The Seed Vault Summit calls for action to save crop diversity
Presentations were given by experts in in situ and ex situ conservation and the sustainable use of plant genetic resources. The presentations can be downloaded from this website. Crucial to future food supplies An editing committee chaired by Jonathan Drori from the UK’s Eden Project assisted by representatives from the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and…
Forgotten stories of frozen seeds
This has included work with indigenous farmers and research on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Last week, the project held an art exhibition that aimed to capture, communicate and conserve interconnections between nature and culture in living seeds. The artworks were exhibited for one night only in Tromsø, before being packed inside sealed boxes and…
Frozen Songs – from Svalbard to Belgrade and Paris
The show contributes also to awareness about the Seed Vault and its mission for audiences in other countries. By the end of March, Frozen Songs was played in Bruges, Belgium and Belgrade, Serbia. Next stop is the Moviementos Festival in Wolfsburg during the first days of May. The show will tour to several countries also…
One million seed samples deposited
The difference in figures is due to the fact that ICARDA, as the first gene bank, has withdrawn seeds from the Vault. During its ten years of operation, 76 institutes have shipped seeds to the Seed Vault. 23 of these participated in the celebration and brought new seeds to the Vault collection during a ceremony…
Important crops and seeds highlighted
The monument was established in 2006, when the decision for building the Seed Vault was announced. As a part of the 10 year celebration, representatives from 27 gene banks added seeds of their important crops to the glass cylinder. It was a symbolic act of significant importance when the gene bank representatives from all over…
A 100 million NOK upgrade of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault suggested
The measures are part of a long-term plan to further secure the Seed Vault for the future. The Norwegian government is now proposing a startup grant of 100 million NOK in 2018. The construction improvements that we hope to start very soon will ensure that Svalbard Global Seed Vault, offers the world’s gene banks a…
Seed Vault Summit
Policymakers, scientists, seed bank experts and other guests have been invited to Svalbard for the 10 year anniversary, to participate in a Seed Vault Summit. With the theme “Towards rational conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources”, participants will share ideas and discuss options for agricultural crop conservation systems.
Svalbard Seed Vault 2008–2018 Anniversary
The opening of the Seed Vault captured the imagination of the world, with journalists comparing it to a Noah’s ark for seeds. Today, as plans are made for observing the tenth anniversary of the Seed Vault, there can be no doubt as to the enormity and importance of this Norwegian contribution to the future of…
Towards a watertight access tunnel
A separate service building that will host all the technical installations for the seed vault will be constructed, in order to improve the functionality and avoid unnecessary heating elements inside the facility. Statsbygg is in charge of the improvement work and has already conducted minor preparatory work during 2017. The seed storage that is placed…
Svalbard Global Seed Vault presented at Plant Treaty meeting in Kigali, Rwanda
Beautiful greenery, the African sun and +22°C (71°F) might not be the scenery most associated with Svalbard Global Seed Vault. But this week the Seed Vault, or at least representatives of it, travelled south to participate in valuable discussions concerning access and rights to plant’s genetic resources. – These are important issues as we are standing…