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The Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The exterior and interior of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Printed under a CC BY license, with permission from Photographer Mari Tefre. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064146.g001
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Ex-situ conservation of crop diversity is a global concern, and the development of an efficient and sustainable conservation system is a historic priority recognized in international law and policy. We assess the completeness of the safety duplication collection in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault with respect to data on the world's ex-situ collectio...
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... genebanks, the CGIAR and the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). The Seed Vault provides free-of-charge, long-term storage of duplicates from genebanks around the world and works as an insurance policy against incremental or catastrophic loss of the original collections (Fig. 1). The international community has called for an effective, efficient and sustainable global system to conserve Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) in the Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (GPA) [13,14] and the ITPGRFA [15]. The Seed Vault has, in its five years of operation, ...
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... Reviews of the quantity or representativeness of collections stored (Westengen et al. 2013;Liu et al. 2018), and their physiological quality or viability (Liu et al. 2020), demonstrate that gene bank management practices are effective for conserving a large diversity of species long-term. Across nearly 1750 global gene banks that secure a significant proportion of the world's biodiversity and crop diversity (Westengen et al. 2013;Liu et al. 2020;Walters and Pence 2021), further advances in collection management are required to ensure future needs are met, with research continuing to improve practices for a broader number of species and requirements. ...
... Reviews of the quantity or representativeness of collections stored (Westengen et al. 2013;Liu et al. 2018), and their physiological quality or viability (Liu et al. 2020), demonstrate that gene bank management practices are effective for conserving a large diversity of species long-term. Across nearly 1750 global gene banks that secure a significant proportion of the world's biodiversity and crop diversity (Westengen et al. 2013;Liu et al. 2020;Walters and Pence 2021), further advances in collection management are required to ensure future needs are met, with research continuing to improve practices for a broader number of species and requirements. ...
... Comparisons of different gene banks provide useful insights to guide future work (Hay and Probert 2013;Westengen et al. 2013) demonstrated by the keynote of Sally Norton and Elinor Breman, comparing agricultural (Australian Grains Genebank) and conservation facilities (Millennium Seed Bank). Improved methods to maximise seed quality and longevity are in development (Jawad et al. 2021;Abdul Rahman and Sohaimi 2021), and gene bank manager's networks and toolkits are growing Cai et al. 2021;Crawford et al. 2021;Irawanto et al. 2021). ...
The crises of biodiversity loss, climate change and food security are challenges faced by the conservation and agriculture sectors. We outline, via presentations from the Australasian Seed Science Conference, how seed science is addressing these challenges. Research is focused on practical solutions for seed bank management, seed use and biodiversity conservation. Emerging trends include understanding the role of seed microbiota on plant performance and the roles of seeds in society and culture.
... The Svalbard Global Seed Vault was opened in 2008 in a partnership between the Norwegian Government, the Nordic Genetic Resource Center, and the Global Crop Diversity Trust. This happened as a result of a long and still ongoing process of collaboration and trust building among collection holders and among countries [59] The Global Seed Vault at Svalbard today houses 1.165.041 accessions of seed germplasm from 5.947 species from all around the world [60]. ...
In this review we examine Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov’s relationship to Scandinavia and the impact he and his ideas have had on Scandinavia. We trace the historical connections from Vavilov back to 18th century scientists, such as Carl Von Linneaus (Sweden) and 19th century European scientists such as Alphonse de Candolle (Switzerland), Henry de Vilmorin (France), and William Bateson (England). Vavilov has influenced the conservation work in Scandinavia resulting amongst other in the establishment of the Nordic Gene Bank in 1979 and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault which started operating in 2008. Vavilov travelled to Scandinavia in 1921 and in 1931 to give lectures and exchange ideas, especially with the breeders at the Swedish Seed Association (Svalöf) in Scania, Sweden, but also at the Copenhagen University in Denmark. Vavilov did not recognize Scandinavia as part of a center of origin of cultivated plants. It was only after World War II, when P.M. Zhukovsky, a scholar of N.I Vavilov, developed the concept of mega-centers of diversity of cultivated plants, that Scandinavia became part of what he termed the European-Siberian Region of Diversity. We list species domesticated in Scandinavia or Northern Europe, and we further discuss concepts related to crop evolution and highlight the great impact Vavilov has had by inspiring scientists across disciplines and over many decades.
... Social scientists and other experts in inter-cultural communication are more well equipped than technical experts to ensure a selection of content that represents all of humanity and adequately portrays the information we wish to share, suggesting the need for their involvement in the content curation process [12]. In some cases, the preservation of physical artifactssuch as crop samples [13]-may also be necessary to best represent our civilization and enable recovery. ...
