The Tasmanian Seed Conservation Centre (TSCC) is a seed-banking facility located in a purpose-built laboratory at The Gardens. Established in 2005, the TSCC has become the cornerstone of The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens Conservation Strategy.
Seed-banking involves storing seeds for future use, thereby offering some insurance against the loss of plant species by extinction.
The TSCC will ensure the long-term security and conservation of Tasmania's unique native plant species by providing:
- Ex situ support for plant conservation programs
- Seed material to assist in the scientific study of our native plants
- Long-term preservation of plant biodiversity loss caused by environmental degradation.
Seeds are nature's genetic storehouses; they occupy little space and require minimal attention over considerable periods of time. If banked correctly, most seeds can be grown into plants well into the future.
Banking seeds is recognised globally as a scientifically proven, highly efficient, and cost-effective method of conserving the variation within and between different plant species.
For every seed collection made in Tasmania and stored in the TSCC, a duplicate collection is sent to the Millennium Seed Bank Project in Kew (UK) and the Botanic Gardens of Sydney PlantBank. This provides extra insurance for valuable seed collections.