China

MSBP's seed conservation network spread to East Asia with the development of the partnership with China in 2004. A ten year Access and Benefit Sharing Agreement has been signed between RBG Kew and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China is regarded as the third most biodiverse country in the world. It is home to over 30,000 vascular plants and c.a.50% of these are endemic. It is also home to 10% of the world's fauna. However, the increasing number of economic and development projects continue to threaten China's wilderness and biodiversity.

A new seed bank is being built in Yunnan province to strengthen China's biodiversity conservation and scientific researches. The Chinese seed bank is being set up with financial support from the Government of China and technical assistance from the MSBP. The new building will be located in the Kunming Institute of Botany, which will play a major part in the Chinese Academy of Sciences programme on plant conservation and sustainable use in Southwest China.

The Southwest China Germplasm Bank of Wild Species (SCGBWS) project aims to enhance capacity for biodiversity conservation and safeguard endangered species in southwest China, especially for the wild plant resources. The MSBP will help its Chinese partners to develop facilities and enhance the scientific research capabilities in the ex-situ conservation of indigenous and endangered plant species, with an emphasis on the research and conservation of wild plant species from China and from the UK. To achieve the objective of this project, three outputs have been agreed by partners in the next 10 years.

1. An enhancement and strengthening of the capacity of the Partners to collect and conserve wild plant species;

2. The establishment of a long-term system of ex situ conservation of seed of threatened and endemic species, using the most current and appropriate seed banking and collecting techniques; and

3. The advancement of research efforts of the Partners in the field of ex situ conservation.