Britain’s seed bank, the only one in the world aiming to collect all of the planet’s wild plant species, has reached its goal of banking 10 percent by 2010.
The Millennium Seed Bank Project, run by Kew Gardens—one of the oldest botanical gardens—will officially deposit the 24, 200th species on Thursday, a pink, wild banana from China.
More than 50 countries are now on board with Kew’s giant task but vast places of the globe, including India and Brazil, still need to join in and donate seeds, director Paul Smith said.
The seed bank is one of the largest and most diverse in the world with more than 1. 5 billion seeds. Its goal is to help protect the planet’s bio-diversity during a time of climate change.
The wild banana seed is under threat of extinction(灭绝)in Southwest China from agricultural development. It is a vital food source for Asian elephants and important for growing bananas for human consumption.
Stored at minus-20 degrees centigrade, the seeds can last for thousands of years and await the day that scientists hope never comes—when the species no longer exist in the wild.
It is a race against time, Smith said, because in the last decade alone, 20 plants held in the bank have already been wiped out in the wild. He estimates that between a third and a quarter will become extinct this century.
“It is urgent and it is happening now. An area, the size of England, is cleared of primary vegetation(植被)every year, ”Smith said.
Because most of the world’s food and medicines come from nature, protecting wild plant species is quite important, scientists say. There are already many other seed banks safeguarding food crops, which only account for 0. 6 percent of plant diversity.
For Kew’s next goal—to collect a quarter of wild varieties by 2020—the botanists need 10 million pounds a year, or a further 100 million pounds on top of the 40 million they have already been granted.
56. What’s the final purpose of the Britain’s seed bank?
A. To collect enough money for the project.
B. To safeguard food crops.
C. To protect wild plants from extinction.
D. To help scientists study wild plants.
57. The wild banana seed in China is in danger because of _______ .
A. the expanding of farming work
B. the climate change in this area
C. the large number of Asian elephants
D. humans’ large consumption
58. We can learn from the passage that _________ .
A. the seeds in the bank can be used now and then all over the world
B. India and Brazil haven’t joined in the Seed Bank Project at present
C. there is only one seed bank in the world at present
D. the wild plants in places like India and China will never die out
59. What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 7 refer to?
A. T
he extinction of plant species.
B. The Millennium Seed Bank Project.
C. Britain’s seed bank.
D. Kew Gardens’ next goal.