The NSW state budget has confirmed support for PlantBank at the Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan. The proposed 3200sq m building for PlantBank has been designed with thermal-efficient vaults where millions of seeds will be deep-frozen to support plant conservation. PlantBank project co-ordinator John Siemon said PlantBank would hold national significance as the largest native plant conservation facility in Australia.
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NSW Seedbank – Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust
The NSW Seedbank is part of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. It is the leading seed bank for conservation of New South Wales plants.
Established in 1986, the NSW Seedbank currently holds more than 4500 species. It has major collections of Eucalyptus, Acacia, Proteaceae and Orchidaceae, as well as wild threatened species. It also actively contributes to recovery actions for threatened species such as the Wollemi pine.
The NSW Seedbank has a strong linkage between its seed collections and its well-established seed research program. The Seedbank’s research team works closely with scientists studying native seed biology in Australia, and the Millennium Seed Bank team in the United Kingdom.
Current areas of research include:
- terrestrial orchids
- rainforest seeds
- seed dormancy
- restoration ecology.
The NSW Seedbank is also implementing a new world-class conservation facility. PlantBank will house the seed collections and be a place for research, education and visitor interaction.
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OUR STORIES
Posted: 29 Jul 2011
At one point, the only existing Allocasuarina portuensis were those in potted ex situ collections and the seed bank. Plants propagated as cuttings and from seed have been used to reintroduce this species at Neilsen Park and several other sites within Sydney Harbour National Park.
Posted: 02 May 2011
After a decade of drought, exceptional rainfall over large areas of western NSW in 2010 spelt good news for seed collectors.
Posted: 29 Apr 2011
The future of NSW’s beautiful terrestrial orchids is being secured through an on-going program at The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan.