Quarter Century of Collecting Seeds From Around the World Safeguards Them From Extinction

After 25 years of diligent work, an English botanic gardens is ready to face whatever reality climate change may throw at us, safe in the knowledge that a large chunk of the world’s plant diversity lies safely tucked away underground for future generations.

By the numbers, the Millennium Seed Bank holds over 2 billion seeds from over 40,000 species, collected by scientists and volunteers from 279 organizations spanning over 100 countries.

It’s likely the largest seed vault on Earth, with the other contender being located on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

Located at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew facility in Wakehurst, seeds from all over the world are carefully cleaned, dried, and stored in walk-in freezers at -20°C, or about -4°F. For 25 years, the work has been carried