Just over 1,000 kilometres from the north pole, 130 metres above sea level and 120 metres inside a limestone mountain lies the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. First opened in 2008 close to the town of Longyearbyen, the facility houses over a million distinct seed varieties at roughly minus 18 degrees Celsius – a long-term insurance policy intended to preserve the world’s agricultural heritage far into the future.

The seeds stored on Svalbard come from all over the world, with boxes from Russia sharing shelf-space with those sent from the USA, China, and Ukraine, demonstrating how science can elevate human progress above conflict or political disagreements.

https://www.neweurope.eu/article/gene-banking-to-preserve-our-future/

Διαβάστε ακόμα