The Doomsday Vault in the Arctic Circle has just received a huge deposit of almost 50,000 seed samples from collections around the globe. Seeds from Benin, India, Pakistan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Netherlands, the U.S, Mexico, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus and the UK were sent to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault for long-term safekeeping.
The Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway is the world's biggest collection of agricultural biodiversity and, following the latest deposit, now contains over 930,821 samples. The preparation and shipment of the seeds was partially funded by Crop Trust, which organises and manages the global system of seed collections.
Marie Haga, executive director of the Crop Trust, said: "Today's seed deposit at Svalbard supported by The Crop Trust shows that despite political and economic differences in other arenas, collective efforts to conserve crop diversity and produce a global food supply for tomorrow continue to be strong.
"Together, the nations that have deposited their seed collections account for over a quarter of the world's population.
"Nearly every country has agreed on the importance of conserving crop diversity through Target 2.5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to conserve agricultural diversity in seed collections. Crop diversity is a fundamental foundation for the end of hunger."
The vault, also known as the Doomsday Vault, was opened in 2008 after two years of construction. It is a secure facility designed to house seeds in a bid to protect against biodiversity loss resulting from global crises – be it climate change, a natural disaster or war.
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http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/arctic-circles-doomsday-vault-gets-huge-seed-deposit-1607965Anxiously waiting for the flurry of "We're all gonna die" articles from the yellow press.
