Wakehurst Place

In the last week of March Year 12 Biology students visited Wakehurst Place in East Sussex, the site of the Millenium Seed Bank.

They learned about the role of seed banks and botanical gardens in the conservation of wild plants. After an intro-duction to the Millenium Seed Bank the girls had a unique opportunity to visit the storage vaults where the collection of seeds from around the world is preserved. This area is not open to the general public. The seed bank nearly met its target of storing 10% of the world.s seed bearing flora by 2010.

The students also investigated whether there was any dif-ference in biodiversity between two areas of wood which had been coppiced at different times, down at the Field Centre. They practised their sampling techniques and calculated diversity using the Simpson.s Index of Biodiversity. These are all skills required for their AS examination.

These activities enhanced and reinforced their theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom. We are extremely lucky to have such a resource on our doorstep.