Native Plant Trust, the nation’s first plant conservation organization and the only one solely focused on New England’s native plants, announced that it has successfully raised $1M to create an endowment fund that will support its work in banking the seed of rare and endangered native plants in New England. More than 900 donors made this possible.
New England’s rare plants are in peril, and Native Plant Trust is at the forefront of global efforts to save rare plants from extinction. “For the rarest of plant species, seed banking offers a critical insurance policy against extinction,” says Tim Johnson, CEO of Native Plant Trust. “Native Plant Trust will hold these seeds until they are needed, carefully monitoring their viability and health over time, maintaining a living library of biodiversity. We hold these seeds with the hope of a future where these rare species are abundant and have public protections in place so that we no longer need to save the seeds. Until that day, we will ensure their existence.”
Seed banking plays a crucial role in native plant conservation by preserving genetic material. As the only organization in New England equipped with the scientific knowledge, staff, trained volunteers, partnerships, and physical facilities in place to carry out this important work, Native Plant Trust is at the forefront of safeguarding rare species against the environmental threats to their survival. Seed banking involves far more than storage of seed. This new endowment will support the human effort needed to undertake the work at all stages: seed collection, seed cleaning, site monitoring, and viability testing, among other efforts—all essential to maintaining these rare species in perpetuity.
A staggering 17 percent of the region’s native plants are teetering on the brink of extinction, with an additional 5 percent already lost. While great strides are being made, the task to save them is monumental. Invasive species, pollution, development, and climate change are among the factors taking a toll on rare plants. The new endowment fund offers a practical solution—an insurance policy of sorts—amid rapid environmental deterioration, and will allow Native Plant Trust to continue its work.
The seed bank holds the potential to safeguard New England’s rarest plants for the future. The goal is to bank seed from at least two-thirds of the 3,300 populations of globally and regionally rare plant species in New England; there are currently 2,124 collections, 476 species, and 79 plant families in Native Plant Trust’s seed bank. All these are now protected in perpetuity thanks to the endowment fund. There are still 1,250 collections of Division 1 (globally rare) taxa plus orchids, ferns, and more yet to be stored in order to completely fill the seed bank.
Banking the seeds of rare plants to preserve genetic diversity and to ensure their survival in the face of multiple threats is only one part of its work. Alongside the seed bank, Native Plant Trust strives through its conservation work to create functioning ecosystems where these species can survive and evolve naturally in the wild. Please visit www.NativePlantTrust.org for more information on its work to conserve plants. The organization also works to restore populations of the most at-risk species, monitors populations of rare plants in every county in New England, and continues to document the health of the 3,300 populations of the region’s 389 globally and regionally rare plants.