Plant bank conserves its billionth species

The Millennium Seed Bank Project has collected its billionth variety from across the world for safekeeping and conservation. Simply gathered on the land, in woods and wetlands, the bank's deposits could hold the key to the globe's well-being and every creature that depends on it.

The UK seed bank is a form of insurance against natural devastation, making sure that, eventually, all of the world's wild plant life is logged and preserved. Its scientists can re-germinate the seeds and re-create the habitats that are necessary for the continuation of human life.

The deposits represent the future of the planet, a thousand million seeds from all over it, stored in a project to help curb the rapid loss of worldwide biodiversity.

The Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) in England was set up in 2000 with the aim of collecting the seeds of 10 per cent of the world's rarest wild flora and all of the UK's wild flora by 2010. The bank can be likened to a Noah's ark for plants.

"We are losing species 1,000 times faster than the natural rate of extinction," said Dr Paul Smith, head of the MSB.

"If we do not do something in the next 15 to 20 years, many will be gone and we won't have a second chance."

The seed bank project, based in Sussex, southern England, holds the largest wild seed collection in the world - 18,000 from 126 countries - including 88 per cent of the total UK flora, some of which have become extinct in the wild.

The MSB works with more than 100 partner organisations in 50 countries forming a global network, duplicating collections in partner seed banks to provide an effective back-up against the loss of species in their natural environments.

Its research has led to the development of drought-resistant forage plants - that have been sent to Pakistan and Mexico for animals to graze - as well as salt-tolerant forage plants for Australia. All developments are protected by legal agreements with the country of origin.

The latest addition to the seed bank is a plant that flowers and sets seed once every seven years. It is the African bamboo Oxytenanthera abyssinica, a very useful plant whose natural habitat is under increasing threat. The Mali people use it for building homes, furniture, fuel, winemaking and even as a medicine.

On arrival at Wakehurst, seeds are stored in packets at 15 degrees C and low humidity for an average of 10 months, in order for them to dry down. "They are then carefully cleaned by hand, removing fruit walls and other investing structures, and then samples are stored in bottles; pickling jars are particularly good for this. All collection details go into a database and finally the seed is placed in the safety of the underground seed store."

A few need more specialised treatment. Some will last in this way for thousands of years, others for decades; these will be planted and germinated before their expiry date happens, and the seed of their offspring collected and stored anew.

For species that have gone extinct, or nearly extinct, the seed bank's stores are used to replenish wild populations.

Despite its achievements and enormous potential for future conservation, the Millennium Seed Bank Project's future is in the balance. The work has an increasing urgency, because funding for the project - 10 per cent of which is from the UK government - is expected to stop in 2010.

The project team is looking for additional funding, hoping to continue their work and bank seeds from 25 per cent of the planet's plant species by 2020.

"Everyone in the world depends on nature and ecosystem services such as clean air and water to provide the conditions for a decent, healthy and secure life. The need for the kind of insurance policy that the millennium seed bank provides has never been greater."