Then, the idea was abandoned due to complications such as lack of financing and controversy regarding ownership and control of genetic resources. The idea of expanding the mine shaft to offer space for more of the world’s seeds had already been introduced in the 1980s. The Nordic genebank had stored its materials in an abandoned mine shaft in Svalbard since the 1980s. To Nordic researchers, the idea was not new. “A room for storing seeds inside a mountain near the North Pole? Are you kidding?” But to his surprise, the Norwegian government said yes. In 2004 Cary Fowler was appointed to head an international committee to look into the possibility of creating a central bank in Svalbard where the regional banks could store duplicate seeds for safekeeping. Not only were many of the facilities in questionable shape, they were also located in areas where conflict and climate put them at risk. This is why agricultural expert Sir Peter Crane in his foreword calls the Seed Vault “an insurance policy for the future of global agriculture”.ĩ/11 and hurricane Katrina reminded the world of the vulnerability of the regional seed banks of the world. If one of the world’s most important crops were to succumb to new pests, resistance may be hidden in the seeds of another variety. When key genetic material is lost, it can weaken and possibly wipe out the ability to develop new plant varieties resistant to pests and drought. If this development continues at a similar speed, it could have grave consequences for the future of agriculture. While the 1800s saw 2600 different pear varieties, we now have around 300 left. Eighty years later, the numbers were 21 and 79. His book points to the inordinate amount of biodiversity that has been lost in recent years: In 1903, there were 287 varieties of carrots and 408 kinds of tomatoes in the United States. Natural disasters, conflicts and climate changes have renewed the urgency and actuality of Fowler’s work.
The “fairy tale” has also been introduced to an American audience through Cary Fowler’s popular TED talks, and he has been a tireless advocate for the need to preserve what future generations will need to safeguard the world’s food supply. National Public Radio introduces the story of the Seed Vault as something that “may sound like the beginning of a fairy tale”. In the words of the Washington Post, the book is “an introduction to an extraordinary, farsighted venture”.
“This book is a love letter to Svalbard…to the Seed Vault”, Fowler writes, and to the belief that “biodiversity….is a common heritage of all humanity”. His new book “Seeds on Ice” is a tribute not only to the Svalbard Seed Vault, but also to the people and the natural beauty around it. Fowler, a social scientist turned biodiversity advocate, has been a key player in the efforts to make sure that future generations have access to genetic material that can help secure the world’s food production. Biodiversity advocate Cary Fowler’s new book gives us the story of how the vault came to be.Ĭary Fowler has spent much of his life studying what’s gone: The millions of seeds and genetic material that have disappeared over the past century or so. Unique international cooperation and Norwegian leadership and generosity made it possible to create this “insurance policy for humanity”, where future generations can find the genetic material needed to secure the world’s food supply. Svalbard’s seed vault, where the seeds of the world are kept safe, has many nicknames. If (slot) slot.addService(googletag.The most important bank in the world. (function (a, d, o, r, i, c, u, p, w, m) Iraq and Uruguay deposit crop seeds at Arctic doomsday vault - The Jerusalem Post
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