African countries have pledged to help fill the Millennium Seed Bank.
Government ministers from Burkino Faso, Kenya and Madagascar have signed agreements to save some of the world's endangered plant species.
The seed bank project at Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, aims to conserve ten per cent of the world's most threatened species by collecting and storing their seeds.
The deal with the African countries opens the way for collecting expeditions, research programmes and training. Scientists from the three countries will collect seeds according to their conservation priorities.
The project's East Africa co-ordinator, Tim Pearce, said: "With collaborative agreements and projects such as these, there is new hope for safeguarding the survival of thousands of wild plants."
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