would be about 25% of all known plants.
- To collect seeds from every single native plant species in the UK.
- To do more research on how to best save and protect seeds and plants.
- To be a central place for plant research and to get people excited about plant conservation.
Working with Partners Globally
The MSBP has more than 100 partnerships all over the world. These include countries like Australia, Mexico, China, Kenya, and South Africa. Australia is very important because it has 15% of all the world's plant species. About 22% of these Australian plants are in danger of disappearing forever.
How Seeds Are Saved
When seeds arrive at the Millennium Seed Bank, they might still be inside fruits or have other plant bits attached. They also come with a special plant sample that helps identify exactly what plant they are from.
First, the seeds are moved to a dry room. Then, workers carefully clean them, removing any dirt or extra plant material. They even X-ray the seeds to check them! After that, the seeds are counted and stored in sealed glass containers. These containers also have little packets of silica gel to keep moisture out.
The seeds are tested to see if they can still grow shortly after being stored. They are then tested again every 10 years. If there aren't many seeds left from a certain plant, the team tries to collect more from the wild.
Sharing Seeds for Research
If scientists or groups need seeds for research, they can ask the MSBP. If it's allowed, the MSBP can provide up to 60 seeds for free. This is for non-commercial groups doing research, helping plants grow again in nature, or putting them back into their natural homes. All seeds are shared to help everyone learn and benefit.
The MSBP also runs the UK Native Seed Hub. This project helps provide high-quality seeds from UK native plants to groups working to protect and restore nature.
See also
- Svalbard Global Seed Vault
- Australian Grains Genebank
