Seedbanking is a means of protecting and preserving our endemic fauna through drying and freezing seeds for long-term storage. It is highly effective, with expert evidence showing that 80% of Aotearoa’s native plant species can be preserved using these conventional methods. However, other seeds require more complicated methods for successful preservation, which researchers currently know little about. 

Olivia spoke to Lecturer of Forest Ecology at the School of Forestry at the University of Canterbury, Dr Sarah Wyse, about both the conventional and unconventional means of seedbanking, the gaps in current research, and how people can learn more about this important issue.