Seed vault reaches million milestone
An underground arctic storage facility which safeguards the seed of crop plants from around the world has taken delivery of its millionth donation.
More than 70,000 crops have been added to the frozen storage chambers, which are buried deep into the permafrost on the island of Svalbard in the Arctic circle. Cereals and unusual crops such as the Estonian onion potato, Hunter’s barley, used to brew Irish beer, and African black-eyed peas are among the latest entries.
The vault, which recently marked its 10th anniversary opens twice a year for deposits.
It’s hoped that the estimated 2.2 million of the world’s unique crop varieties will eventually be deposited at Svalbard. Recent developments have been the installation of waterproof walls and reinforcements to help prepare the site for a projected warmer, wetter future.
“Safeguarding a huge range of seeds means scientists will have the best chance of developing nutritious and climate-resilient crops for future generations,” said Marie Haga, executive director of the Crop Trust.