A "doomsday" Arctic seed vault on Norway's Spitsbergen island is set to receive its most diverse batch of seed donations yet as efforts to secure the world's food supplies ramp up amid rising climate concerns.
The vault, set in permafrost caves on an arctic mountainside halfway between mainland Europe and the North Pole, was launched in 2008 as a backup for the world's national and regional gene banks that store the genetic code for thousands of plant species.
It has seed samples from nearly every country in the world, and played an essential role between 2015 and 2019 in rebuilding seed collections damaged during the war in Syria. "The whole of humanity relies on the genetic diversity of crops maintained in the world’s gene banks, and the Seed Vault is the last line of defense against the loss of that diversity," said Sandra Borch, Minister of Agriculture and Food for Norway.
Svalbard, which also serves as a backup for plant breeders to develop new crop varieties more resistant to climate change, opened its doors to the public at large for the first time on Tuesday by launching a free virtual tour of its subterranean seed chambers.
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‘Doomsday’ Arctic seed vault gets boost as efforts to secure food supplies ramp upA ‘doomsday’ Arctic seed vault on Norway’s Spitsbergen island is set to receive its most diverse batch of seed donations yet as efforts to secure the world’s food supplies ramp up amid rising climate concerns. | Reuters
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