The Svalbard Global Seed Vault also known as the “Doomsday Bunker”. Photo / AFP
The ‘Global Seed Vault’ seed deposit, also known as Apocalypse Bunker, in the middle of the Arctic, which keeps a copy of all the world’s edible plants to deal with a hypothetical global disaster, has reopened its doors to envoys from five countries .
According to data from the Norwegian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, “The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a repository where the seeds of thousands of plants grown from around the world are stored. The goal is to preserve a sort of “backup” of all the seeds on the planet. Thus, in the face of a catastrophe, the biodiversity of crops will be saved “.
So far it has a reserve of 1 million 125 thousand seeds of about 500 species and 89 gene banksaccording to data provided by the Norwegian government.
The vault of the end of the world preserves a heritage in seeds.
Because they opened the vault at the end of the world
Doomsday vault doors were opened so that representatives from Sudan, Uganda, New Zealand, Australia, Germany and Lebanon could protect various species of seeds, including millet, sorghum and wheat.
The International Center for Agricultural Research in Arid Areas reported that between 2015 and 2019 they removed the seeds due to damage from the war in Syria.
While Lebanon and Morocco have incorporated more than eight thousand samples.
What is the vault at the end of the world
The corridor leading to the seed bank at the end of the world. photo / file
In the Svalbard archipelago, between Norway and the North Pole, the future of humanity is hidden. There, in addition to the “Global Seed Vault”, works the “Arctic World Archive”, two structures that will preserve the important things of the world in case climate change destroys the poles.
A food archive is also planned in the event that a meteor falls to earth, a tragedy occurs or even a pandemic like the one the world has gone through with the coronavirus.
How does the doomsday vault work in Norway
The Global Seed Vault, or End of the World Seed Bank, or Doomsday Vault, was built in 2008 inside an Arctic mountain, located in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, 130 meters above sea level.
The detail is not trivial: this ensures that the floor is dryeven if the sea level rises due to the melting of the polar ice.
It was built there because it is one of the territories with the least seismic activity in the world. and because, in the event of a tragedy, the cold would allow plants to be preserved even without electricity.
On the other hand, it is not a gene bank that researchers or interested parties can turn to, but rather is designed so that national or regional gene banks store their seeds there for replication in case of loss following natural disasters or armed conflicts. It works like a bank safe.
The frozen landscape of Norway where the seed bank is located. photo / file
Finally, the vault building is owned by Norway and the vault service is free. However, the seeds are owned by the gene bank that deposited them there.
The vault ceiling is a work of art by Dyveke Sanne, entitled “Perpetual Repercussion”. and the vault is managed by NorGen (Nordic Center for Genetic Resources) in collaboration with the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the international organization Global Crop Diversity Trust.
There are currently over one million seed samples in storage; more than 6000 species from 249 countries.
Source: Clarin