Seed banks provide vital lifeline for future

Partnerships at work

In addition to cooperating with 105 research institutes and preservation centers nationwide, the seed bank works with international partners, including Kew Gardens in the UK, on collecting backup specimens, exchanges and research.

It holds 2,176 sets of seeds from 45 countries, with each set containing thousands of individual seeds.

Li Pei, the staff member, said, "Duplication storage is widely used in case the seeds are destroyed in natural disasters, other accidents or in wars."

She said wild plant protection is recognized globally as a crucial method of biodiversity conservation, as wild species have significant survival potential.

GBOWS has also made considerable efforts on DNA study and preservation of wildlife, she added, citing as an example protection of the Chinese yew－which is critically endangered and under top-level national preservation.

"In the past, illegal traders processed the tree bark into powder to evade the forestry policy. Thanks to development of the DNA barcoding technique, we can now not only recognize the species that the powders are made from, but also source its provenance," Li Pei said.

The aim of GBOWS is to conserve 19,000 species and 190,000 accessions in the next 15 years, she added.

"As China has rich and unique biological resources, we aim to further enhance our collections and conduct deeper research, in expectation of contributing more to biodiversity conservation, not only in China but the world," Li Pei said.