Designs for a state-of-the-art seed bank at the Australian National Botanic Gardens Canberra have been unveiled.
Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley said the National Seed Bank would ensure the protection of Australia’s native plant species in the face of a changing climate and extreme weather events.
Ms Ley said philanthropic donations would contribute to the construction of the $7.2 million seed bank, which was expected to begin in 2022.
“The Seed Bank features a large freezer or vault that will quadruple the existing storage capacity as well as a state-of-the-art laboratory to enhance the research and conservation programs already delivered by the Botanic Gardens,” Ms Ley said.
“The Australian National Botanic Gardens currently holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of Australian native plants, including large numbers of rare and threatened species,” she said.
“The existing seed bank holds more than 7,700 seed collections from almost 4,000 plant species – 139 of which are threatened species”
Ms Ley said scientific and horticultural research conducted with the seed bank was pivotal to the conservation of Australia’s plant biodiversity.
“Last summer, the National Seed Bank team collected and assessed plants impacted by the Black Summer bushfires,” the Minister said.
“Of the more than two dozen species collected, two of them had 100 per cent of their habitat in Namadgi National Park heavily impacted by the fires,” she said.
