IUCN Guidelines for Seed Conservation
One of our upcoming projects is creating IUCN Guidelines for Seed Conservation. Existing IUCN Guidelines - such as Guidelines on the Use of Ex Situ Management for Species Conservation, and Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations - mention plants and seeds briefly, in the context of all biodiversity. Our guidelines will build on existing IUCN and national-level documents to create a plant-focused, global overview of best practices for using wild seeds in conservation programs.
We are currently recruiting a team of writers and reviewers to assist in drafting these guidelines. If you are interested in contributing, please contact us!
In the meantime, here are some other open access resources on seed conservation:
Botanic Gardens Conservation International - Seed Resources
Botanic Gardens Conservation International - How To Videos
Kew Millennium Seed Bank - Technical Sheets and Other Resources
Bioversity International - Manual of Seed Handling in Genebanks (EN, ES, FR)
UN FAO - Genebank Standards (several languages available)
ECHO Asia - Seed Bank Resources (several languages available)
Florabank Guidelines (Australia) - includes seed collection, storage, & more
Australian Network for Plant Conservation - Plant Germplasm Conservation in Australia
Center for Plant Conservation - Seed Banking Best Practices - rare & threatened species focus
European Seed Conservation Network - Seed Collecting Manual
European Seed Conservation Network - Seed Curation Protocols
U.S. National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration
U.S. Bureau of Land Management - Seeds of Success Program
South African National Biodiversity Institute - Ex Situ Plant Conservation
Do you have a resource to add? Contact us