Humanity’s ultimate backup plan
How a remote seed bank in Norway preserves plant genetics
The $9-million (U.S.) Svalbard Global Seed Vault was built by Norway in 2008 to hold seeds from around the world in case other seed banks are destroyed. The only withdrawal so far was in 2015 by the International Center for Agriculture Research in Dry Areas, which wanted to duplicate seeds held in its gene bank in war-torn Aleppo, Syria. In February, the organization returned copies of those seeds to Svalbard. Canada will send more seeds to the vault in May. 1. Seeds are transported by air to Longyearbyen, which is a three-hour flight from Oslo. The vault is located on the outskirts of the small coal-mining town. 2. The boxes are transported by van to the vault. 3. The entrance and top of the vault are decorated with an award-winning sculpture by Dyveke Sanne called Perpetual Repercussion. The artist installed hundreds of pieces of crystal, polished steel and LED lights by herself in -20 C temperatures and bitter winds. 4. A 100-metre tunnel leads to the vaults. “It’s a very positive place,” says Grethe Helene Evjen, a senior adviser at the Norwegian agriculture and food ministry. “It’s a global place. You feel that you have the whole world community when you see all the seeds there. ... And still you are in this very remote place on Earth.” 5. Three sets of grey steel doors open to the vaults, which are each
10 metres wide by 30 metres long. 6. The middle vault is the only one in use but it’s nearly full. Inside, boxes are stored on metal shelves and the air is cooled to -18 C, which ensures the longevity of the seeds. 7. Inside each box are aluminum packages of dried seeds. Seeds from an onion plant may only be viable for five or 10 years but other types can last 100 years. Gene banks typically hold seeds that are no longer used in agriculture — because they are low yield or not adapted to modern technology — but are preserved for breeding, research and education. 8. The vaults are built 120 metres into rock to ensure the seeds will stay frozen even if the cooling system fails and external temperatures rise. The vault is located high enough, in the Platafjell mountain, to allow for a 70-metre rise in sea level.