Kew s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership Conserving and enabling the use of plant diversity for innovation and adaptation

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1 Kew s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership Conserving and enabling the use of plant diversity for innovation and adaptation Dr John Dickie Head of Seed & Lab-based Collections Collections Department

2 Outline of talk Diminishing diversity Our need for plant diversity Seed bank basics Kew s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership MSBP Target 1: Conserving plant diversity MSBP Target 2: Enabling use UK Native Seed Hub Adapting Agriculture Project Useful Plants Project African Great Green Wall Project Conclusions

3 All life depends on plants Provisioning services Food, medicine, fuel, construction, clothing, etc. Regulating services Climate moderation, disease regulation, flood regulation Cultural services Spiritual, recreational, aesthetic, inspirational, educational Economic value $30-40 trillion per annum. Supporting services

4 Our need for plant diversity Plant-based solutions needed for major environmental challenges: Food security Water scarcity Energy Human health Biodiversity conservation Climate change

5 Plants: Three plants provide 50% of all human food energy Rice Wheat Maize

6 But how many more plants are used by people for food? 30,000

7 Wild plants: important to people In southern Africa wild plants account for 30% of household livelihoods In a study from Tanzania, 49% of vegetables consumed were from wild sources MSBP partners collecting Moringa oleifera in Burkina Faso In a study from Burkina Faso, 20% of all foods consumed were wild species In most countries, livestock primarily eat wild forage species

8 WILD PLANTS AS MEDICINE 75% of the world s people rely on plants for traditional remedies Aspirin which originated from the bark of willow has been used as a painkiller for at least 2000 years

9 WILD PLANTS AS A SOURCE OF MEDICINE Approximately 400 children in London with leukemia or lymphoma Only 30% would have survived before vinblastine and vincristine from rosy periwinkle Now 80% can be expected to survive

10 Direct: Habitat conversion Over-exploitation Alien species Indirect: Threats to plant diversity? 20% of plant species are currently threatened with extinction Human population expected to rise to nine billion by Changing climate

11 Diminishing diversity 60,000 to 100,000 plant species are currently threatened with extinction The current extinction rate of biodiversity is 1000 times the background rate. Habitat loss is the main threat 15-40% of species potentially facing extinction after only 2 C of warming

12 Diminishing diversity: Options for preserving genetic resources ex situ Seed banks Botanic Gardens Field genebanks In vitro tissue culture Cryopreservation Pollen banks DNA banks

13 The two global seed banks Global Seed vault (Svalbard) Crop species only. Back-up collections only. Un-manned. Supported by the Norwegian Government (and DfiD). Kew s Millennium Seed Bank (UK) Non-crop species (>99% of plant diversity) active research methodology seeds supplied for research and use.

14 What can be done? Seed banks provide an insurance policy against threats to plants in situ Seed banks provide options for the future survival and use of plants

15 Options for the future: using seed collections Tony Elphick Habitat restoration Sustainable utilisation - improving rural livelihoods Research Species reintroductions

16

17 Seed bank basics Huge concentration of diversity allowing curation & access Can be used for most seed-bearing species Dried & frozen fresh seed can live many decades millennia Low technical input

18 The seed banking process

19 Germination (%) Seed moisture and storage life 6% mc 9% mc 12% mc 15% mc Storage period

20 The seed banking process: drying For every 1% reduction in seed moisture content, seed life span doubles Post-collection Lebanon Drying room MSB 15 C, 15% RH

21 Millennium Seed Bank Partnership Once dry, seed is stored in sealed containers to keep it dry.

22 Temperature and storage life Longevity (log s Temperature (deg C)

23 The seed banking process: -20ºC For every 5 C reduction in temperature, seed life span doubles

24 % Germination Species differences in seed longevity Rhododendron campanulatum Mentzelia lindleyi Geranium robertianum Cephalaria joppica Storage period (d)

25 Viability equation - modelling seed viability loss cf. y = a + b x SID (Seed Information Database): online calculator

26 Predicting the longevity of wheat seeds in different environments RH % Arctic 77%RH, -18 C ~ 6 years MSB 15%RH, -20 C 1539 years Temperature (deg C) Moist tropics 76-90%RH, ~30 C a few months Dry tropics 20-30%RH, ~21 C ~ 10 years

27 200 years + How do we know? Leucospermum Chinese lotus Mummy wheat?

