The UK is building Noah’s Ark underground with plants from all over the world

Underground cellars, in the English countryside, at minus 20 degrees. They can withstand flooding, bombing and saving A treasure made up of the seeds of 40,000 plants wild all over the world, many of them are in danger of extinction.

The Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) is in a race against time because, according to scientists, two of the five plant species on the planet are at risk of disappearing.

This centre, located south of London, is the largest seed bank in the world. In the opinion of biologist David Attenborough, a well-known figure in the UK, MSB “may Most important conservation initiative ever». “The goal is to preserve wild species through seed, to prevent them from going extinct in the long term,” explains John Dickey, project manager.

The 70-year-old researcher has been involved with MSB since its inception in the late 1990s, opened in 2000 to celebrate the Millennium, and is located in Wakehurst, a branch of Kew Gardens in London.

Here some are stored 2.5 billion seeds. They come in all shapes, colors and sizes. They belong to 40,020 different species and come from 190 countries. They represent nearly 20% of the world’s flora.

Threatened plants, especially due to climate change, are given priority. but also endemic plants, which can only be found in a specific geographical area.

Plants useful medicinally or economically to communities also have their place in Wakehurst. «Plant species are threatened for various reasons (…), but above all because of the change in land use for agriculture and, increasingly, because of Climate changeDickie explains. “Some plants will adapt, some won’t,” he adds, but “at least they’ll be here, rather than completely disappearing.”

Floods, bombing, radiation

Each week Wakehurst receives new seeds and begins the process of saving them. “The conservation of our wild species relies on the technology already used in farmed species,” explains Dickey. “It’s not complicated: they are dried, cleaned and frozen.”

Once frozen, the seeds can They are stored for decadesHe says, maybe centuries. His team works in full view of the public in his glass-enclosed laboratory in Wakehurst. There are about 20 researchers and some volunteers.

Lucy Taylor treats Seeds Albizia polyphyllaimmigrants from Madagascar. “Madagascar is a very interesting place for biologists because it has a unique flora, since the island was separated from Africa. There is also a lot of pressure on the soil” due to agriculture, he explains.

Patiently separates the bad seeds from the rest: «Many of them are empty or infested with insects or diseases (…), but we want to The best possible combination We don’t have much room in our rooms.”

To detect diseases, the seeds are X-rayed, and each has its own ID tag, with its name, country of origin, and date of arrival at the MSB. They are stored in glass containers before being frozen in underground chambers, built to withstand flooding, bombardment and radiation.

The temperature is -20 degrees Celsius. Scientists enter them, dressed as if they were working in a polar base. The largest group of seeds corresponds to the orchid family. There are also rare plants such as the smallest water lily in the world or in the world Dechampsia Antarcticaalso known as Antarctic hairweed, is one of the flowering plants native to the Antarctic.

Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock which receives public funding and donations, Cooperates with 90 countries. Some, like Indonesia, refuse to share their seeds with this institution, but keep them on their land. Others, however, seem a little far-fetched: One of Dickey’s few reasons for regret is the lack of exchanges with Iran.