USA

The Seeds of Success program in the United States was set up by the Bureau of Land Management and RBG Kew under the umbrella of the Plant Conservation Alliance to collect seed from native plant species for restoration and long-term conservation purposes.  Seeds of Success is targeting over 4000 native species as a contribution to the international programme of the Millennium Seed Bank project.  Five not-for-profit organisations have joined the program as formal Kew partners.  These organisations share a desire to protect and restore plant diversity in their operating regions, and work with RBG Kew to target, collect and conserve seed collections of the highest quality.

Through these lead partners the Seeds of Success program involves a wide range of collaborators  who have generously shared information, have provided access to land, or who have agreed to undertake seed collecting and or seed cleaning for the program. 

Priorities for seed collecting include characteristic and widespread species, whose habitats are threatened by fragmentation, management changes, invasive species, or climate change.  We work alongside the Center for Plant Conservation whose participating institutions collect seed and carry out research on US plant species that are currently endangered.  In combination, we aim to ensure that ex situ conservation provides an effective safety net for US native plants whilst local collaborators work to restore and enhance plant communities. In addition, further population seed samples have been collected from priority species wholly for restoration purposes, and these collections are handled by Bend Seed Extractory in Oregon. 

We are grateful to the many volunteers that assist with the Seeds of Success program and also to funders that have enabled the work to expand to the current level.  In addition to donations of facilities, vehicles, and equipment for the program, significant funding has been received by Seeds of Success partners from the following sources.

Philecology Trust
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
BP Amoco PLC
William C Bannerman Foundation
Henry Luce Foundation
Houston Endowment
Syngenta PLC
Mount Cuba Center, Inc