The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation requires 75% of threatened plant species conserved ex situ by 2020. Currently, ex situ conservation focuses on conventional seed banking, yet this method is unsuitable for many threatened species. The 75% target is unattainable without urgent investment into alternative techniques.
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The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is part funded by Grant in Aid from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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SVW undertook the analyses; SVW, JBD and KJW wrote the manuscript.
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Wyse, S.V., Dickie, J.B. & Willis, K.J. Seed banking not an option for many threatened plants. Nature Plants 4, 848–850 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-018-0298-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-018-0298-3
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