Based at Wakehurst, our speaker heads the Information Section of the Millennium Seed Bank Conservation Department, providing and analysing huge quantities of data in support of seed conservation. In his talk, Dr Dickie will share his evident enthusiasm for this most ambitious project.

The MSB project is the largest ex situ conservation project ever conceived. Its global network of partners will have banked seed from 10% of the world's wild plant species by the end of the decade. These will include the rarest, most threatened and most useful species known to man.

The seed banks are not mausoleums - the seed they contain remains alive for decades and, in many cases, centuries. More importantly, that seed is being used now to provide a range of benefits to mankind, from food and building materials to disease-resistant crops.

With climate change and the ever increasing impact of human activities, the MSB is already looking towards conserving the next 10%.

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Plants For Display - Spring Flowers

The Lecture will be followed by the Members' Seedling Swap

As usual the meeting will close with tea and cakes.

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