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seedkeepers - [Seed Keepers] Europe's largest berry bank faces closure - Show your support for an endangered seed bank - Preserve Pavlovsk Experimental Station in Russia

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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>, Seed Keepers <seedkeepers@lists.ibiblio.org>, Market Farming <marketfarming@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Seed Keepers] Europe's largest berry bank faces closure - Show your support for an endangered seed bank - Preserve Pavlovsk Experimental Station in Russia
  • Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:48:48 -0400


Show your support for an endangered seed bank - Boing Boing
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/08/12/show-your-support-fo.html

One of the world's foremost seed banks is in deep trouble after a Russian court ruled yesterday that the Russian Housing Development Foundation can take the land the seed bank is on and sell it to private home developers. http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57617/

Currently, Pavlovsk Experimental Station is home to 5,500 varieties of edible plants, mostly fruit. The collections survived World War II and many of the varieties can be found nowhere else on Earth. Losing a seed bank would represent more than just a loss of biodiversity for biodiversity's sake. http://discovermagazine.com/2009/nov/20-big-picture-banks-that-prevent-global-crises Collections like this can be used as breeding stock, imparting useful traits like drought tolerance or weed resistance to more commonly grown varieties. As the effects of global climate change increase, such breeding could become crucial.

The only chance left to stop the razing of Pavlovsk is a direct appeal to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

That's where you come in. http://food.change.org/blog/view/russias_pavlovsk_seed_vault_threatened_by_real_estate_developers The Global Crop Diversity Trust http://www.croptrust.org/main/ is collecting signatures on a petition that will be presented to Medvedev and Putin. The hope is that the show of global support for the Pavlovsk station might incline the men to step in and save it.


Global Crop Diversity Trust
http://www.croptrust.org/main/

Europe's largest berry bank faces closure
(12 August 2010) To learn more about the Moscow court's ruling against the appeal to preserve Pavlovsk Experimental Station, please see this article from Nature. The court's ruling has been appealed and there is still time for you to protest the decision!

Petitions by Change.org|Get Widget|Start a Petition »


Read more in Nature

Pavlovsk Station Court Case - An Update
(11 August 2010) A court in Moscow today ruled in favour of the Russian Federal Fund of Residential Real Estate Development, recognizing the legitimate transfer of the land housing the Pavlovsk Station for the construction of residential properties.

The ruling was instantly appealed, giving Pavlovsk Station a period of one month before any development plans can move forward. This judgment can be revoked through a direct order from the office of the President or Prime Minister.

What can be done?
At the Global Crop Diversity Trust, we strongly believe that today’s court decision is no reason to give up hope for Pavlovsk Station. Over the next four weeks, we will continue our fight to save Pavlovsk, and we need your help. We need to persuade the political authorities of the importance of the irreplaceable crop diversity growing at Pavlovsk Station, and request that the judgment be revoked.

Please consider sending a letter to the Russian President to express your concern over Pavlovsk’s potential destruction, and please make sure to sign the petition . We have already collected over 1,000 signatures. Every letter, every signature, every email, every tweet counts. We don’t have to sit back and let this happen.

There is still time to act
(3 August 2010) Although sending a letter has the greatest impact, we encourage you to please sign this petition urging President Medvedev to save the Pavlovsk experimental station.

Start a Petition »

Read more in the press release

As you read this, the future of the world’s fruits and berries is in danger.
Outside of St. Petersburg, Russia, the Pavlovsk experimental station houses a vast collection of priceless seeds: strawberries, cherries, raspberries and many more – more than 4,000 varieties. First assembled by Nikolai Vavilov, the inventor of the modern seed bank, this collection will be vital as scientists race to breed new crops that resist the rising tide of disease, pests and drought. 90 percent of the seeds at Pavlovsk can be found nowhere else.

And today, they are facing demolition to make way for a real estate developer’s “commercial cottages”.

Here’s what you can do. Tweet this message to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev:

@KremlinRussia_E Mr. President, protect the future of agriculture - save Pavlovsk station! http://bit.ly/Pavlovsk

Or take a moment to write a letter online
Please click here for key points to include in your letter
Learn More



  • [Seed Keepers] Europe's largest berry bank faces closure - Show your support for an endangered seed bank - Preserve Pavlovsk Experimental Station in Russia, Lawrence F. London, Jr., 08/13/2010

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