28 Kew s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership: targets to 2020 Target 1 Target 2 Secure in safe storage 25% (75,000) of world s bankable plant species by 2020 Enable innovation, adaptation and resilience in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and habitat restoration

29 Kew s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership ca.170 partner institutions in 80 countries.

30 Kew s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership Ownership Intellectual Property Consent Activities Notification of transfer Benefit sharing Non-commercialisation Transfer to third parties Duration

31 Kew s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership Shared research agenda Seed stress & survival Seed dormancy Seed germination Seed storage behaviour Seed longevity Seed traits for use Propagation protocols Genetic diversity analysis Seed morphology Technology & information sharing

32 Kew s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership Main funding sources UK Government - Defra Philanthropic donations & grants - restricted or unrestricted (e.g., Arcadia, Esmee Fairburn, GSK) Competitive grants (e.g. Darwin, EU) Consultancy (KIU) Overseas (e.g. China, Australia)

33 Kew s Millennium Seed Bank Partnership Public awareness Promotion of key messages globally (e.g. Shanghai Expo 2010) Strong media coverage Public viewing of seed bank Website

34 Target 1. Conserving plant diversity Taxonomic sampling (average of 2 population samples / taxon) Long-term conservation (aim 200 years) and understanding seed biology Currently >37,000 species in MSBP seed banks >5 billion seeds in total

35 Target 1. Conserving plant diversity Endangered Endemic Economic

36 Target 1. Conserving plant diversity Dryland Island Coastal Montane

37 UK Native Seed Hub Project Commercially, limited range of native species in UK. Seed quality is often poor MSB supports UK companies and restoration practitioners: Advice on seed quality etc Material not currently available Target 2. Enabling use: Restoration

38 Partnership between Toyota and Kew Cooperation in UK since 2012 (TMUK & TGB) Exploratory Kew visit to TME in Jan 2014 Partnership formally launched in May 2014

39 Biodiversity Enhancement- TMUK Botanical surveys, Green Grid & Farmland Plus, local partner: Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

40 Biodiversity Enhancement- TMUK UK Native Species, Grassland Verge & Mini Woods

41 Grassland management and wildlife survey transects Bee orchid Ophrys sp. Burnaston Biodiversity monitoring & advice to TMUK complements local partnerships

42 Target 2. Enabling use: food security Crop Wild Relatives Examples Oryza sativa: domesticated rice Oryza nivara: resistance to grassy stunt virus Oryza officinalis: early morning flowering (resistance to high temperatures) Oryza longistaminata: high yield

43 Target 2. Enabling use: food security Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change Project Kew - key partner Led by Global Crop Diversity Trust $50m grant from Norwegian Govt

44 29 Priority genepools

45 2014 Crop Wild Relatives 1 Research 2 Collecting 4 Use 5 Information = Kew Involved with New Crop Varieties Year

46 Target 2. Enabling use: livelihoods Useful Plants Project Project MGU Help to local communities in Botswana, Kenya, Mali, Mexico and South Africa Improving livelihoods by conserving and using plant resources in a more sustainable way

47 Target 2. Enabling use: water scarcity ca. 60,000 trees species but detailed knowledge of only ca. 1,000 MSBP holds seeds from >5,000 tree/shrub species Seed banks help by providing seeds and information on seed biology, germination & propagation

48 Forest Landscape Africa Afforestation with indigenous species in 12 African countries Target 2. Enabling use: water scarcity African Great Green Wall Project 11 Sahelian countries 15 km x 7,750 km Pilot project planned in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Funding secured for pilot In Africa 28 trees are felled for every tree that is planted.

49 Target 2. Enabling use: bio-security study CABI have developed a biological control for Japanese Knotweed MSB supplied seeds of 21 native species to CABI for testing MSB collections saved CABI, 1 year of research time LSE estimated value of MSB support m

50 Target 2. Enabling use: climate change, bio-security and adaptation

51 Target 2. Enabling use: climate change, biosecurity and adaptation Kew and Forest Research now establishing UK s first genetically comprehensive National Tree Seed Collection Tree seeds will be used for: Screening for disease/pest resistance Development of biological / chemical controls Screening for tolerance to climate and soils Reintroduction of diversity to the landscape

52 Conclusions The MSBP is continuing Kew s historical role of enabling human innovation, adaptation and resilience With our Kew colleagues and partner organisations we will work to provide plant-based solutions to the environmental challenges that we all face

53 Thought for today! There is no technological reason why any plant species should become extinct.

54 Thank you!