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The collection and preservation of seeds of native species of plants under carefully controlled temperature and humidity is one of the most important means of conserving floral resources and biodiversity in the region. His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, a devoted conservationist since childhood, has given this matter a very high priority and established the Sharjah Seed Bank and Herbarium (SSBH) in 2009 through a collaboration agreement with the UK's Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.
SSBH is now an important constituent of the Sharjah Research Academy and is one of the primary providers of the necessary resources and scientific knowledge base needed to support the management of botanical diversity in the region. So far, SSBH has preserved approximately 1500 seed collections of 430 species originating in different regions of the country. This constitutes more than 50% of the known species of which approximately 15% of the seed collections are rare local species. Such efficient efforts are particularly important at a time of rapid global change, both for threatened species and, increasingly, more common species that may be essential in restoration programs.
Dr. Amr Abdel-Hamid, Director General of the Sharjah Research Academy said:” Researchers at SSBH are continuously working to achieve the goal of banking the entire native flora of the UAE, Presently, the priority for SSBH are the rare and threatened plant species”.
The diverse seed germ plasm of the UAE's native plants is a possible repository of useful drought/salinity resistant and high temperature tolerant traits that could potentially be utilised for various research purposes, including crop improvement programs. Currently, the herbarium at SSBH houses more than 4,000 specimens of vascular plants originating in the UAE. Researchers of SSBH have published more than 25 research papers in reputed international scientific journals.
This conservation activity contributes to the global plant conservation efforts under the Convention on Biological Diversity's Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.
In support of the scientific activities of the researchers at SSBH, the Sharjah Research Academy is in the process of establishing a state of the art plant molecular biology lab for documentation and conservation of plant genetic resources. This would permit in-depth research on the use of the DNA from the UAE's native plants in different applications.
The SSBH is also involved in educating the public through awareness activities on native plants that could help promote the UAE's natural botanical heritage and preservation efforts. In the near future, SSBH is planning to organise a "Seed Science Research Forum”, which would be an ideal platform to share the latest research and ideas about conservation efforts in the UAE and around the world. This would serve to widen the knowledge base regarding flora conservation efforts and further the discussion about biological diversity in plants.
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