New Facilities for Housing and Curation of Seed Bank of Rare and Endangered Plants of the Northeastern United States

美国最古老的植物保护组织新英格兰野生花卉协会获得了美国国家科学基金会的拨款，以改善其在美国东北部的稀有和濒危植物种子库。种子库是一项重要的保护资源，已被用来取代联邦濒危和地区性稀有植物物种的丧失和减少的种群。收集的活种子将被转移到新建的LEED认证设施，种子银行的基础设施将升级，以满足目前的管理标准。这包括改进处理、储存和测试设备，使收集的植物超过目前的容量，并更好地为植物保护界服务。野生植物种子库是抵御气候和土地利用变化导致的灭绝或灭绝的最后一道防线。由于许多植物的种子可以在最佳条件下以低成本无限期地保持存活，并根据需要回收繁殖和重新引入，种子库是最有效和最经济的保护工具之一。新英格兰野生花卉协会的美国东北部稀有和濒危植物种子库成立于1980年，一直在恢复联邦濒危物种的种群。拟议的升级和扩建将加强应用保护工作，并促进对珍稀植物的研究。

A National Science Foundation grant has been awarded to New England Wild Flower Society, the nation's oldest plant conservation organization, to improve its Seed Bank of rare and endangered plants of the Northeastern US. The Seed Bank is a critical conservation resource that has been used to replace lost and declining populations of federally endangered and regionally rare plant species. The collection of live seeds will be moved to a newly built LEED-certified facility and the Seed Bank's infrastructure upgraded to meet current curatorial standards. This includes improved processing, storage, and testing equipment that will permit the collection to grow beyond its current capacity, and to better serve the plant conservation community.Seed banks for wild plant species are a last line of defense against extinction or extirpation due to climate and land-use changes. Because seeds of many plants may be kept viable indefinitely under optimum conditions, at low cost, and retrieved for propagation and reintroduction on demand, seed banks are among the most effective and economical conservation tools. New England Wild Flower Society's Seed Bank of rare and endangered plants of the Northeastern US, established in 1980, has been operative in restoring populations of federally endangered species. The proposed upgrades and expansion will enhance applied conservation efforts and promote research on rare plants.