Conserving genetic diversity of wild flora in the Netherlands through seed banking: an example of collaboration at national level

The Netherlands, as many countries, is committed to conserving its native biodiversity in alignment with international treaties such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. Government-funded national programs have been installed to conserve sources of genetic diversity. While this was traditionally focused on crop varieties, in recent years the scope has broadened to include building a seed bank of wild woody flora and crop wild relatives as safety back-up. The foundation “Het Levend Archief” (The Living Archive) has emerged parallel to these developments. This NGO aims to coordinate collaboration between scientists and expert-volunteers to build a ‘back-up’ seed collection of our botanical heritage, all native plant species in The Netherlands, with an initial focus on nationally red listed species.
Within each initiative, species and populations with priority for conservation are selected. By combining data on current and past species distribution with expert knowledge about the species’ ecology, population history and genetic diversity, a selection of target populations is made. Professionals join forces with expert-volunteers for seed collecting. After a training, these volunteers are able to monitor populations in their area and collect seeds at the optimal moment.
Besides building a seed bank, these projects and their associated networks of expert-volunteers provide an opportunity to gather knowledge about species ecology, the state of populations, and variation between populations, especially associated to phenology and seed characteristics of lesser-known species. In addition, by involving citizens in such a project, more awareness for the need of genetic conservation is raised.
Here we showcase the Dutch seed banking initiatives on wild flora. What are their different approaches and conservation priorities? How do they collaborate at national level and what are the opportunities and challenges of involving volunteers?