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Svalbard Global Seed Vault
In an abandoned coal mine deep within the Arctic Circle lies the world’s largest collection of seeds. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is an international project financed and run by the Norwegian government and NGO The Crop Trust. It’s all in an effort to protect the genetic diversity of key plant species from around the world against the threats posed by climate change, natural disasters, disease, drought and human mismanagement. Governments, indigenous communities and other gene banks are entitled to deposit and withdraw seeds as they see fit, providing a valuable agricultural resource and also safeguarding the world’s food supply for the future.
“It’s an important insurance policy if things go wrong around the world – and they do. Crop diversity is too important to be left to uncertainty” – Marie Haga, former executive director at The Crop Trust