Asia

Thailand: Thailand is home to a rich plant flora, estimated to include at least 10,000 vascular plant species, of which 756 are endemic. This richness is partly due to Thailand's geographical position at the meeting point of three floristic regions - it lies directly within the Indo-chinese region, with the Malesian region to the south, and the Eastern Asiatic region to the north. However, significant habitat loss has led to Thailand and the surrounding area being designated as the 'Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot'. Covering more than 2 million square kilometres, Indo-Burma is one of the most threatened of the world's hotspots, with only 5% of its area remaining relatively undisturbed.

The MSB signed a partnership agreement with Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation in 2015. We are now working closely with the Bangkok Forest Herbarium (BKF) and the Forest Restoration Research Unit, Chiang Mai University (FORRU-CMU), to bank seeds of 244 of Thailand's tree species by 2019, under the Global Tree Seed Bank - Thailand Project. The project started with a 5-day training course in Chiang Mai in 2015 for staff of the two GW partner organisations and the Thailand Institute of Science and Technology. The course covered all aspects of seed conservation, from planning and executing a seed collecting field trip, through to post-harvest handling, data management and long term storage.

Indonesia: Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands which form a transition zone between the continents of Asia and Australasia. It is divided by the so-called Wallace line, which runs between Bali and Lombok and marks an evolutionary boundary that has led to distinctive floras and faunas on each side. As a result, the flora of Indonesia is extraordinarily diverse, with at least 30-40,000 species of seed bearing plants, accounting for 15.5% of the world's flora, including at least 3,000 tree species. Working under a recently signed agreement between RBG Kew and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, the Global Tree Seed Bank Project - Indonesia aims to conserve seed of 50 wild tree species by 2018. Bogor and Cibodas botanic gardens will collect and bank the seeds.

In preparation for the Global Tree Seed Project and other regional seed conservation initiatives, a training course in seed conservation techniques was held in April 2017, attended by staff from the botanic gardens of Bogor, Cibodas, Purwodadi and Bali, as well as the University of Papua and the Pakistani Plant Genetic Resources Institute.

Bhutan: Forming part of the Eastern Biodiversity hotspot and boasting an altitudinal range from 97 to 7570 metres above sea level, Bhutan is a country of extraordinarily high biodiversity. 5,500 plant species are recorded, of which 750 are endemic to the Eastern Himalayas and over 100 are known only in Bhutan. It is likely that many more are still to be discovered and described by science. Bhutan has an impressive track record of safeguarding natural resources, with a government commitment to maintain 60% of the land surface as forest, and 51% given protected status as National Parks or Biological Corridors.

Our partners at the National Biodiversity Center aim to make collections of 100 tree species by 2019 and have benefitted from a week long training course at their institution in December 2015.

Japan: From the hemi-boreal coniferous forests of the north islands to the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest of the Ryukyu islands, Japan supports a vast number of species and is recognised as one of the World's biodiversity hotspots. Of Japan's estimated 5614 species of vascular plants, 33% are endemic. However, much of country's vegetation has been affected by human activity.

In April 2018 the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa signed a partnership agreement with Kew to collect seeds, for conservation and research, from three Islands in Japan. As part of the Global Tree Seed Bank Project - Japan, the University of the Ryukyus and colleagues from the University of Kyushu will collect the seeds of 100 tree and shrub species for long term conservation. The seeds of 70 tree species will also be collected for research on their seed desiccation tolerance.

The project kicked off with a five-day training course at the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa which was attended by participants from the University of the Ryukyus, Kyushu University and representatives from six other organisations. The course covered many aspects of seed conservation, such as preparing for and conducting a seed collecting trip, post-harvest handling, as well as germination testing, dormancy breaking and desiccation sensitivity testing.