The risk of a catastrophic or existential disaster for our civilization is increasing this century. A significant motivation for a near-term space settlement is the opportunity to safeguard civilization in the event of a planetary-scale disaster. A catastrophic event could destroy the significant cultural, scientific, and technological progress on Earth. However, early space settlements can preserve records of human activity by maintaining a backup data storage system. The backup can also store information about the events leading up to the disaster. The system would improve the ability of early space settlers to recover our civilization after collapse. We show that advances in laser communications and data storage enable the development of a data storage system on the lunar surface with a sufficient uplink data rate and storage capacity to preserve valuable information about the achievements of our civilization and the chronology of the disaster.
... Large-scale ex-situ seed banking was first implemented in the early 20 th century to maintain and protect crop lines and over the last 50 years has been increasingly used to preserve wild plants diversity too (Chapman et al., 2018;Wade et al., 2020). As back-up sites for the global conservation system, seed vaults complement in situ conservation and play a functional and symbolic role for enhanced integration and cooperation to conserve crop and wild plant diversity (Li and Pritchard, 2009;Westengen et al., 2013). Hitherto, almost 57,000 taxa are preserved in more than 350 institutions around the world (Chapman et al., 2018), such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault for crops in Norway (Asdal and Guarino, 2018), the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew's Millennium Seed Bank for wild species in the United Kingdom (Liu et al., 2018), the National Plant Germplasm System for crops in the United States of America (Byrne et al., 2018), and the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species (GBoWS) in China (Li et al., 2010). ...
Germplasm conservation strongly depends on the desiccation tolerance (DT) of seeds. Xerophytic seeds have strong desiccation resistance, which makes them excellent models to study DT. Although some experimental strategies have been applied previously, most methods are difficult to apply to xerophytic seeds. In this review, we attempted to synthesize current strategies for the study of seed DT and provide an in-depth look at Caragana korshinskii as an example. First, we analyze congenital advantages of xerophytes in the study of seed DT. Second, we summarize several strategies used to study DT and illustrate a suitable strategy for xerophytic species. Then, based on our previous studies work with C. korshinskii, a feasible technical strategy for DT re-establishment is provided and we provide illustrate some special molecular mechanisms seen in xerophytic seeds. Finally, several steps to unveil the DT mechanism of xerophytic seeds are suggested, and three scientific questions that the field should consider are listed. We hope to optimize and utilize this strategy for more xerophytic species to more systematically decipher the physiological and molecular processes of seed DT and provide more candidate genes for molecular breeding.
... Gene banks are aimed at preserving genetic diversity in the form of reproductive cells or seeds of wild and domestic species under carefully controlled conditions to prevent extinction of whole species or varieties of human use, cultural value or conservation interest. Perhaps the most famous gene bank is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway (Svalbard Global Seed Vault 2021; Westengen et al. 2013). It was created following the entry into force of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in 2004 and aims at preserving viable samples of all edible plant species of the world. ...
This book addresses the effectiveness of existing protected areas in conserving the diversity of genes, species and ecosystems on land and at sea. The book synthetizes the main biodiversity conservation outcomes of protected areas in the 2010-2019 decade, drawing on a systematic literature review of scientific publications and case studies from around the world demonstrating successes and failures. It provides region-specific results for land and sea ecosystems as well as for developed and developing countries. It also reviews current methodological approaches used to assess protected area effectiveness. The work is timely, since there is growing concern on the global biodiversity crisis among researchers, government organizations and the general public, as demonstrated by the 2030 targets established by the UN Sustainable Development Goals for Life Below Water (SDG 14) and Life On land (SDG15). The book is written in an easy and enjoyable style using numerous pictures, tables and graphs to make the content more engaging and understandable. The main intended audiences of the book are academics, from post-graduate students to university lecturers, and senior researchers in the fields of biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and environmental policy, as well as protected area managers and practitioners.
... First, we rely on self-reported data on household cropping activities, including the classification of improved and local varieties. While local varieties are commonly understood as traditional varieties (aka 'landraces'), farmers sometimes refer to locally developed improved varieties as local and sometimes also refer to exotic improved varieties as local after 'recycling' seeds as farm-saved seeds for a few seasons (Westengen, Jeppson, & Guarino, 2013). In fact, even national and international agricultural research organizations classify improved wheat varieties recycled more than five seasons as local (Yirga, Mohammad, Kassie, & Groote, 2013). ...
