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Located in the arctic circle, The Global Seed Vault isn’t simply just a large storage facility for seeds from around the world.
The vault is protecting the world’s agricultural genetic diversity and protecting our future food supply in case of catastrophe.
How many plant species are stored in the vault?
Exploring the Arctic’s Global Seed Vault: A Remarkable Effort for the Future Generations
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is an ingenious initiative that is designed to safeguard the world’s agricultural diversity for future generations. Located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, the vault has become famous for its unique architecture and the essential role it plays in preserving the genetic resources of the Earth’s crops.
The Arctic vault is the largest of its kind, consisting of three separate vaults that hold a total of 1 million plant species. The seeds, which are stored in secure chambers deep inside a glacier, are meticulously labeled and tracked, guaranteeing that genotypes can be traced back to their source. The seeds come from every corner of the world, and even in the darkness, the vault’s icy shelves hold colorful plant annuums and perennial species that are crucial to our diet and medicine.
The vault is carved into a mountainside, roughly 400 feet above sea level, and is located far enough north to be almost unaffected by a catastrophic event. This makes it an extremely secure location, and in the case of a global catastrophe, The Svalbard Vault would be the last line of defense against the potential extinction of humanity.
The idea of the seed vault started in 1984, however, it was only in 2008 when the project began in earnest. The vault was designed as a long-term means of protecting the genetic resources of the world’s crops that were at risk due to loss of habitat, changes in climate, environmental degradation, and war. Countries around the world were invited to contribute samples to guarantee that the seeds were adequately diversified. Today, over one million species are safely stored within the vault.
The benefit of this initiative is unmistakable. It safeguards the Earth’s diversity that is essential to the growth and long-term health of the planet’s agricultural sector, and the possibilities are limitless. In just one example, scientists can select unique genetic traits that are resistant to drought, floods, and other natural disasters, and those traits could be hybridized with other crops to produce the perfect new crop that can thrive even under adverse environmental conditions.
The future of humanity lies in preserving the planet’s natural resources, and with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, we have the opportunity to ensure this prospect. The research and discovery that have already come out of the Seed Vault have been remarkable, and with continued investments and support from donors, it will continue to play an important role in keeping our planet’s ecosystem alive and thriving.
In the fight against climate change and environmental degradation, the seed vault remains an important symbol of our collective effort to safeguard life on our only home, the Earth. The efforts by governments, farmers, collectors, and scientists all over the world to guarantee the integrity and survival of this life-support system is a monument to human hope and ingenuity. And as for today, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault stands tall in the Arctic, a remarkable testament to mankind’s reverence for the present and the future.
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