Popularly known as The Doomsday Vault, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault The Svalbard is located on a mountain in the Norwegian Arctic archipelago. What makes it so special is that it is hidden at a depth of about 120 metres and has been designed to withstand catastrophic scenarios, both natural and man-made, such as nuclear explosions, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The aim of this ambitious project is to preserve crop biodiversity and ensure global food security in the event of a catastrophe.
What was this Vault built for?
The Doomsday Vault was built with a clear goal: ensuring the conservation of essential seeds for humanity in the event of a global catastrophe. Since its launch in 2008, 860.000 samples of more than 4.000 seed species from 231 countries have been stored. The project aims to protect important food crops and plant biodiversity, ensuring that in a post-apocalyptic future, humanity can replenish its crops.
This vault is not just a seed bank; its installation is a global effort involving many countries and international organizations. The last country to send seeds was Japan, who, motivated by the devastating consequences of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, decided to provide barley samples in response to growing concerns about the long-term safety of their crops.
The vault's operation is simple but crucial: each participating country deposits copies of its own seeds in it as a backup in case their local seed banks are compromised by crises or disasters. This system guarantees long-term preservation, as the seeds are kept at -18 degrees Celsius, ensuring their viability for centuries.
The creation and financing of the Vault
The project was funded by the Government of Norway with an initial cost of approximately 9 million dollars. It has the support of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, an organization that works to preserve crop biodiversity. Financial support from entities such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been crucial to the development and maintenance of this project, which is the world's largest seed bankThe vault can hold up to 4.5 million seed samples.
The design of the vault is also exceptional. Svalbard was chosen because its location, 130 metres above sea level and in a permafrost region, provides a naturally cold environment that contributes to the preservation of seeds, even in the event of failure of the mechanical cooling system. In addition, the chamber is dug into a mountain of solid rock, which protects it from natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
The background and importance of seed banks
Seed banks are nothing new; Every country in the world has its own local banks where they store seed samples to protect them in case they are destroyed by pests, diseases or natural disasters. However, the Doomsday Vault is unique in that it is the center of a global system of seed banks.
The main objective of these banks is to preserve the genetic diversity of cropsGenetic variability is essential to ensure the resilience of agriculture to new diseases or extreme climate changes. In many cases, old crop varieties have a natural resistance to pests and adverse weather conditions that modern species do not possess.
First opening: the case of Syria
The first seed withdrawal occurred in 2015, when officials from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in Syria they requested access to 116.000 seed samples due to the Syrian Civil WarThis was the first event where the stored seeds actually needed to be used, demonstrating the value of the vault as a vital resource for humanity.
The war in Syria was a man-made disaster that resulted in the loss of many local varieties of important crops. Fortunately, thanks to the vault, it was possible to replenish these varieties in other countries and, once the situation had stabilized, return them to Syria.
The Doomsday Vault: Is It Really Safe?
Despite being designed to withstand all types of disasters, the Svalbard Vault faced an unexpected challenge in 2017 when unusually high temperatures caused the permafrost surrounding the facility to thaw. This thawing led to water infiltration into the entrance tunnel, although fortunately, the seeds were not affected.
Following this incident, a number of technical improvements were implemented to prevent future problems. These included the installation of waterproof walls in the access tunnel and were added pipes for cooling the ground surrounding area. Despite this incident, those responsible for the vault assure that the stored seeds continue to be completely safe.
The vault has established itself as the Humanity's last defense against biodiversity loss caused by factors such as climate change, wars or natural disasters. It represents one of the most advanced solutions for the long-term preservation of essential plant species.