As the world’s first ‘doomsday vault’, this Norwegian facility is a repository for seed varieties that are stored in traditional genebanks around the globe. It is designed to protect against incremental and catastrophic loss of crop diversity held in genebanks should our civilisation collapse. The article explains that the vault contains more than 1,700 varieties of major food crops.
The Australian National Botanic Garden (ANBG) is a member of the Australian archive seed bank(ASBP). ASBP is a 13-member national consortium of plant conservation agencies with an aim to provide collaborative and sustainable collection, banking and research on Australia’s plant germplasm for optimal outcomes in in situ and ex situ conservation and restoration.
Island Paradise: Navigating the Tropical Runtz Experience
ANBG staff have contributed to ASBP projects and recently supported the delivery of collections from Commonwealth National Parks (Kakadu, Booderee, Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island) for ex situ conservation. ANBG staff also participate in ASBP’s international projects through the Australian Network for Plant Germplasm Conservation (ANPC).
In addition to storing and providing seeds for conservation and research, ANBG has a range of equipment including a germination incubator, thermogradient germination plates, a laminar flow cabinet and a seed X-ray machine. In particular, ANBG’s laboratory is equipped for seed-related research into the factors affecting seed dormancy and longevity in storage.
The ANBG also maintains a small team of highly trained seed scientists and is involved in the development of specialised training for conservation and restoration practitioners. In 2021 ANBG and ASBP co-hosted the Australasian Seed Science Conference which showcased international and national expertise in seed biology and conservation including seed dormancy, storage behaviour, germination and ex situ conservation.