cooperating partners
Hawai‘i Seed Bank Partnership
The Hawai‘i Seed Bank Partnership (HSBP) is a group of cooperating partners dedicated to the use of seed banking, based on scientific research, in order to preserve genetic diversity of native plant species for the purposes of conservation and restoration.
bank
The HSBP began in 2012 with four members, representing four active seed banks in Hawai‘i dedicated to preserving native species. The formation of HSBP came out of a targeted effort to increase collaboration across all entities doing plant conservation in Hawai‘i. With all of us facing limitations in resources, we came to the important realization that we could accomplish much more by working together. This has been more recently formalized through the establishment of Laukahi, the Hawai‘i Plant Conservation Network. Collaborative efforts such as the HSBP are a priority of Laukahi. Today, the HSBP has grown to include over 60 representatives from 25 organizations, and at an exciting time for seed banking in Hawai‘i.
The mission of the Hawai‘i Seed Bank Partnership is to conserve Hawai‘i’s plant species of conservation importance through collaborative and sustainable seed collecting, banking, research, and outreach.
Our flora has a high percentage of seeds that are not orthodox, and cannot be stored the way all other major seed banks in the world store their seeds (dry and frozen, remaining viable for many decades). With support from internationally-recognized experts in the field, members of the HSBP are primed to be leaders in cutting-edge research and technology, and the HSBP will be a leading global example of coordinated long-term storage of tropical native seeds. All HSBP partners are also committed to working together to ensure that conservation goals are prioritized and that no harm comes to our native plants or ecosystems from seed collection and storage efforts.
Founding Partners of HSBP include representatives from Lyon Arboretum, O‘ahu Army Natural Resources Program, National Tropical Botanical Garden, and Hawai‘i Island Seed Bank, with support from research partners at the USDA’s National Center for Genetic Resource Preservation.
Current Partners also include representatives from US Fish & Wildlife Service, State of Hawai‘i Department of Land & Natural Resources – Division of Forestry & Wildlife, Plant Extinction Prevention Program of Hawai‘i, Pu‘u Kukui Watershed Preserve, Wai‘anae Mountains Watershed Partnership, Haleakalā National Park, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, UH Mānoa Department of Botany, UH Center for Conservation Research & Training, Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, and Terraformation.
Laukahi has a growing number of partners that help to implement the Hawai‘i Strategy for Plant Conservation by supporting our initiatives, conducting field work to protect native habitats, propagate and secure propagules in ex situ facilities, and do research to inform strategies.
Mahalo to all our partners!