Crop diversity plays a central role in smallholder farmers’ ability to cope with and adapt to shocks. Shifting crop varieties and diversifying the crop portfolio are common risk reduction strategies. This paper addresses the influence of covariate climate shocks and idiosyncratic socioeconomic shocks on crop variety use and crop species diversification by smallholder farmers using nationwide balanced panel data(2011/12, 2013/14, & 2015/16) from rural households in Ethiopia combined with village-level historical monthly rainfall and temperature data. We apply correlated random effects models, which control for time-invariant household unobservables. Past exposure to drought shocks increased the use of improved seed varieties in general and for wheat, while long-term average rainfall and lagged flood shocks enhance crop species diversity. Lagged temperature shocks increase improved seed use and crop species diversity. However, recurrent drought exposure and exposure to relatively more severe drought shocks significantly reduced overall agricultural activity. Idiosyncratic shocks, to a much lesser degree, influenced seed use and crop diversification decisions compared to covariate drought shocks. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that drought shock exposure on farmers with less than average farm sizes and other assets -compared to those better-off – increased their relative reliance on local seed use, reduced crop diversification, and reduced improved seed use. The results are robust to various sensitivity checks. Our findings are relevant for policy responses aiming to strengthen smallholders’ ability to cope with and adapt to shocks: farmers’ seed-based risk reduction strategies rely on access to seeds from both formal and informal seed systems, but policies addressing economic inequality are needed to enhance access to improved seeds and crop diversity for resource-poor socioeconomic groups.
... To maintain the genetic diversity of plants, seed banks and botanical gardens around the world preserve more than 16,500 plant species and 7 million plant germplasm resources (Boniecka et al. 2019). One famous example is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Westengen et al. 2013) and the largest seed bank in the world is the Millennium Seed Bank . The USA has also established a National Seed Storage Laboratory in Fort Collins, Colorado (International 1960), in which valuable seeds are stored for research. ...
Exploring and utilizing the agronomic potential of deep-underground is one of the ways to cope with the challenges of sudden environmental change on agriculture. Understanding the effects of environmental stresses on the morphological and physiological indicators of crop seeds after their storage deep-underground is crucial to developing and implementing strategies for agriculture in the deep-underground space. In this study, we stored canola seeds in tunnels with horizontal depths of 0, 240, 690, and 1410 m in a gold mine. Seeds in envelopes were retrieved at 42, 66, 90, and 227 days of storage, whereas seeds in sealed packages were retrieved at 66 and 227 days of storage. The germination tests were conducted to investigate the effects of storage depth, duration, and packing method on stored and non-stored seeds. Results showed that increased depth and duration reduced seed germination rate, with the germination and vigor indexes also descending to varying degrees. Increased hypocotyl length and biomass accumulation suggested that deep-underground environment had a more significant compensatory effect on seed germination. For all indicators, the performance of seeds sealed in packages was superior to those stored in envelopes. Regression analysis showed that it was difficult to obtain the optimal value of each indicator simultaneously. The successful germination experiment foreshadowed the possibilities of deep-underground agriculture in the future.
... Like other hardwood species the seeds of Castanea sativa are classified as recalcitrant (Pence, 1992;Westengen et al., 2013) and are highly susceptible to desiccation and low temperatures (Vertucci and Farrant, 1995;Berjak and Pammenter, 1997). Such behavior poses a major problem to seed banks for their long-term storage. ...
... Vault in Norway (Westengen et al., 2013;Svalbard Global Seed Vault, 2021 Botanic gardens and zoos play two essential roles for biodiversity conservation: environmental awareness and captive breeding. It is estimated that over 700 million people visit zoos and aquariums annually, potentially making an enormous impact on environmental education and awareness globally (Gusset and Dick, 2011). ...
Global concern on the serious impacts of humans on the natural environment has crystallised in a number of international conventions and agreements. Such agreements contain several commitments and recommendations aimed at different stakeholders, chiefly national governments, at different spatial scales. Those commitments and recommendations can be broadly divided in two complementary strategies for biodiversity conservation: (1) Ex-situ conservation; and (2) In-situ conservation. Ex-situ conservation entails the conservation of selected plant and animal species in facilities outside their natural habitats, such as botanic gardens, zoos, aquariums or gene banks. Insitu conservation is defined as ‘the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings’. The most widely used on site conservation tool is protected areas (PAs), although other tools such as Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) or ecological restoration also play an important role in maintaining biodiversity in the Planet.KeywordsBiodiversity conservationConservation strategieInternational agreementIn situ conservationEx situ conservationEcological restorationOECM
... Based on the research shown in this paper, the authors believe that La Colmena (Lambayeque) is a priority area for the in situ conservation of G. raimondii. Likewise, we believe that ex situ conservation carried out by reliable organizations such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a priority recognized in international law and policy (Westengen et al., 2013). ...
