He seed bank British Millennium Seed Backthe largest in the world, has just announced that it has reached the incredible number of 2.4 billion seeds stored underground, and 40,020 species different.
There are different ways to fight pollution and climate change. Scientists, ecologists, citizens, and some governments and companies, with more or less force, are working to prevent climate change from occurring.
But, on the other hand, there are also scientists who work on their own. fateful climate change and pollution defeat us. When the weather or bad smoke extinguish thousands of plant species, it will be time to resort to the seed banks.
The Millennium Seed Bank breaks a record
He Millennium Seed Bank is he largest seed bank in the worldsurpassing the more recent Arctic Seed Bank.
It is located in the Royal Botanic Gardens from Kew, in Wakehurst, UK. It has recently been in the news because on March 1 it exceeded the 40,000 species of plants stored in their underground bunker. In all, more than 2.4 billion seeds preserved for posterity.
These species, coming from the 7 continents and from more than 190 countrieshave been chosen because they are in Danger of extinction. some even no longer exist in natureonly in seed form, or in gardens.
The last to arrive have been the baobab Adansonia perrieri, or Perrier’s baobab, critically endangered, and Erythrophleum couminga, a legume endemic to Bare de Ball National Park on the west coast of Madagascar.
The truth is that it has not been very difficult to choose, since 2 out of 5 plant species They are in danger of extinction.
When the seeds reach the Millennium Seed BankThey follow several processes. Some are dried to preserve their DNA, and others are kept at sub-zero temperatures to preserve them. Very specific specimens, they freeze. You can see it in the opening video of the news.
These seeds are stored in a underground bunkerproof of bombs and earthquakes.
There is also an ambitious program of plantation and care of some of these plants in the Royal British Gardensto try to obtain more seeds and replant them in their natural habitat.
He Millennium Seed Bank It also works with 350 partners from 74 countries, who store the seeds of more than 57,000 species in seed banks around the world. Thus they are more diversified throughout the planet.
Well preserved seeds can germinate thousands of years later. A few years ago the judean palm tree returned to life from extinction, thanks to a 2,000-year-old seed found in an archaeological dig. Botanists recently revived a Pleistocene seed from 32,000 years ago.
It is a very important task, but if the climate change causes extreme weather pollution makes the air unbreathable and the water polluted, or a nuclear war expands the radiation, these will be of little use seed banks: plants will not be able to grow. We better be smart, and let’s prevent these catastrophes from coming upon us…