All You Need To Know About 'Doomsday Seed Vault' In The Arctic
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault also known as the ¡®doomsday¡¯ vault was born. It all began back in 1984 when the Nordic Gene Bank began storing backup Nordic plants in an abandoned coal mine.
What happens if some crops or their seeds are lost forever from the face of the earth? It would be a great loss for the environment, biodiversity, and food safety.
But what if there is a safe repository of all the seeds in the world? It is from this idea the Svalbard Global Seed Vault also known as the ¡°doomsday¡± vault was born.
REUTERS
What is Svalbard Global Seed Vault
It all began back in 1984 when the Nordic Gene Bank began storing backup Nordic plants in an abandoned coal mine outside of Longyearbyen, Norway.
From there it evolved into the Svalbard Global Seed Vault which is located deep in the icy mountain on an island above the Arctic Circle between Norway and the North Pole.
NORD GEN
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault was launched in 2008 as the ultimate backup for the world's gene banks to protect plants from war, disease and climate change.
As the name suggests, the seed vault is designed to withstand catastrophes including natural disasters.
Over one million seeds
Today the Global Seed Vault houses over one million seed samples from around the world to prevent the loss of crop species after the likes of a war, natural disaster or pandemic.
NORD GEN
How the seeds are stored
In chambers that open only three times a year to limit exposure of seeds to the outside world, the temperature is around minus 18 degrees Celsius.
The seeds are placed in sealed envelopes, and inserted into plastic containers on metal shelves.
Low temperatures and limited oxygen reserves prevent the aging of seeds.
NORD GEN
Last opened in February
The last time it was opened was in February this year when twenty-three seed banks including those from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria and Zambia deposited seeds of crops such as beans, barley, cowpea, maize, rice, millet and sorghum.
With the latest deposit, 111 seed banks in 77 countries have a backup of their plants in Svalbard.
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