An ancient strain of wheat, left, and garbanzo beans, right, are examples of the types of seeds and sprouts that will be stored in the vault to prevent the continued disappearance of plant species. Already, three-quarters of biodiversity in crops has been lost in the last century, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.Photo: Dean C.K. Cox for the International Herald Tribune
"Ensuring that the genetic diversity of the world’s food crops is preserved for future generations is an important contribution toward the reduction of hunger and poverty in developing countries. This is where the greatest plant diversity originates and where the need for food security and the further development of agriculture is most urgent.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which is established in the permafrost in the mountains of Svalbard, is designed to store duplicates of seeds from seed collections around the globe. Many of these collections are in developing countries. If seeds are lost, e.g. as a result of natural disasters, war or simply a lack of resources, the seed collections may be reestablished using seeds from Svalbard.
The loss of biological diversity is currently one of the greatest challenges facing the environment and sustainable development. The diversity of food crops is under constant pressure. The consequence could be an irreversible loss of the opportunity to grow crops adapted to climate change, new plant diseases and the needs of an expanding population. " in Ministry of Agriculture and Food
No site da Svalbard Global Seed Vault encontra-se uma grande quantidade de dados, desde a origem de todas as sementes depositadas, o seu género e taxa, ao número de depósitos feitos por país. Para Portugal existe a seguinte informação:
Country name : Portugal
Country code : PRT
Continent name : Europe
Number of accessions : 1,655
Number of seeds : 683,428
Taxa : 188
Genebanks : 17
Artigo do New York Times (origem das fotos)
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