[MPWG] Doomsday vault to hold 2 million seeds - newspaper article FYI

[Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov]

Good news:  The US is already involved in efforts to conserve plant
germplasm of all kinds.  Even better, these programs are inter-related
through the Plant Conservation Alliance.  It will be interesting to see how
these programs work together with the new Doomsday vault.  Read on!

* * * Seeds of Success (Plant Conservation Alliance Program)* * *

"Seeds of Success is an interagency program coordinated though the Plant
Conservation Alliance (PCA) that supports and coordinates seed collection
of native plant populations in the United States to increase the number of
species and the amount of native seed that is available for use in
stabilizing, rehabilitating and restoring lands in the United States. "
<http://www.nps.gov/plants/sos/index.htm>


* * *USDA-Agricultural Reserach Service-Germplasm Repositories* * *
We have ARS units that collect/maintain germplam on crops as well as other
foci, for instance, grasses, medicinal plants.  They house the collections
for the Seeds of Success program as part of their Native Plant Germplasm
System (http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/).

"In 1990, the U.S. Congress authorized establishment of a National Genetic
Resources Program (NGRP). It is the NGRP's responsibility to: acquire,
characterize, preserve, document, and distribute to scientists, germplasm
of all lifeforms important for food and agricultural production.   The
Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) web server provides
germplasm information about plants, animals, microbes and invertebrates.
This program is within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural
Research Service."  <http://www.ars-grin.gov/>

* * *Millenium Seed Bank Project* * *
Seeds of Success and the ARS Germplasm system are involved in the Millenium
Seed Bank Project.

"The Millennium Seed Bank Project is an international collaborative plant
conservation initiative. This worldwide effort aims to safeguard 24,000
plant species from around the globe against extinction. It has already
successfully secured the future of virtually all the UK's native flowering
plants."(http://www.kew.org/msbp/)

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
See the the November PCA Meeting Summary and the upcoming January PCA
Meeting Summary, which explain the broader context for this program in the
United States. (http://www.nps.gov/plants/summary.htm)

Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist - Division of Scientific Authority
Chair - Plant Conservation Alliance - Medicinal Plant Working Group
US Fish & Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 750
Arlington, VA  22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276
Working for the conservation and sustainable use of our green natural
resources.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>