- Location
- Cornwall.
The world's diverse range of seeds can survive for hundreds, in some cases potentially thousands, of years without germinating or losing their capability for life.
By VICTORIA WOOLLASTON
Sunday 26 February 2017
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a secure vault located in the depths of the Arctic Circle, supported by the Crop Trust, which can store up to four and a half million samples of crops from all over the world. Explore some of the sights of the vault below and read more about the 'Doomsday' plans here. For more pictures, visit the Crop Trust's official Flickr page.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the world’s largest collection of agricultural biodiversity, is a secure vault supported by the Crop Trust which can store up to four and a half million samples of crops from all over the world
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Credit Philip Sinden
The vault opened in 2008 after engineers spent a year drilling and blasting through the sandstone, siltstone and claystone of Platåberget Mountain to create a system of subterranean chambers on the Advent Fjord's southern flank
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Credit Philip Sinden
The Global Seed Vault is not intended to be a 'Doomsday' plan, ready to replant the world in the event of a major disaster (although with the seeds of 526,129 crop varieties now safely stored, it could go some way to fulfilling that role). Instead, it operates as a secure storage space for samples of other collections that are at risk
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
The vault is virtually indestructible beneath the permafrost – even if the power were to fail, the collection would remain cold enough to avoid deterioration
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Three doors lead off to subchambers but only the central one is occupied. Inside, the temperature (presently -18°C) is kept low by a bank of chiller fans that face longways on to five racks of metal shelves varying between 65cm and 125cm wide and each 300cm high
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
The mine shafts were dug horizontally into the sides of the mountains and there they remain, carved into the dark cliffs
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Seeds can survive for hundreds, in some cases potentially thousands, of years without germinating or losing their capability for life
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Credit Philip Sinden
The timber and iron structures are preserved by law, as are the wooden supports and pulleys that lead down to the old coal quays near the airport
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
To reach Longyearbyen you must fly on the world's most northerly scheduled air service. But, at 78°N, most things in the Svalbard's largest town are the world's most northerly, including its church, university campus, bus station, bank, kindergarten, art gallery, cinema, shooting range, supermarket, cashpoint, taxi office, pub and kebab van
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Credit Philip Sinden
By VICTORIA WOOLLASTON
Sunday 26 February 2017
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a secure vault located in the depths of the Arctic Circle, supported by the Crop Trust, which can store up to four and a half million samples of crops from all over the world. Explore some of the sights of the vault below and read more about the 'Doomsday' plans here. For more pictures, visit the Crop Trust's official Flickr page.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the world’s largest collection of agricultural biodiversity, is a secure vault supported by the Crop Trust which can store up to four and a half million samples of crops from all over the world
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Credit Philip Sinden
The vault opened in 2008 after engineers spent a year drilling and blasting through the sandstone, siltstone and claystone of Platåberget Mountain to create a system of subterranean chambers on the Advent Fjord's southern flank
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Credit Philip Sinden
The Global Seed Vault is not intended to be a 'Doomsday' plan, ready to replant the world in the event of a major disaster (although with the seeds of 526,129 crop varieties now safely stored, it could go some way to fulfilling that role). Instead, it operates as a secure storage space for samples of other collections that are at risk
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
The vault is virtually indestructible beneath the permafrost – even if the power were to fail, the collection would remain cold enough to avoid deterioration
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Three doors lead off to subchambers but only the central one is occupied. Inside, the temperature (presently -18°C) is kept low by a bank of chiller fans that face longways on to five racks of metal shelves varying between 65cm and 125cm wide and each 300cm high
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
The mine shafts were dug horizontally into the sides of the mountains and there they remain, carved into the dark cliffs
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Seeds can survive for hundreds, in some cases potentially thousands, of years without germinating or losing their capability for life
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Credit Philip Sinden
The timber and iron structures are preserved by law, as are the wooden supports and pulleys that lead down to the old coal quays near the airport
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
To reach Longyearbyen you must fly on the world's most northerly scheduled air service. But, at 78°N, most things in the Svalbard's largest town are the world's most northerly, including its church, university campus, bus station, bank, kindergarten, art gallery, cinema, shooting range, supermarket, cashpoint, taxi office, pub and kebab van
Credit Global Crop Diversity Trust
Credit Philip Sinden
