As Australia’s native plants face an increasingly uncertain future, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is marking 15 years of national action to safeguard species through the Australian Seed Bank Partnership.

The Partnership is a national alliance of 10 conservation seed banks, botanic gardens and conservation organisations working together to collect, research and share knowledge about Australia’s native seeds. Together, it holds collections from over 70% of the country’s known native flora, including 983 plant species threatened with extinction.

Backed by Academy Award-winning actor and conservation advocate Cate Blanchett AC, the anniversary highlights the critical role seed banking plays in protecting biodiversity, supporting restoration, and helping species recover from threats like climate change, habitat loss and bushfire.

As ambassador for Wakehurst Kew in the UK, Ms Blanchett says seed banks have never been more important.

‘Life begins with seeds - and so does our best chance to save it,’ she says.

‘The Australian Seed Bank Partnership is a vital part of this global story, safeguarding over 18,000 native plants for future generations. As they celebrate 15 years, I’m proud to support their work conserving Australia’s unique flora’.

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV), home to Australia's oldest scientific institution, the National Herbarium of Victoria, holds more than 1.5 million specimens of dried plants, algae and fungi, and thousands of seeds gathered from across the country and the world.

The Victorian Conservation Seed Bank is built season by season, species by species, and represents one of Australia's most important biological safeguards. It acts as an insurance policy against the threat of extinction. The Gardens team of world-leading scientists collect, document and store seeds from rare and threatened native species before habitat loss, fire, drought or climate change can erase them permanently.

Some notable projects Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria has recently undertaken to help preserve Victoria’s biodiversity include:

Rare Bloom Project: A three-year national collaboration with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia and ASBP Partners which saw the conservation of more than 153 species of wildflowers across Australia. Partners involved in this project delivered 262 seed collections, 218 germination trials, 11 propagated species and 14 rapid flora assessments.

Project Phoenix: Supported native seed and plant supply for bushfire recovery and landscape restoration. Seeds of 10 threatened taxa were collected and banked, including new collections of Brachyscome riparia (Snowy River Daisy) and Australopyrum retrofractum (Comb Wheat-grass), never before held by the Victorian Conservation Seed Bank. 26 population assessments were carried out for fire affected species.

Myrtle Mayday: Post-fire surveys over two seasons that monitored the regeneration habits of fire affected flora. This resulted in over 16,000 seeds being collected for Gaudium jingera (Stringybark Tea-tree) which is a critically endangered species federally. This allowed for germination trials and long-term secure storage in the Victorian Conservation Seed Bank.

Enduring Eucalyptus: A project being carried out to assess the long-term viability of eucalypt seeds stored in seed banks across Australia.

To help us continue safeguarding threatened species for generations to come, consider making a tax-deductible donation by June 30.

Thank you for playing your part in making our Gardens a thriving space for many more years to come.