DOOMSDAY VAULT GETS 14,000 NEW SAMPLES
Whether the world ends via global warming, a nuclear war or any natural disaster, at least the doomsday vault will still be okay.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is located inside a mountain on the remote Norwegian Arctic island. It was built in such a way and in that specific location to ensure that no matter what happens, the world’s genetic codes for thousands of plant species are still safely stored.
Seven years after it was launched, the doomsday vault has received 14,000 new samples.
Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Crop Trust said in a statement that the seeds represent so much more than we think they do.
“The seeds deposited this week represent not just biodiversity, but also the knowledge, culture and resilience of the communities that steward them.”
Out of the 14,000 new samples, there are 15 species from Sudan. The Sudanese species consist of different varieties of sorghum. In case there’s a natural disaster or a war, the sorghum can be planted somewhere else to ensure Sudan isn’t left in the dark when it comes to food security.
During the war in Syria between 2015 and 2019, the vault played a massive role in rebuilding damaged seed collections.
Image credit: Wikipedia