Unique look at NSW’s seed vault

A secretive concrete bunker nestled in the heart of the Macarthur region, guarding the seeds of NSW’s native flora, will open its doors in a rare behind-the-scenes tour next week.

The state’s seeds are stored in a unique concrete bunker-like structure in Mt Annan.

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Tucked away in the heart of the Macarthur region lays a unique concrete bunker, guarding thousands of precious objects potentially crucial to the survival of all kind.

Known as the NSW Vault of the Australian PlantBank, located in the Australian Botanic Garden Mt Annan, a team of scientists are working tirelessly to secure the survival of NSW’s native flora.

The Australian Plantbank NSW Seed Vault.

Thousands of seeds are collected and stored in a range of temperatures for plant conservation purposes.

Dr Brett Summerell, director of research and chief botanist, said the importance of these seeds could not be understated.

“People tend to forget we are completely dependent on plants,” he said. “Plants create oxygen, it’s the only thing that creates oxygen really. Plant species form part of an ecosystem and we don’t know, if one goes extinct, what happens to the other plants.”

The facility is crucial for plant conservation.

The team is currently seeking to collect seeds of NSW’s 25,000 plant species to protect and store in the Seed Bank.

Dr Summerell said the number of collected seeds was rising.

“As every year passes that reason for doing the research becomes more and more clear due to invasive diseases and climate change,” he said. “Take another 10 to 15 years to start to feel that we have a pretty good handle of the representation of flora in NSW.”

Seeds being sorted at The Australian Plantbank.

A one-time tour called Secrets of the Seed Vault will take place next Saturday, with Dr Summerell encouraging all to attend.

“It’s relatively rare that we take people for a behind the scenes look and explained by someone with real expert knowledge,” he said.

For details and cost, click here.