The Svalbard Global Seed Vault on Norway’s Spitsbergen island recently received new deposits from the largest number of contributors since 2020, reflecting growing global concerns over climate change and conflict threats to food security. The vault, known as the “Doomsday Vault,” stores backup seed samples from around the world to safeguard biodiversity against potential disasters, from climate change to nuclear war.
Launched in 2008, the Svalbard facility is embedded deep within a mountain and maintained by permafrost to ensure the seeds’ safety. It has played a vital role in recovering seeds damaged during Syria’s war from 2015 to 2019. “Climate change and conflict threaten infrastructure and impact food security for over 700 million people in more than 75 countries worldwide,” said Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Crop Trust, in a recent statement.
Among the notable recent deposits was Bolivia’s first contribution, organized by the Universidad Mayor Real y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca in collaboration with 125 local farming families. Project coordinators highlighted the importance of this deposit in preserving Bolivian culture and agricultural heritage. Chad also made its first contribution, adding 1,145 samples of climate-resilient crops like sesame, rice, maize, and sorghum, essential for food security amid shifting weather patterns.
In total, over 30,000 new samples from 21 countries, including seeds from vegetables, legumes, and herbs from Palestine, were stored in the vault. Located on a remote island between mainland Europe and the North Pole, the vault is only opened two or three times per year to minimize environmental exposure, ensuring the protection of vital crop diversity for future generations.
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