What is being done to preserve biodiversity?
During our assignment on looking up an organization, I chose Rainforest Alliance. Among their many goals, they mention preserving biodiversity, but don’t go into detail. For them, the focus was likely preventing deforestation and destruction of tropical habitats. But what else was happening to preserve biodiversity? I looked into some articles and found the Svalbard Global Seed Bank.
On an island in Norway, the Vault is built into a mountain on top of an old mine. The goal of this vault is to preserve as many types of seeds as possible. Across the world there are similar vaults, but they all share a common weakness: the possibility to fail. Built way above sea level and into a mountain, Svalbard is highly resistant to any type of geographical hazards. Located in such a remote location, it is protected from possible wars. And best of all, it is surrounded by permafrost. Other facilities have the possibility of the freezers not working due to a power outage or mechanical issue. But when the cold from permafrost is used, you remove those possibilities.
For these reasons, the Svalbard Vault is the most secure seed vault in existence. It is a global operation; with donations form almost every country. They also accept seeds submitted by companies and organizations. The idea of a seedbank is to make a “backup” in case something happens to the plant’s population. Since Svalbard accepts seeds from other seedbanks, the idea behind this seedbank is to create a master copy “backup of a backup”. The dual purpose of having the largest collection and also the most secure collection is why the Vault is so important. Losing a species to extinction is an irreversible tragedy, but it can be prevented through careful planning.
The Svalbard website also features an interactive 360° tour of the facility. I recommend giving it a look!
Source: Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Crop Trust. Web. 2016
Ashley M Mcnally says
I had never heard of anything like this before, its a very interesting read. I wonder when this came about and what plants they already have in the safe? Also who came up with this idea? It had to have taken a lot of planning and research to find the perfect location for the vault.
Prem B Patel says
Wow, I like the idea of a safe vault for seeds in case of some kind of apocalyptic event. It is a fantastic idea and a good way to preserve biodiversity. I wonder if they can protect plant biodiversity, is it possible to do the same with animal diversity? I’m not sure how it would work but for example, they could take DNA samples of animals and store them in a “Global Animal Vault” to protect animal species from going extinct.