The role of seed banks
Seed banks provide an insurance against threats to plants in-situ. Seed banks are a last resort for some species condemned to extinction in the wild.

They also provide:
*Skills, knowledge and data to support wider plant conservation aims
*Increasing capacity to conserve wild plant species in country of origin
*Options for future utilisation
*Seeds and protocols for recovery and rehabilitation programmes, species re-introduction, habitat restoration, sustainable use programmes
*A controlled source of plant material for research
*Quickly and easily accessible, long term, low cost storage