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Thu Oct 15, 2009 4:37 pm

The Royal Botanical Gardens Kew announced today that they have reached their first target of acquiring seed specimens for 10% of the worlds plant life today.

The Seed Bank was opened in the year 2000 with the aim of saving and cataloguing 25% of the worlds plant life by 2020. This huge undertaking involved more than 50 countries. It's latest entry? The seeds of a pink banana!

Do you think that undertakings like these can make an impact on our future environment or are they just showy gimicks that will have no lasting benefits?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8305456.stm

i agree deltic... it is a monumental undertaking... I can see it getting harder as they start going for the seeds that are hard to find.. I would think that they have started with some of the rarer ones, as they are the ones most at risk. For instance, they can probably leave things like pumpkin seeds till last!

Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:28 am

I still think it is a very valuable thing to do, who knows what potential cures or health benefits would be lost for ever if they didn't do that.

Wed Nov 18, 2009 1:54 pm

This kind of undertaking is a lifetime commitment. It's not something you can do for a few months and then move on. THe people who are involved with this project must be very dedicated.

Fri Nov 27, 2009 12:56 am

This is just the sort of enlightened endeavour we read about coming out of the UK, sadly here in the States we'll wait until another 10% of the seed species have disappeared before we get our butts in gear and address the problem. Sigh. It happens over and over again.

Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:57 am

It is a great effort they have put in ...definitely....and a mammoth task..because it is not really easy to find the seeds of rare species.....are they also using the help of local farmers, conservationist etc. of individual countries?

Sun Nov 29, 2009 6:17 pm

I think people from all over the world are assisting in the collection process Atula.. it is truly a global effort.

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Kew Gardens Millennium Seed Bank

Kew Gardens Millennium Seed Bank

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