The SSC Seed Conservation Specialist Group (SCSG) was proposed at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress and established in 2017 with a mission to promote seed conservation by providing a network for knowledge-sharing in different ecosystems around the world, aiding prioritisation, capacity building and development of best practices. The SSC includes over 140 Specialist Groups, organized taxonomically, regionally, or by discipline.

The SCSG is comprised of experts including native seed bank managers, conservation program managers, national/international coordinators, and other specialists from around the world, and Botanic Gardens Conservation International serves as its secretariat. The work we do reduces risks faced by species and ecosystems, and it improves the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity. Our primary targets for the 2016-2020 quadrennium are:

• Actively recruit new members
• Maintain an online global Seed Conservation Directory of Expertise
• Conduct and publish a regional and topical gap analysis of seed conservation expertise (2019)
• Create IUCN Guidelines on Seed Conservation (2020)

Recruitment is ongoing, and membership is open to all who are interested in seed conservation.

Leadership for the SCSG:

• Co-Chair: Marian M. Chau, Lyon Arboretum – University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, USA
• Co-Chair: Uromi Goodale, College of Forestry – Guangxi University, Guangxi, China
• Deputy Chair: Dustin Wolkis, National Tropical Botanical Garden – Hawai’i, USA
• Secretariat: Charlotte Ely, Botanic Gardens Conservation International