The Svalbard Global Seed Vault

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a secure facility located on Norway's Arctic island of Spitsbergen, designed to store backup copies of the world’s crop seeds. It acts as a safeguard against global crises like climate change, disease outbreaks, or wars that could destroy native plant varieties. The vault preserves genetic diversity by holding millions of seed samples from nearly every country, ensuring that these vital resources can be reintroduced if needed. Its remote, cold location helps naturally preserve the seeds by slowing deterioration, making it a critical safeguard for global food security and biodiversity.