Requesting seeds

Seed exchange between Botanic Gardens 

The acquisition and distribution of seeds by Meise Botanic Garden is done in accordance with international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, Rio de Janeiro, 1992), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Nagoya Protocol (2014), and in compliance with all relevant conventions and laws related to the protection of biological diversity.

In addition, there are a number of specific agreements:

Meise Botanic Garden is a registered member of IPEN, the International Plant Exchange Network, whose members have accepted a code of conduct regarding access to genetic resources and sharing of the resulting benefits. Meise Botanic Garden only distributes seeds to other IPEN members, unless an 'Agreement to supply live plant material for non-commercial purposes outside the International Plant Exchange Network' has been signed by an authorised person.

The collection of wild beans in Meise Botanic Garden was registered in 2012 under the 'Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing' (MLS) established under the International Treaty on Plant Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). Delivery of these seeds and/or plant materials is subject to the signing of a Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA), using the MLS' Online SMTA Generating and Reporting tool (OSGR). 

Requests for seeds should be submitted to the seed bank trustee : seedbank@botanicgardenmeise.be.