Why are scientists racing to fill seed banks?

Project Scope and Leadership

• The seed collection is part of a long-term global biodiversity tracking project managed by scientists at Kew Gardens in the UK.
• The operation centers on the Millennium Seed Bank, the world's largest repository for wild plant seeds, located at Wakehurst in southern England.
• The primary goals are the conservation, preservation, and restoration of wild landscapes worldwide.

Field Expeditions in Madagascar

• Scientists conduct expeditions to Madagascar's East Coast to collect seeds from forests that were historically continuous but are now heavily fragmented due to loss and exploitation.
• Recent expeditions utilize 4x4 vehicles for access to protected areas established by local communities in 2006, though some collection sites require multi-day hikes with two weeks of supplies.
• Fieldwork is logistically demanding, often involving dangerous conditions such as steep hairpin bends, pothole-ridden roads, and crossing rickety timber bridges over rivers.
• Some remote collection sites require scientists to carry equipment and food for weeks, far exceeding the conditions typical of standard botanical research.

Seed Collection Methodology

• Collection follows a two-stage process: first, mapping the population to count trees and ensure a consistent gene pool; second, locating ripe fruit, which requires precise timing.
• Climate change has disrupted historical fruiting patterns, making it difficult for teams to predict when trees will be ripe and resulting in missed collection windows.
• Upon return to the facility in Antananarivo, seeds undergo cleaning to remove pulp, germination testing to verify viability, and drying in specialized low-humidity rooms.
• The entire post-collection processing and testing cycle takes approximately a few weeks.

Seed Storage and Distribution

• Collected seeds are distributed between two locations: half are stored in a local seed bank in Antananarivo, and half are transported to the Millennium Seed Bank in the UK.
• Local governments and NGOs frequently retrieve seeds from the Malagasy facility to support active restoration projects.
• Kew Gardens has executed a specific restoration project in the Ankara Fantsky dry forest, where approximately 30,000 seedlings were planted.

Challenges and Future Outlook

• Deforestation rates in Madagascar currently outpace the capacity of seed banks to provide restoration stock.
• Drivers of forest loss include poverty, resource exploitation, invasive species, and the direct effects of climate change.
• A recent military coup caused temporary disruptions to field operations but has not halted activities, though the long-term stability of government funding for restoration remains uncertain.
• Experts warn that while seed banks are critical for managing biodiversity shifts, they cannot fully compensate for the ongoing rapid destruction of forest habitats.