By Anna Ellis • 17 March 2023 • 9:17
Noah’s Ark for plants hits important milestone: 40,000 different plant species. Image: Royal Botanical Gardens / Kew
A world-leading seed conservation programme led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is celebrating a major milestone in its efforts to preserve rare, threatened, and important wild plants.
The Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) has banked more than 2.4 billion individual seeds representing a total of 40,020 different species of wild plants.
Described by scientists as ‘Noah’s Ark for plants’, the MSB is the world’s biggest wild seed storage facility, situated at the heart of Kew’s ‘living laboratory’ and wild botanic gardens, Wakehurst, in rural Sussex.
Within the bomb and flood-proof building are 98,567 seed collections sourced from 190 countries and territories, across all seven continents, nine biogeographic regions, and 36 biodiversity hotspots.
In fact, the MSB holds the Guinness World Records title for the world’s ‘largest seed bank’.
MSB’s Senior Research Leader, Dr Elinor Breman, confirmed: “Housed within the vaults of the Millennium Seed Bank is the world’s largest and most diverse collection of plants anywhere on the planet which makes it an invaluable tool for scientists tackling the global biodiversity crisis.”
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories; remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Originally from the UK, Anna is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.