Established in 2002, the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre helps to protect the state’s threatened plant species from extinction, while supporting the restoration of habitats around South Australia.
In 2003 the Botanic Gardens of South Australia formed a partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Millennium Seed Bank (UK) as part of the Global Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, which involves 80 countries.
The SA Seed Conservation Centre is also currently a member of the Australian National Seed Bank Partnership.
The native plants of South Australia form an integral part of our unique landscapes and ecosystems, however 1 in 4 native South Australian plant species (more than 1,000) are threatened due to loss of habitat and competition with introduced species.
The SASCC programs include collecting wild provenance seeds from across the state, and safeguarding them in long term storage at subzero temperatures. This work takes the team to far-flung parts of the state, as well as to habitats closer to Adelaide, and requires knowledge about plants living anywhere from flood-plains to forests to desert.
Approximately half the species in the state (about 2,000) and nearly 85 per cent of the state’s threatened species are currently stored in the seed bank and form part of the living collections at Adelaide Botanic Garden.
By 2025 we aim to have at least 90 per cent of our state's threatened plant species in the seed bank.
Species diversity in South Australian plant communities is in decline and it’s important to conserve our most threatened species while the opportunity still exists. Many species are threatened with bioregional extinction and the aim program is to collect seeds from remaining provenances while they are still are still in existence.
Studying the seed biology of each species is an ongoing requirement for curating the collection.
A large component of the research undertaken at the Centre is to investigate methods to overcome dormancy mechanisms in native seeds so they can be used for restoration projects, helping to get them back into their native habitats.
To help bolster the number of seeds that are stored in our freezers, and that are used for regeneration projects, the team created a Threatened Plant Seed Orchard, located at Adelaide Botanic Garden. This is a place to nurture threatened plants that are of particular concern. It genuinely is conservation in action. You can explore the orchard on your next visit.
Threatened plants on Kangaroo Island have also been thrown a life-line with the development of a Threatened Flora Seed Production Garden in 2022. You can discover more about this here.
