s of Wales' Native Plant Species
In the event of a catastrophic disaster, the future of Wales' natural environment could rely heavily on the efforts of conservationists Ellyn Baker and Kevin McGinn, who carry cotton bags filled with native seeds.
They are responsible for the careful collection and preservation of native wild seeds, creating a living genetic archive that could be instrumental in restoring Wales' ecosystems following a disaster.
Ellyn, aged 25, and Kevin, aged 38, meticulously organize their summer schedules to be present at precise locations when plants release their seeds—a period that can last only a few days and, if missed, may not recur for several years.
However, these seeds are not solely preserved for hypothetical global catastrophes; they have already been utilized to reintroduce species that had been eradicated.
Within a modest laboratory located at the National Botanical Gardens of Wales in Carmarthenshire, humming freezers stocked with labelled silver packets serve as the final safeguard against the extinction of wild species.
Wales' Unique Plant Diversity and Threats
Wales hosts approximately 60 plant species that are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else globally. The loss of any of these species would result in their complete extinction, explained Kevin, who serves as curator of the seed bank and herbarium.
Currently, one-sixth of all plant species in Wales face the threat of extinction, which could have profound consequences for human populations.
Kevin emphasized that in the event of widespread environmental disasters such as floods or droughts that eliminate all wild plant species in Wales, the seed bank would be pivotal in restoring the country’s flora and ecosystem.
"That would be the worst-case scenario," Ellyn added. "As long as the conditions after the apocalypse were still OK for the plants to grow, because obviously they would have been through a lot."
Kevin noted that localized extinctions are more common and have already occurred in some instances.
He also highlighted a phenomenon known as "plant blindness," where the importance of plants to the environment and society is often overlooked.
"When plant species are lost, ecosystems become less resilient to pressures such as climate change, disease and extreme weather," he said.
"This can trigger knock-on effects, for example, insects that rely on specific plants may decline or disappear too.
"Changes like this can affect people. Floral diversity supports pollinators and fewer pollinators can reduce crop yields, impacting food production and local economies.
"Plant diversity also helps maintain soil health, which is vital for farmland, flood mitigation and communities."
Loss of plant populations also diminishes genetic diversity—the variety of genes within a species, some of which may enable adaptation to changing environments.
"Genetic diversity is a resource for us too as humans, especially the wild relatives of crops. We've got quite a few in Wales, like sea radish, sea carrot, sea cabbage," Kevin explained.
These wild relatives often possess genes conferring resistance to pests and diseases that cultivated species have lost.
Successful Restoration and Challenges
One example is the Shore Dock, among the world’s rarest dock species, which became extinct in one of its three known locations following a landslide in Southerndown, Vale of Glamorgan, according to Ellyn.
Fortunately, seeds from this population had been collected, enabling restoration efforts.
However, with climate change causing increasingly extreme weather events, environmental conditions are shifting and time is limited.
Currently, only 11% of Wales' approximately 15,000 plant species have been banked, prompting Ellyn and Kevin to accelerate their collection efforts.
"The first challenge of the job is to find out actually where these rare plants grow, finding the kind of viable populations, because not all populations of the rare plants actually produce good seed or have got high enough numbers," Kevin said.
Locating species at the optimal time for seed collection is difficult, and the support of passionate botanists across Wales who report rare species locations is invaluable.
Ellyn noted that Juniper has eluded successful seed collection for three consecutive years.
"Though we have found shrubs, only some are seed-producing females and these take three years to ripen.
"Obviously that varies by the individual. And for a seed collection, we want to make sure that we're getting lots of seeds. So the aim is about 10,000 seeds per collection."
If the collection window is missed, it can be years before the plant fruits again.
"Even with the best planning in the world, you need to time the seed collections when things are naturally falling off the plant to make sure that the seeds are fully ripe, which obviously varies by species."
If a species is not ready, the conservationists return weeks later, sometimes only to find the seeds have already dispersed or been consumed.
"It can be a bit frustrating, but it's all part of it," Ellyn said.
Their summers are often busy, as they travel across Wales to collect sufficient healthy seeds at the correct times.
Passion and Progress in Conservation
Both Ellyn and Kevin aspired to be conservationists from childhood, though neither anticipated being at the forefront of Wales' efforts to safeguard native plants.
"It's fantastic to be able to come to work and feel like we're not only feeding our own personal passion around plants and then also feel like you're making a difference," Kevin said.
"There's still a whole range of Welsh plants that I've never got to see in the wild, but hopefully now over the next few years, I will be able to."
The Welsh seed bank was established in 2018 after the Millennium Seed Bank—the world’s largest—discovered that 75% of Welsh plants had not been banked, Ellyn explained.
Since its inception, the team has collected over five million seeds.
Half of the collected seeds are sent to the Millennium Seed Bank in Sussex, a flood-proof, bomb-proof, and radiation-proof sub-zero vault containing more than two billion seeds from around the world, ready to regenerate ecosystems globally.
The remaining half are stored in freezers at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, representing a significant upgrade from the household freezers initially used.
Recent Collections and Future Goals
In 2024, the team focused on collecting priority crop wild relatives, according to Dr Christopher Cockel, UK conservation projects coordinator for the Millennium Seed Bank.
They banked nearly 500,000 seeds from 19 species, including relatives of lettuce, parsnip, strawberry, radish, quinoa, blackberry, alfalfa, and several fodder crops for livestock.
One species related to quinoa may contain compounds with potential cancer-fighting properties, though further research is necessary.
Kevin stated that their objective for the next two years is to complete 100 collections from Wales' Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
"If we weren't doing the work that we're doing, then it's likely that plant populations that will disappear in the future won't have a back up seed collection."
While plants and seeds may not be the first considerations during natural disasters, the work of Ellyn, Kevin, and the 2.5 million seeds preserved in Welsh freezers could be the critical defense against total ecological collapse.
