The Millennium Seed Bank Project is the largest ex situ conservation project ever conceived. It is an international collaborative project and its partners will have banked seeds from 10% of the world's wild plants by the end of the decade. These seeds will remain alive in the seed bank for decades, and in many cases, hundreds of years. The species conserved will include rarest, most threatened and most useful species in the world. More importantly, the seed is being used now to provide a wide range of benefits to mankind, ranging from food and building materials for rural communities to disease resistant crops for agriculture. The collections duplicated at the MSB, and the knowledge they are deriving from them, gives them almost infinite options for their conservation and use.
The Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority aims to:
• create and provide world recognised facilities and services and to inspire the conservation of biodiversity.
• conserve and enhance Kings Park, Bold Park and the State's Botanic Garden with the community.Kings Park and Botanic Garden is visited by millions of people each year. With its remarkable expanses of unique bushland, tranquil parkland and botanic garden, the Park is the most popular visitor destination in Western Australia. The total area of the Park is 406 hectares (roughly 1,000 acres) and is located adjacent to the Swan River and approximately 1.5 km from the Central Business District of Perth.
The Science Directorate at the Botanic Garden and Parks Authority (BGPA) undertakes integrated and innovative research in native plant biology, underpinning conservation and ecological restoration of Western Australia’s unique biodiversity, and biodiversity generally. Successful conservation outcomes are achieved through world-class research, and strategic alliances with industry, land managers, the community and other research organizations.
The International Society for Seed Science
The International Society for Seed Science (ISSS) is a professional organisation of seed scientists committed to fostering and promoting research, education and communication in the scientific understanding of seeds. Among other things, it co-ordinates and organises conferences, workshops and more specialised meetings related to seed science.
Members of the ISSS are eligible for substantial discounts on subscriptions to Seed Science Research, the official journal of the ISSS, published by Cambridge University Press. ISSS Members are also eligible for reduced registration fees for ISSS-sponsored meetings.
The ISSS publishes a newsletter about seed science activities and meetings around the world. For recent newsletters and more information about the Society, see the web site (http://www.usd.edu/isss).
Alcoa mines bauxite in the northern jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest of Western Australia, 120 km south-east of Perth. Approximately 550 ha are mined and restored each year at two operating mines, Huntly and Willowdale. Alcoa’s objective is to restore a jarrah forest ecosystem with high plant diversity. Plant species recruit from three main sources; from the natural seedbank in the returned topsoil, from applied seed and from greenstock planting. Over 2,700 kilograms of seed of 200 jarrah forest species are used each year in Alcoa’s mine restoration. Alcoa is Western Australia’s largest user of native seed and the collection, storage, treatment and germination of native seed is a crucial part of Alcoa’s mine restoration activities.
Persoonia longifolia or Snottygobble is one of Alcoa’s difficult to germinate species.
It needs seed chipping, GA treatment and surface sowing to successfully germinate.
Fifteen year old restored jarrah forest (foreground and middle ground up to the fog line) at Alcoa’s Huntly mine in Western Australia
