Forest tree seeds arrive at Svalbard's 'Doomsday vault'
The Svalbard "doomsday" vault - widely known for protecting global food crop seeds - has accepted its first delivery of forest tree species seeds. Read more
Seeds from some of North America's hottest food crops have arrived on the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard to be stored in a "doomsday vault". The consignment of chilli seeds was delivered to the frozen outpost by a delegation of seven US senators. Built deep inside a mountain, the vault is designed protect the world's main food plants from future disasters. Read more
The underground bunker can block nuclear fallout, withstand a direct hit by a jetliner, and is cooled to a deathly chill. The ultramodern facility in the tranquil English countryside looks like a perfect lab for a James Bond villain, but it doesn't hide anything sinister. The only thing kept here are seeds, lots of them - more than a billion, in fact. Scientists say this is the world's most diverse seed bank, but its keepers worry that the global financial crisis could cut its government and corporate funding and cause the seed gathering to wither at the end of next year, well short of its goal.
Leading dignitaries have attended the official opening of a 'doomsday' seed vault built 130m (426ft) inside a mountain on a remote Arctic island. Norwegian Prime Minister Jen Stoltenberg and Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai placed the first seeds in the depository during the ceremony.
Doomsday vault begins deep freeze Engineers have begun the two-month process of cooling down a "doomsday vault", which will house seeds from all known varieties of key food crops. The temperature inside the Svalbard Global Seed Vault will drop to -18C (0F) in order to preserve the seeds. Built deep inside a mountain, it aims to safeguard the world's crops from future disasters, such as nuclear wars, asteroids or dangerous climate change.
The final design for a "doomsday" vault that will house seeds from all known varieties of food crops has been unveiled by the Norwegian government. The Svalbard International Seed Vault will be built into a mountainside on a remote island near the North Pole. The vault aims to safeguard the world's agriculture from future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change. Construction begins in March, and the seed bank is scheduled to open in 2008.