The Last Great Plant Hunt: The Story of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank

With climate change posing an escalating threat to biodiversity, the need for humans to conserve seeds from all plant species is increasingly critical. In the fight against extinction, Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank is a unique global asset. The largest wild plant seed bank in the world, it contains the world’s most diverse seed collection, comprising more than three-and-a-half billion seeds from nearly twenty-five thousand distinct species. This book describes the vital work of the Millennium Seed Bank project and its partner organizations which are now found in more than fifty countries worldwide. From the collection and care of seeds to their use in conservation research, all practical aspects of seed storage are discussed. Additional chapters consider the future of global seed conservation. Timely and informed, this book recounts the history and details the mission of this impressive and ever more necessary international conservation effort.