Doomsday vault: Noah's Ark to guard human agricultural heritage

This Norwegian government's initiative hopes to preserve seeds from all known varieties of food crops. In the face of global warming, climate change, future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes it hopes to safeguard the world's agriculture. The vault will also be used be used to replenish national seed banks.

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It is to be made 400 feet deep into the mountain, Pitsbergen, one of four islands that make up Svalbard . The depth will ensure that rising outside air temperatures will not influence the surrounding permafrost.

At the end of this tunnel, the project will build two chambers capable of holding a total of three million seed samples, making it the largest such seed bank in the world. The island can provide natural backup refrigeration to help preserve seeds, should electricity fail since it is in the permafrost region.

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Cary Fowler, the Trust's executive director is quoted to have said:

Can you imagine an effective, efficient, sustainable response to climate change, water shortages, food security issues without what is going to go in the vault - it is the raw material of agriculture.

We want a safety net because we do not want to take too many chances with crop biodiversity

The Global Crop Diversity Trust is helping to fund the vault's operations and pay for the preparation and transport of seeds to the Arctic isle of Svalbard.

Some present day crops may possess extraordinary and possibly unique traits in terms of taste, nutritional quality, pest and disease resistance, or adaptability to various environments, if lost forever the future world might face serious food shortages. The Doomsday vault may just help us get away frm Doomsday.

Source: BBC