I’ve talked before about the Millennium Seed Bank and the important work they are doing in preserving the world’s wild plant species from extinction. Some of the seeds are stored in their facility at Kew’s second garden in Wakehurst Place (Sussex, UK) and others are collected and stored by Kew’s partners across the world. (There was a lovely article about one group, in Botswana, in the Observer in July.)
Yesterday, the MSB announced that it had reached its first major milestone – seeds have been collected from 10% of the plants. The next milestone is in 2020, and aims to collect 25%.
The MSB needs donations to fund their ongoing work, and if you are so inclined you can adopt a seed for £25 – which might be the perfect gift for the gardener who has everything.
I am sure you share my feeling that this is an important cause (even though, we know, it is a safety net and not the entire answer to species extinction). Many of you save and share seeds at home, helping to protect the biodiversity of our familiar crop plants and ensuring that heritage (heirloom) varieties are passed down through the generations as they have been for centuries.
Together we can go one step further and save an entire wild plant species. The list of species that is currently available for sponsorship includes edible and useful plants, and the cost of sponsorship is £1000 or £2000, depending on which species is chosen. From the current list I would choose Origanum syriacum (the most economically important edible wild plant in Lebanon) if we hit £1,000 or Oldfieldia dactylophylla (a multi-purpose fruit tree from south central Africa), if we can raise £2,000.
And so I have begun something new to me – an Alternative Kitchen Garden Seed Appeal. I have a JustGiving page, which means that you can donate via credit card or PayPal, and means that you can be sure that the money raised goes directly to Kew. If you’re in the UK and you would prefer to send a cheque then send me an email; once it arrives I can add it to the total.
When we reach our goal then our sponsorship of a species will be recognised on the electronic touch-screen register at the MSB in Sussex.
If you would like to see exactly how your donation will be spent, then I have three blog posts that go behind-the-scenes at the Millennium Seed Bank. Find out what happens to seeds as the arrive, how they’re safely stored and how the Kew scientists ensure they will germinate when they’re needed.
