Grove English Communication Ⅲ
LESSON 20
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault
In the fall of 1845, potato blight, a serious disease affecting potato plants, hit Ireland, where people depended on potatoes as their main food. From 1845 to 1849, the disease destroyed the Irish potato crops. About one million people died, and another one million moved to the U.S. and other countries. One of the main causes of this tragedy, which is known as the Potato Famine, was the lack of genetic diversity in the potato plants. That made it possible for a single disease to wipe out the entire crop.
That famine was surely one of the worst incidents of this kind, but similar incidents have happened—and can happen at any time, possibly much worse. In fact, the loss of biological diversity is currently one of the greatest problems facing the environment and sustainable development. Its consequence could be an irreversible loss of the ability to grow crops adapted to climate change, new plant diseases, and the needs of a growing population.
More than 1,700 seed banks have been built so far in the world to store seeds of various crops and wild plants for the protection of biodiversity, in case reserves in other places are destroyed or used up. But unfortunately, some of these banks suffer from poor management, budget cuts, natural disasters, and sometimes the damages of war.
Countries worldwide began looking for a place to house a global backup collection of seeds. Finally, an island in Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago, about 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole, was chosen. One of the reasons why this island was chosen was its cold and severe climate. Also, Norway, which is considered not only as a politically stable nation but also one of the world’s richest countries thanks to the North Sea oil, was able to donate the site and build the facility.
In 2008, the high-tech facility, which is called the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, was opened. It is constructed 120 meters inside a mountain in the permafrost area. The construction of the whole facility, which cost nine million U.S. dollars, was paid entirely by the Norwegian government. Storage of seeds in the seed vault is also free of charge. Operational costs are paid by Norway and the Global Crop Diversity Trust, whose main funding comes from various organizations and governments worldwide.
The seeds are preserved in an ideal environment. The facility consists of three vaults. They are sealed behind airtight doors. Each vault has a storage capacity of 4.5 million seed samples. The seeds are stored at –18°C all the time. The distance from the front door of the main building to the vault is about 150 meters. Anyone who wants access to the seeds has to pass through the doors locked with a code.
Now, the facility stores more than 1,080,000 samples from almost every country in the world. They can only be withdrawn as a last solution in the event of natural or human disasters. Actually, in October 2015, ICARDA made its first withdrawal of deposited seeds to restore some of the genetic diversity lost during the Syrian conflict. Thus, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is responsible for the extremely important mission of saving the world for future generations.