Environmental Specimen Bank

The ESB has one of the oldest and greatest collections of environmental specimens in the world. The oldest samples are collected in the mid-1960s, and for some species continuous series of samples from the late 1960s up to now are stored.The ESB has at its disposal tissue samples from more than 260,000 organisms, mostly from animals but also from plants (moss). The majority of the samples are stored at -30 °C and -80 °C. Some types of samples are stored dry at room temperature.

Collection Size

260000 specimens of animals and

Collection Coverage

Usage restrictions

Head of the project is obliged to mention the origin of the samples (Environmental Specimen Bank, Swedish Museum of Natural History) in publications and send a sample of the publication/report, without no expense, to Swedish Museum of Natural History, Ylva Lind

Access rights

Specimens from the ESB are available for research work into environmental contamination and bio-diversity. Samples will be supplied if the aim of the research falls within the scope of the ESB. Each order will be assessed in relation to the supply and demand of samples. Clients will be charged for the preparation of samples.

Curation details

McGinley Conservation statuses

Institution Codes