In 1997 the Millennium Seed Bank Project got off the ground. Having received a massive grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to build a new seed bank at Wakehurst Place in Sussex, which is part of the Royal Botanic Gardens, the aim for the next three years was to achieve a collection of seed from every species of flowering plant native to the British Isles. Allowing for those seed collections already held (mainly of rarities), about 900 plants were still outstanding. Wildlife Trusts, botanical and natural history societies and individuals have all helped in this huge task and I understand the project was on target at the end of September 1998, despite a late start in 1997 and rather wet weather this year
The aim is to achieve big enough collections so that there is plenty of seed available for annual testing, research projects and to ensure the long-term conservation of each species. Only one collection of each is being sought in the first three years of the project but it is likely smaller quantities from a variety of locations will ultimately be added to the seed bank to achieve genetic diversity in the most threatened plants with Red Data Book and Biodiversity Action Plan status.
A number of volunteers have helped the Suffolk Wildlife Trust to collect material for the project, since we believe conservation of seed is an effective way of protecting our plant diversity, and seed from about 25 different species have been sent off so far. We have concentrated on as many of Suffolk's special plants as possible, and great care has always been taken not to over collect and hence threaten the plant in that particular location. For this reason the criteria for collecting are very specific. Seed from Suffolk's Spiny Restharrow, Sulphur Clover, Marsh Sow-thistle and Corn Buttercup are now safely in the freezer, as well as many others which are more widely distributed.
As the number of species to be collected nationally gets smaller, the degree of difficulty will increase, and it is likely the list of 'wants' for the final year will consist largely of extreme rarities and species which are difficult for non-specialists to identify, such as eyebrights, roses and willow-herbs! The collections must each be of the true species and not hybrids.
Nevertheless, we aim to try to help with a few more species in 1999, so if any SNS member with botanical skills is keen to assist, they can get in touch with me through the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Brook House, Ashbocking, Ipswich, IP6 9JY, Tel: 01473 890089.
Everyone who has been involved has discovered how little they knew about seed production, ripening and collection, and we have all learned a lot while carrying out this fascinating and valuable work.
Peter Lawson
Readers might be interested in the following recent articles about the Millennium Seed Bank Project. (Ed.)
Alton, S. (1998). The Millennium Seed Bank Project. British Wildlife 9(5):273-277
Barton, H. (1998). A Safe Haven for Seeds. Biologist 45(4):151-154