Svalbard: The ARK of plants - 10 years of safe seed protection!

Svalbard: The ARK of plants - 10 years of safe seed protection!

On the remote Norwegian island group Spitzbergen, an impressive project has proven itself: the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, known as the Arctic Arche Noah, celebrates its 10th anniversary. In this impressive shelter, embedded in a frozen mountain, the seeds of more than one million plant species from 85 countries are now stored. Last week, 719 new varieties of Agroscope, the Swiss Saatgutbank, were delivered for safe storage, such as the Kleine Zeitung reported.

A protection against crises and disasters

The Seed Vault not only serves as an archive, but also as a protective measure against the threats of climate change and conflicts. The managing director of Nordgen, Lise Lykke Steffensen, explained that member banks from countries such as the Philippines and Sudan are particularly dependent on the safety of their genetic resources. In these regions that suffer from various crises - be it due to civil wars or natural disasters - the need for such a safe deposit is becoming increasingly urgent. As a result of a warlike conflict, many seeds were destroyed in Sudan, while the Philippines suffer from extreme weather conditions that have already destroyed numerous seeds, such as the farmer newspaper determined.

The seeds in the Vault are not only protected from physical threats, but thanks to the temperatures in the permafrost, even in the event of a power failure, remain frozen. This ensures the long -term storage of the genetic heritage and the diversity, which is maintained by the work of farmers and researchers. The protection and preservation of this variety of plants are crucial for the future of global agriculture and nutrition.