Svalbard Global Seed Vault: Huge interest

 

Svalbard Global Seed Vault: There is huge interest in visiting the global seed vault on Svalbard. Jimmy Carter, George Soros and Ted Turner are amongst those who will visit the vault this summer. There are heavy restrictions on access to the vault.

Permafrost The Svalbard Global Seed Vault has been established in the permafrost deep inside the mountains of Svalbard. The vault is constructed for the storage of safety duplicates of seeds from seed collections all over the world. Several of these collections are in developing countries. If seeds are lost, for example as a result of natural disasters, wars or simply lack of resources, seed collections may be re-established with seeds from Svalbard.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault: Inside the vault. Photo: Mari Tefre/Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Opened 26 February
Svalbard Global Seed Vault was opened on 26 February this year by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg together with Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai. 268,000 seed types comprising more than 100 million individual seeds, which represent agriculture in 220 countries have already been catalogued, coded and placed in the seed vault.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault: There is huge interest in visiting the Global Seed Vault on Svalbard.