Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Seed vault in Longyearbyen, Norway
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a seed repository built into a sandstone mountain on Spitsbergen near Longyearbyen, Norway. Its entrance tunnel extends 130 metres into the mountain, 130 metres above sea level, and leads to three refrigerated rooms kept at minus 18 degrees Celsius. The concrete entrance has a wedge-shaped side, a panel of jagged reflective fragments and a louvered grille.
The repository opened on February 26, 2008, after construction began in June 2006. The facility was created in response to concerns that seed banks worldwide could be lost through natural disasters or armed conflicts.
The facility serves as a backup for seed collections from countries around the world, safeguarding the foundation of future food security. Although visitors cannot enter the interior, the importance of this work is visible through the illuminated entrance portal on the mountainside, which glows at night.
The facility is not open to visitors, as it was designed as a high-security storage space. However, you can see the illuminated entrance from the outside, which appears as a triangular concrete portal on the mountainside.
In 2015, seeds were released from the repository for the first time when Syria requested backup samples to replace material lost from a gene bank during war. The release followed exactly the procedures intended, proving that the system works when needed.
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