The Millennium Seed Bank: "Perhaps the most important conservation initiative ever undertaken"

HEALTH

The underground armored vaults of the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) keep, at 20 degrees below zero, a treasure trove of seeds from 40,000 wild plants from around the world, many of them in danger of extinction.

The Millennium Seed Bank is in a race against time because, according to scientists, two out of every five plant species on the planet are at risk of disappearing.

This center, located in the heart of the English countryside, about 55 kilometers south of London, is the largest seed bank in the world.

In the opinion of biologist David Attenborough, a well-known figure in the UK, the MSB is “perhaps the most important conservation initiative ever undertaken”.

“The goal is to conserve wild species through seeds, to prevent them from going extinct in the long term,” explains John Dickie, project manager.

This 70-year-old researcher has been involved in the MSB since its creation in the late 1990s.

It opened in 2000 to celebrate the millennium and is located in Wakehurst, a branch of London's Kew Gardens.

Some 2.5 billion seeds are stored here. They come in all shapes, colors and sizes.. They belong to 40,020 different species and come from 190 countries. They represent almost – and only – 20% of the world's flora.

Priority is given to plants threatened, especially by climate change. But also endemic plants, which can only be found in a specific geographical area.

Plants that are medically or economically useful to communities also have their place in Wakehurst.

“Plant species are threatened for various reasons (…), but above all because of the change in land use for agriculture and, increasingly, because of climate change,” Dickie explains.

“Some plants will adapt, some won't,” but “at least they'll be here, instead of disappearing altogether,” he adds.

Every week Wakehurst receives new seeds and begins the process of saving them.

“Our conservation of wild species builds on technology already used for farmed species,” explains Dickie. “It's not complicated: they are dried, cleaned and frozen.”

Once frozen, the seeds can be stored for decades, possibly centuries, he says.

His team works in full view of the public in his glass-enclosed laboratory in Wakehurst.. There are about 20 researchers and some volunteers.

Lucy Taylor treats Albizia polyphylla seeds from Madagascar.

“Madagascar is a very interesting place for biologists because it has a unique flora, since the island broke away from Africa.. Also, there is a lot of pressure on the soil” due to agriculture, he explains.

With patience, he separates the seeds in poor condition from the rest: “many are empty or infested with insects or diseases (…), but we want the best possible collection and we don't have much space in our chambers.”

To detect diseases, the seeds are X-rayed.

Each has their own identity card, with their name, country of origin and date of arrival at the MSB.

They are stored in glass jars before being frozen in underground chambers, built to withstand flooding, bombing and radiation.

The temperature is -20ºC. Scientists enter them dressed as if they worked at a polar base.

The largest collection of seeds corresponds to the orchid family.

There are also rare plants, such as the world's smallest water lily or Deschampsia antarctica, also known as Antarctic hair grass, one of the two native flowering plants of the South Pole.

The MSB, which receives public funding and donations, collaborates with 90 countries.

Some, like Indonesia, refuse to share their seeds with this institution, but keep them on their territory.

Others, however, seem out of reach: One of Dickie's few regrets is not having exchanges with Iran.