From Gaza to Chad, Seeds Find Refuge in Arctic ‘Doomsday’ Vault

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is set deep inside a mountain on Norway’s Spitsbergen island, about 1,300 kilometres from the North Pole, where it can withstand disasters ranging from nuclear war to global warming.

Often referred to as the “Noah’s Ark” of food crops, it acts as a backup for gene banks around the world that store the genetic code for thousands of plant species.

Launched in 2008 with funding from Norway, the three cold chambers are today home to some 1.3 million varieties of seeds that their owners can withdraw at any moment.

Since its launch in 2008, funded by Norway, the vault’s three cold chambers have housed around 1.3 million seed varieties that can be withdrawn by their owners at any time.