Rare footage of "Doomsday Vault" in Arctic (10 photos + 1 video)
Category: Interesting photo stories, PEGI 0+
Yesterday, 18:02
The so-called "Doomsday Vault" is a reserve of plant seeds from all over the world in case of a global catastrophe. The facility is built on the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. It stores "spare copies" of more than 1.3 million varieties. 
The seeds are stored indoors at a temperature of about -18°C. Permafrost and a thick layer of rock surrounding the bunker ensure that the samples will remain frozen even if the power goes out.
In the event of any disaster – be it war, accident or natural disaster – the vault will provide survivors with access to all major crop varieties. And last week, more than 14,000 new samples arrived – from tree seeds from Sweden to rice from Thailand.
“The seeds that were deposited this week are not only a source of biodiversity, but also an embodiment of the knowledge, culture and vitality of the communities that preserve them,” said Stefan Schmitz, CEO of the Crop Trust.
There are currently more than 1,700 seed banks worldwide. However, many of them are at risk of losing their collections due to lack of funding, weak infrastructure, and natural disasters.
To address this problem, the Svalbard Global Seed Bank was opened in 2008, becoming the “ultimate insurance for the world’s food supply.”
According to Crop Trust, the seed vault is in an ideal location for several reasons.
"Spitsbergen is the northernmost territory in Europe that can be reached by regular flights. It is remote, but at the same time accessible," the company explained.
Secondly, the storage facility is located in a mountain, its depth is 120 meters. This area is geologically stable, the humidity level is low, and the seed samples themselves are located significantly above sea level.
Finally, thanks to permafrost and a thick layer of rock, the seeds can be stored naturally, which makes this method cost-effective and reliable.
The bank has the capacity to store 4.5 million varieties of agricultural crops. As of May 2024, there were over 1.3 million varieties in storage. Now, 14,000 new samples have been added to this growing collection. The main varieties of sorghum and millet were provided by the Sudanese Crop Genebank, and the so-called velvet bean was provided by Malawi.
“In Sudan, where conflict has displaced more than eight million people and agriculture has been in decline, these seeds are a source of hope,” says Ali Babikar, director of the Sudanese Center for the Conservation and Research of Crop Genetic Resources.
Another important contribution was made by a gene bank in the Philippines, where extreme weather has already caused the loss of some seed stocks.
