Plants provide the air we breathe, they provide clean water, fuel, building materials, fibres, resins and we all rely on plants for food. Plants also play a vital role in combating climate change. Plants maintain the atmosphere and counteract climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide, turning it into plant material.

In the Iranian ecosystems, approximately 8000 plant species of 167 families and 1200 genera have been recorded. Today, nearly 2000 plant species of Iran are faced with the threat of extinction. Plants are dying out largely due to the activities of people. Clearing of primary vegetation, over-exploitation and climate change are all causing species losses.

Iran's Natural Resources Gene Bank aims to save plants of Iran with a focus on plants most at risk and most useful for the future. We have already successfully saved seeds from over 40% of the Iran's wild plant species. Our aim is to secure the safe storage of seed from 100% of the Iran’s bankable plants. We target plants and regions most at risk from climate change and the ever-increasing impact of human activities. We also save the seeds of the Iran's plant life faced with the threat of extinction, and those that could be of most use in the future.

The seeds we save are banked at Iran's Natural Resources Gene Bank at Research Institute of Forests and Ranglands (RIFR). We have seeds from all provinces around the Iran. We dry and clean the seeds and store them in sealed aluminum cases at +4°C and -20°C in the Natural Resources Gene Bank cold rooms. The Natural Resources Gene Bank holds more living plant diversity per square meter than anywhere on Iran and Middle East.