Kitchen Gardeners International: World's Largest Seed Bank Program Faces Funding Uncertainty

The largest seed bank project in the world has already spirited away 750 million seeds from 14,000 species of plants and trees, but organizers fear that funding may run out before their ambitious goals are met. According to the Environmental News Network, botanists for the Millennium Seed Bank have a goal to collect and protect seeds from 30,000 species, or 10 percent of the world's flora by 2010. Funding beyond that initial target is uncertain. "Seed money" for the bank, headquartered 35 miles south of London and known informally as the "Noah's Ark Project," came from Britain's national lottery. Seed collection is prioritized according to level of endangerment and economic importance.

Posted by KGI on February 28, 2006 10:11 AM to Kitchen Gardeners International
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